Paper: Oliver Owl

This illustration is a kick back to something I did a few years ago. It is made entirely out of scrap book paper, which I then photographed and edited on the computer. I re-purposed him later on in a fundraiser book sale advertisement poster for my local library. Question: Did you know that  several owls species have "ear" tufts on their heads but they aren't ears at all? Answer: These tufts of feathers may indicate the bird's mood, help keep it camouflaged or be used to show aggression.

Bonus: The terrible initial sketch.

"Why yes I did study illustration in school. Why do you ask?"

Paper: Pelican on Water

Recently I made a 5x5 inch paper cutting of a pelican for a friend.  Did you know that a pelican's pouch can hold up to three gallons of water? That is roughly 2-3 times the amount of water their stomachs will hold.

5x5 inch with cardstock

Pictures: Close Encounters of the Squirrel Kind

 

My roommate and I had a visitor the today.  A squirrel we call Patches on account of her patchy colored tail stopped by to see if we had any handouts.  Did you know that the average adult squirrel needs to eat about a pound of food per week?  That's a lot of peanuts!

Patches the resident squirrel

Sketch: Still life with a skull

Still life with a skull - conte crayon

This was my first crack at using conte crayon. It was a lot of fun to draw but I had made a bit of a mess by the end of the class period!
Did you know that the human skull is composed of thirty different bones?