"ROCKin!" Lobster

Drawing a Tropical Rock Lobster In Colored Pencil and Ink

Prints, posters, stationery cards, and signed fine art reproductions  

are available for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Tropical Rock Lobster. 11x17"  Colored Pencil and ink on paper

When I first laid eyes one on one these crazy looking lobsters, I though someone painted on it. The colors and patterns that adore it's shell are almost un-natural looking. They are so ornate that they are sometimes called "Ornate Rock Lobsters", which fits them perfectly. Even it's scientific name "Panulirus ornatus" has ornate in it. It is also known by a number of other common names, including tropical rock lobster, ornate rock lobster, ornate spiny lobster and ornate tropical rock lobster. They live in the indo-Pacific from the Red Sea to Japan. There are around 60 different species of spiny lobster throughout the world, and fossils have been found of them dating back to 110 million years ago. One amazing fact that has been recently discovered is that spiny lobsters can navigate by detecting the Earth's magnetic field. Pretty cool!

I grew up seeing the much plainer looking Spiny lobster that I encountered while scuba diving throughout Florida and the Caribbean Islands. They are much more monochromatic and lack the vibrate colors of this species.

56 pound Tropical Rock Lobster which was caught by a Chinese Fisherman

Recently a gigantic Rock Lobster was caught by a very lucky fisherman off the coast of China that weighted in at an astonishing 56 pounds! It ended up being sold at auction for $95,000 and was nick-named "The God of Lobsters". 

Before starting in on this drawing I decided to do some research and ask other artists what supplies they prefer to drawing with when it comes to working in colored pencils. I haven't been happy with the pencils or paper I've been using. And what I found out really changed my colored pencil experience. I've been using soft colored pencils to draw my details, which wasn't working out very well. They were hard to sharpen into a fine point, and they would break under the pressure of my hand. 

 Prismacolor's Verithin hard lead colored pencils

So someone suggested trying the hard lead Prismacolor Verithin line of colored pencils which are amazing. You can sharpen the tips to almost needle points for extreme detail work and they can take a lot of pressure without breaking. The colors are vibrant and blend very easily. 

 They come in a variety of sets

They are thiner and harder than standard soft colored pencils

Also when it came to the paper I was working on I wasn't satisfied with how it was excepting the colored pencils. The moleskin paper worked nicely with black ink, but it didn't except the wax of the pencils very well. I was told to give Bristol Vellum a try and was astonished of how nice it is. It's very thick and smooth and the color comes out extremely bright on it. Give it a try if you haven't.

Strathmore Bristol Vellum 

Here are some photos taken during my drawing process

Here's the finished drawing

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Catching a Crab

Drawing a Blue Crab In Colored Pencil and Ink

Prints, posters, stationery cards, and signed fine art reproductions  

are available for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Blue Crab. 11x17"  Colored Pencil and ink on paper

These little amazing crustaceans are extremely close to my heart. I grew up in Maryland, and all Marylander's know about Blue Crabs. They are a favorite seafood delight to enjoy eating during the summer, and most summers during my childhood my family would have a crab feast. We would make a trip down to the seafood wharf in Washington DC where local fisherman would sell crabs by the bushel. We would haggle between the fisherman to get the best price and head home with a overflowing bushel of crabs ready for the boiling pot. Old Bay seasoning, brown paper table cloths, mallets and claw crackers were all part of an afternoon of hours sitting around picking crabs with friends and family. This is a tradition that I truly miss now living further north in New Jersey were blue crabs are hard to find. If you do find them they now cost a small fortune and are small, not like the jumbo crabs of times past.

My brother Peter as chef during a crab feast

I also spent many hours fishing for crabs with my brother Tony on the coast of Maryland. When ever we had a chance we would head out to the bay with our crab traps, nets, and chicken legs for bait and spend hours trying to get as many crabs as we could. Inevitably getting pitched by a crab as we took them out of the traps. And this crab knows how to pitch! Once they get you they don't let go! They were hard to a catch and on a good day we would get a dozen or so to enjoy as our prize. Crabs are part of my childhood, and they will always be something that I can't wait to enjoy whenever I get the chance. So if you run into someone from Maryland or Virginia ask them about blue crabs. I'm sure you will see their face light up.

Here's some blue crab facts. Their scientific name is "Callinectes sapidus" means "savory beautiful swimmer". A perfect name if you have ever seen one swim. Their life span is 1 to 3 years, and females only mate once in their lifetime. Their range is from Nova Scotia to Argentina. 

Today Blue Crabs populations remain in a serious slump. The number of female crabs has dropped to a dangerously low level. Severe Winter weather along with environmental issues have become the main cause. Overfishing is being control, and lets hope that they can recover and become abundant once again for all to enjoy.

Here are some photos taken during my drawing process

Here's the finished drawing

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

The Coolest Coat

Drawing a Jaguar In Colored Pencil and Ink

Prints, posters, stationery cards, and signed fine art reproductions  

are available for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Jaguar. 11x17"  Colored Pencil and ink on paper

I believe when you find something you like to do, do it over and over again. So this is the third time I've drawn a jaguar recently, and drawing this beautiful animal is something I throughly enjoy doing every time I do it. The first two drawings I did of this cat were in black ink, so taking it on this time in color was a very different challenge. Working in color is very different from the graphic quality of black and white. It involves looking at the subject in a different way. Lighting, shape, texture are achieve differently from using only black ink. 

I just love the coat on a Jaguar. The patterns and color on a jaguar are second to none, and drawing the intricate detail is exactly the kind of drawing I like to do.

Some of the supplies I work with including inks and colored pencils

I used both ink and colored pencil on this piece. I still like using black ink for all of my dark darks. The black colored pencils just don't achieve the blacks I like.

The original photograph by Luis Urena that I used as reference

With such an complex and detailed fur coat the jaguar is a marvel of beauty. The photo I used as reference was graciously provided by Luis Urena. He's a photographer and Wildlife conservationist from Panama. Thank you Luis for the use of your beautiful photograph!

Photo Copyright © 2013 Luis Urena

Summit Park wildlife rehabilitation center, Panama

Here are some photos taken during my drawing process

Here's the finished drawing

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

I Just landed in Oz

Drawing a Sea Turtle In Colored Pencil

Prints, posters, stationery cards, and signed fine art reproductions  

are available for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Green Sea Turtle. 11x17"  Colored Pencil on paper

No doubt that black in white is cool looking. I love its raw graphic quality. I really enjoy working in black ink, and it will always have a very special spot in my creative thinking. But after over 40 black and white Ink drawings of animals, I feel like my house just crash landed, and I opened the door to tecnocolor in the wonderful Land of OZ! I always loved in the movie "The Wizard of Oz" how the first half was filmed in black and white and appeared so gritty against the ultra colorized second half in Oz. That's how this drawing experience felt to me. Like being unleashed in a world of vivid colors! 

Now, this isn't the first time I've created art in color. I've painted in oils, acrylics, and watercolors. I've done pastel drawing, marker drawings, and worked in oil sticks. But for the last year I've solely worked in black ink. So, I thought why not change things up, why not depart from the safety of the norm, why not give color a whirl again. So, I went out and picked up a 72 colored pencil set and took the plunge. I have to say, I enjoyed using them. I haven't really ever done a piece of art in colored pencil before. Though I have a lot of learning and experimenting to do, my first impression was positive. Blending in colored pencil was similar to painting. The soft color lead mixed well, and it felt comfortable to work in. Finding the best paper will be my next challenge. I just worked with what I had around, and I know I can find better paper. 

And just for the record, I'm not leaving my black ink behind. I still love black and white and will alternate between them for awhile. But color has definitely got my attention!

I bought a set of 72 Colored Pencils to work with

The subject matter for this piece was inspired by a beautiful photograph of a Green Sea Turtle by a friend of mine Terence Zahner. Terence and his wife Doris are avid scuba divers. Terence is an advanced underwater photographer who's work is absolutely stunning! You can see more of it and even purchase prints in his Etsy shop Zahner Photo. He's always been so gracious to me by offering his photos for reference for my drawings. Thanks Terence for your willingness to lend your amazing photographs to me. I truly appreciate it.

Terence and Doris Zahner doing what they both do best

And a rare shot of them above water!

The inspiration for my drawing. Terence's beautiful picture

Here are some photos taken during my drawing process

Here are a few details

Here's the finished drawing

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt