And the Animal is...

Leave a comment on this blog post of which animal 

you think my next drawing will be of. Be the first person to guess it right, and get a FREE PRINT mailed to you. 

Good Luck!

Since everyone has been so supportive and helpful to me with animal ideas for my drawings, I wanted to say thanks by giving a chance to win a FREE 12"x18" print of my next drawing. Guess as many times as you like. It's the FIRST person to guess the RIGHT animal. I'll announce the winner when the drawing is finished and available in my shop. Thanks  so much for all of your good words, support and kindness! It keeps my pen drawing these amazing animals. 

What will it be? 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

See my other available prints, posters, and signed reproductions at:

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Inkin a Squid

My tale of drawing a squid

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Squid. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

I finished another addition to my "Sea Creatures" Series. A squid. Squids are one of those creatures that when you see them in life they seem about as close to an alien species as you can imagine. So many science fiction monsters have been inspired by these tiny little creatures, and it's easy to see why. With tentacles, huge eyes, wings and glowing transparent bodies, they fit the "monster class" well. Getting the chance to see them while diving I have always been fascinated with there incredible swimming ability. They can hover, turn or a dime and have explosive speed that makes them seem like mechanical flying machines underwater. 

Weird Squid fact that I didn't know. Squids are extremely strong swimmers and certain species can "fly" for short distances out of the water. So watch out! I took liberty on this drawing to break a rule. Squid, like octopus, have 8 tentacles. If you take the time to count up how many tentacles my squid has, it's way over 8. But 8 just didn't seem enough to express the movement i was trying to achieve on this piece. One quote that I read, and liked, about art is that unlike photograph which captures reality, art expresses it. And that is what I decide my squid would do. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and visit.

Here are some photos taken during my drawing process

Just starting in with the eye.

Detail of the eye

Adding in my all time favorites...spots!

Working on the body and tentacle patterns

After about half the drawing is done I start to painting in the background

My variety of Uniball PowerTank pen sizes are to the right

The pen ink and inkwash ink have different qualities and colors

Starting on the tentacles

The finished drawing

Detail of the head

 Detail of the eye

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Hoo you looking at?

Drawing a Great Horned Owl

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Great Horned Owl. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

I've been meaning to do a final drawing of an owl for sometime now and finally decided to put one down on paper. With their incredible detailed plumage, it was a challenge to say the least. They are amazing birds which live among us in North American but are rarely seen. After 48 years living with them, I can count on one hand the times I have seen an owl in nature. I've heard their wonderful low-pitched but loud "ho-ho-hoo" calls more times than spotting one.

Here's a cool owl fact that I didn't know. They regularly eat skunks, and may be the only animal with such an appetite. In a recorded case the remains of 57 striped skunks were found in one owls nest. These stealthy creatures are well camouflaged and are most active during the night. Owls have spectacular binocular vision and their eyes are nearly as large as human beings. Another fact I didn't realize is that an owl eyes are immobile within it's eye sockets. So instead of turning it's eyes to see it must turn its head, which it can do at an incredible 270 degrees. If you live in North or parts of South American, keep a look out for a chance to see one of these majestic birds! And as always, thanks for visiting my blog!

Here are some photos taken during my drawing process

 Owls have incredible eyes, and they are incredibly fun to draw

As I drew the eyes I could feel them staring me down

  A close up of the almost finished eyes

Inking in the background

  Working on the plumage

  A close up of the finished face

  A close up of the finished eye

 A before and after of the owls face

Portrait of a King

Drawing a Lion, the King of Beasts

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Lion. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

Here's a sad fact. About 10,000 years ago the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. Now there are only 32,000 of them, down from 200,000 just a century ago. Yet they are still not declared an endangered species. And what really shocked me was that Between 1999 and 2008, more than 7,500 lions were killed for sport. Fifty-five percent of those individuals were shipped to the United States, just terrible! I can only hope that this changes and people realize how fragile these incredibly strong animals are.

Lions to me are one of the most beautiful and majestic cats. The male lion really does fit his name, and looks like a king. My goal for this drawing was to create a character the says I'm proud, I'm strong, and I'm not going to look at you for pity. This is one of first animals in my series that is looking away, and not directly at the viewer. The other goal for me was to conquer drawing hair. Hair has always been a challenge for me to draw. So what better subject to get over my fear of hair then drawing a lions mane! Below are a series of photos I took as I drew. I'm slowly getting better at documenting my drawings as I do them. I hope you enjoy my time lapse shots. And if anyone has any question about my process, please don't hesitate to write, or comment on this blog. I would be happy answer anything and will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks for looking.

Starting with the eye. I always do

My pen of choice. Uniball PowerTank .05

The mouth is done.

Inking in part of the background

Working on the Mane

Close up of the Mane

Layers of lines.

I always start and then finish with the eye. Adding the finishing touches.

Now it's Personal!

Helping to Save the Jaguars of Panama

Drawing "Darien" for the Panama Wildlife Conservation

Exclusive Conservation Print Available for purchase. 
A percentage of each sale will go directly to help Panama's amazing Jaguars

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Darien. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

When I opened an email from Dr Luis Urena, a Panamanian Biologist living in London, a few weeks ago I instantly stop what I was doing. After seeing my artwork and my love of  animals he wrote me requesting assistance in developing  a piece of art to promote his cause, saving jaguars in his native Panama. He had decided to start a Conservation group for Panama called "Panama Wildlife Conservation" and was dedicating his time and efforts into building awareness and saving Panama's incredible natural resources and endangered animals.

Darien.  Copyright © 2013 Luis Urena

Attached to his email were personals photos that he had taken of Darien, a rescued jaguar from the illegal animal trade in Panama. Darien is living in Summit Botanical Gardens and is being rehabilitated. As soon as I saw his absolutely beautiful photos of Darien my thoughts were "I have to be a part of this!" The photos he send me (you can see more of them lower on this post) were so intimate, such up-close and personal images of this absolutely incredible creature. As I looked at the images I felt like I was looking into the eyes of a animal that I knew.

I instantly connected with Luis's photos because they took on the same purpose as my drawing. To have to viewer stop, and look into the face, into the eyes, of creature that needs help, that has feeling and emotions, and has astonishing beauty. Something all of us need to realize and make a different in protecting.

I wrote back to Luis and told him I wouldn't do a commission for him, but instead would gladly volunteer to create a piece for his cause which he could then use for his organization. It was my first chance to use my art for the purpose of giving something back to the animals I love so much.

Over the next 3 days I drew Darien and send the finished drawing back to Dr Urena, which he was very excited about and immediately implemented into the image to promote his cause. My Darien drawing will be printed on t-shirts, coffee mugs and other merchandise to raise Charitable funds for Conservation efforts in Panama. Something I am very proud to be a part of. I'm also going to contribute a percentage of any sales that I make of my "Darien" print in my shop to the Panama Wildlife Conservation. I'm offering a variety of prints of Darien for sale which you can see here:

www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

My hope is to do this for other endangered animals. I love to draw, I love animals, and I love to draw animals, and if something I love to do can help the subjects that make me motivated to create, then I've finally made the personal connection I've been looking for.

Detail of the Darien's head

Detail of the Darien's eyes. How can you resist him!

Darien's drawing in process. 

Working on his eyes

Here the head is almost complete. 

Meet Darien

Photos Copyright © 2013 Luis Urena

Summit Park wildlife rehabilitation center, Panama

Horse of a Different Color

Drawing the Graphic Standard of Animals: The Zebra

Available to purchase as prints and signed reproductions at:

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Plains Zebra. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

First question. Are Zebras white with black stripes, or back with white one? All I knew when I was a kid was that I could draw the entire animal with one black marker, and that was cool! When I first realize I loved to draw, back in elementary school, the very first animal I attempted was a zebra. The graphic stripes were so inviting to draw. Simple by wrapping the stripes around the animal it gave the appearance of a 3 dimensional image. I drew Zebra after Zebra after Zebra, and never got bored. Plus, I could change up the stripes on everyone and make them all unique. Drawing this Zebra brought me right back to my first animal drawings, and even today I still love drawing a Zebra. Plus this animals true colors are two of my favorite...Black & white.

The stripes on a Zebra are unique to each individual, and that no two are alike is amazing. Due to over hunting for skins and habitat destruction they are endangered. One subspecies the quagga became extinct in the 19th century.

Detail of the Zebra's head

Detail of the Zebra's eye. My favorite feature.

 My Zebra in process. 

Here the head is almost complete. 

Spots in My Eyes

Drawing a Spotted Moray Eel

Available to purchase as prints and signed reproductions at:

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Spotted Moray Eel. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

I'll never forget the first time I encountered a moray eel close up. I was a teenager and just started scuba diving with my brother Tony in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Carolina. We loved diving and exploring the many ship wrecks that litter the sea bed along the Outer Banks. Most of the wrecks were merchant ships, sunk during World War 2 by German U-boats. And after 50 years underwater the metal hulks had become covered by coral that gave them the appearance as if they have been dipped in batter, fried, and now had a think layer of sea life crust coating. Throughout this coral coating are thousands of holes that a variety of sea life makes it's home. Various fish, crabs and lobsters use the holes as a safe place to leave. Our main goal was to find lobsters, and we would search endlessly for a large lobster to take as a prize home to eat. While looking in one particular hole, and sticking my head in to see if a lobster was home, I came face to face with a Spotted Moray staring back at me. As a Moray breathes it mouth opens and closes to force the water over it's gills in what looks like an aggressive motion. This startled me at first, but I realized it was just breathing, and I'll never forget just staring at it's beauty, gracefulness, and the exquisitely detailed camouflage skin patterns that cover it with amazement. I literally had spots in my eyes!

Spotted Morays are incredibly beautiful, graceful creatures. They can be found in the Western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Brazil. They can grow up to 7 feet long and live in depths of up to 200 meters.

Detail of the Moray's Head

Detail of the Moray's Eye

Me and my very close friend Shane O'Malley with the Spotted Moray Eel drawing I did for him.