Creature Feature #17: Angwantibo

The angwantibo, or potto, is the mainland cousin to the lemurs. His large round eyes indicate his nocturnal nature. He has a good sense of smell and stalks his prey - caterpillars or fruit - before striking it with a lightning quick pounce. He is solitary, although his territory will cross that of several females.

His longer snout and round ears give him the German nickname of barenmaki - "bear lemur".

Trade with Waughtercolors

These three cards are for my latest - and possibly last (at least for a while) - trade. After this, I will work a little while more on my tarot deck and then throw myself instead into my own personal projects - such as preparing my entries for the Gavin Bishop award (due November 30th, but I'll have to get it done by the 31st October, so it doesn't interfere with Nano) and writing a picturebook for the Joy Cowley award. Due to the nature of both awards, this blog may become a little quiet for a time - the entries are confidential.

The images below are:
- Fork Marked Dwarf Lemur
- Welcome Swallow (I wanted to draw a bird in portrait)
- Koala Cuddles.

They are for Waughtercolors - an extremely talented lass who initiated the trade. Her art is beautiful, and I feel honoured that she wanted to trade with me.

Other projects I will be working on this year are:
~ completing "Lemurs: A Saga"
~ Writing "Tiriki's Great Escape" (my planned NaNo Novel).

Some more natives

Kekeno, the New Zealand Fur Seal
These are the most common seal in New Zealand and love to sunbath on the rocks around the coastline. Her main diet is squid and fish, and she is the deepest diving fur seal in the world. She has been known to dive as deep as 238 m. Although most dives are shorter - usually 1-2 minutes in duration. When she is ready to breed, she returns to the same area year-after-year. However, it may not be to the same male. Bull seals defend their territory against rival males and strive to collect as large a harem as they can maintain. The females are already pregnant when they haul themselves ashore - having carried the embryo for around 360 days. Although gestation is 9 months, the fertilised egg does not implant until 3 months after mating. After she has birthed her pup she will mate with the bull before heading out to forage for her youngster. Seal pups are left in large creche groups without adult supervision whilst their mothers go out to forage. Their fathers have nothing to do with them.

Little Spotted Kiwi
The smallest of the kiwi species, the little spotted kiwi was hunted almost to extinction on the mainland. Humans hunted her for her skin and feathers, stoats and rats found her a tasty meal. Like all kiwis, she feeds on grubs and bugs and other invertebrates, plucked up from the forest floor. In breeding season she and her mate dig a burrow and line it with plant matter. The egg is the heaviest, proportionally, of any bird and weights about 26% of the bird's weight. Whilst she is "pregnant" her stomach is much compressed and she cannot eat as much. Once she finally lays the egg she is hungry and exhausted. It now becomes her mate's job to incubate it for 63-76 days. One hatched the youngster remains in the burrow for several weeks and is fed by its parents.

Baby Animal Alphabet

These cute wittle baby animals are for an Illuminated Alphabet 4x4 swap over on Illustrated ATCs.

A is for Anteater
B is for Bat
C is for Crow
D is for Duck

And here I was swearing I would never draw another crow, but it's a baby crow - all beak and feet and gawky as heck. Couldn't you just gobble him up?

"The nocturnal Fantail" take two

My original illustration of the Long-tailed bat looked too much like a mouse to me, and not enough like he was supposed to, so I gave him another go.

Here he is about to catch a native moth of unknown species:

Want to give him a home? He's up for auction on TradeMe now:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Art/Drawings/auction-325877271.htm

Pekapeka, the Short Tailed Bat

The only terrestrial mammals found in New Zealand are bats, of which there are only two species (a third now being extinct). They are small, ancient bat species weighing only 12-15 grams. Although they use sonar to fly, they spend rather a large amount of time on the ground, where they forage for insects, grubs, and also enjoy sipping nectar and pollen. They use their front limbs to scramble around on the forest floor and their wing-thumb is extended into a claw, helping them dig into rotten logs, and also to climb with some skill. Indeed, it is a relatively slow flier and rarely gets more than three metres above ground. In flight they have been described as looking rather like ungainly butterflies. During the daylight hours, they gather in hollow trees or excavated tunnels, in large groups. If the weather is too cold for them to venture out, they go into a “torpor” state in which their body limits its functions until the weather warms up. It is not as intense as hibernation. In late summer, the females form into nursery groups and the males roost separately. The males sing from strategic points to attract their mates, and the females can travel up to 10 km to make their selection. Only one pup is born per season and grows to maturity within 12 weeks.

The Bear and the Bees

Bear was hungrily hunting for berries in the forest when he stumbled upon a rotting log. Nosing at it, he scented the rich, tasty scent of honey. Now, honey was Bear's favoruite food. Carefully he nuzzled the log, trying to see if the stinging inhabitants were home. At just that moment, a Worker Bee buzzed in, returning laden with nectar. Upon seeing the bear and realising its intent, she sacrificed herself by stinging him sharply upon the snout, warning him to be on his way. At this Bear flew into a dreadful rage. He ripped at the log, breaking it open with his sharp claws. Immediately the bees swarmed out, furious with him, stinging and buzzing and stinging some more. Bear fled, stampeding through the forest until he found a small pool of water and dove in.

It is wiser to bear a single injury in silence than to provoke a thousand by flying into a rage.

A fable by Aesops. The Bear is a Sloth Bear from Asia. This postcard is going to Uganda, of all places.

Hector's Dolphin - Tutumairekurai

The Hector's Dolphin is one of the smallest in the world and rather rare. It is found only down and around the South Island of New Zealand, with the pods near Akaroa being well frequented by tour boats. They prefer shallow(ish) water and are rarely found far out to sea. They are opportunistic feeders, prey limited more by size than anything else, favouring fish and cephalapods. They are occasionally predated by sharks and orca, but the biggest risk comes from humans - namely the fishing boats, and there have been several reported Hector's Dolphin deaths due to fishing. Indeed, if you do a google image search for "Hector's Dolphin" one of the first things you will see is a washed-up corpse.

They have a number of Maori names which refer both to them and the closely related Maui dolphin - tutumairekurai, aihe, papakanua, upokohue, tukuperu, tūpoupou and hopuhopu. Maori traditionally used to watch dolphin movements to predict the weather.

By popular demand

Yesterday, whilst randomly googling away on the Net I found this awesome site, filled with delightful baby photos. Who can resist the naked little wrinkly thing that is a baby Aardvark? Not me! And not a lot of other people either, if the poll I posted in my facebook is anything to go by:

What should I draw next?
A. Taniwha
B. Baby Aardvark
C. Kiwi
D. Something else (please suggest)

I did not exactly have a lot of votes, but the Aardvark came through at 100%.
I've inked the linework of the taniwha for tomorrow.
Which therefore means that I am almost Up to date with my promised Postcrossing arts.
Time to send some more emails!

Almost 60 countries conquered with art!

Llamallamallama!

Postcard of a Llama. For Redlynx in Russia.

Drawfest Day

Today we had a DrawFest meet up in the public library. I felt a little awkward as I walked up to the table of artsy types - as they were predominently teenagers, and all drawing manga-style art. Now, as you know, I can't draw Manga too well. Luckily I knew one of them from a previous engagement (Armagadden) and she made me feel welcome. Anyhow, I had come with a list of things I could draw, which proved to be useful cos in the library there are references aplenty for the taking!

The first piece was requested by the lass that had organised it, and is my character and alter-ego:

Then I drew a Meerkat, using a greeting card I'd purchased for a reference and colouring without inking.

Then two-hours had passed and I was hungry so I went home to have lunch and draw some more picture of animals with their lunch.

A polar bear for Norabear

A shortnosed fruitbat for Jo-on-the-go.

I am actually amazed at how quickly I can rustle up a full colour Art Card. The uninked pieces take between 30-60 minutes.

Btw, I have created another blog for my inwards mail and official postcards, originally it was a Postcrossing blog, but I've decided to share some of my awesome mail too. It's here: http://lemurkatpc.blogspot.com

Totemic Beasties - Hedgehog and Eagle

If your Totem is the Hedgehog you are gentle and protective. You can hear the voice of the earth clearly, and often know the secrets that hide beneath it - and how to uncover them. You dislike chaos and must protect and defend the truth. If things happen that you do not like, you have a tendeceny to hide from them, rolling yourself up, instead of facing them head-on - which can sometimes not be to your advantage.
Element = Earth

If your Totem is the Eagle you are swift and strong. Your ability to see far and wide has made you very wise and you make a wonderful guide and teacher.
Element = air

Platypus swims to Croatia

The platypus is one of the world's weirdest mammals. It's genetic coding is partway between reptile and mammal and it lays eggs. Even having seen the real thing, it is hard to believe it is an actual animal. When swimming it closes eyes, ears and nostrils, and effectly hunts via electrolocation. It does this by swishing its head from side to side as it swims, or digging in the river bed with its snout and can detect movements of living things and pinpoint them. Male platypus have venomous spurs which they use in dominance battles with other males. Females have spurs, but no venom.
Other animals pictured here are a yabby, a variegated pygmy perch and a small school of galaxias

Gruesomely cute.

Little is it known that there are four very fierce creatures lurking out there, luring their prey with their outstanding adorability.

They are:
Fennec Fox - a fierce hunter of the desert nights.
Red Panda - a cute and cuddly critter with a taste for human eyeballs
Tarsier - descends in swarms to rip its prey apart
Meerkat - don't pat! This animal has teeth like razors - "The Pirahna of the Savannah"

For the Evil but Cute swap. Animal facts are not real.

And here's a couple of "dud" cards I made whilst trying to get this theme portrayed correctly:

These two were too small, looked odd and the colour bled somewhat into the inking. So they are now in my "rejects" pile.

And hyena grin - I thought I would draw cute animals with bad rep, but whilst she is not a bad rendition of one of these not-quite-noble beasts, she seemed a bit blah for the theme of the swap. I call this piece "Hyena Grin"

She is available for trade.

The big and the small

This proud and handsome fellow is making his way to the US now, to join a herd of 17 other Elephant ATCs. Eventually, its numbers will swell to over 40. If you wish to help Donna complete her collection, let her know! She's does fun, colourful art.

I am particularly proud of this chap because he looks almost like he is painted, when he is in fact coloured using prisma pencils, with a brush over from a light beige tombow marker. Elephant trunks are very nifty and versatile indeed.

And this rather smaller, colourful fellow is an Egg-Laying Skink of New Zealand. A foolish name, you might say - and you would be right - for it is true that many skinks lay eggs. Not in NZ though. Here our skinks retain their eggs inside themselves until they hatch. Except for this species. Which is also semi-aquatic and likes to swim in tidal pools.

Mr Marder spies you!

Because martens are adorable.

What's your Totem?

If your Totem is the Platypus...
You are something of a conundrum, a contradiction. You do not fit well into mainstream society and tend to be viewed as an eccentric or possibly an outcast. You seek the deeper meaning in any situation and are sensitive to emotions around you.

If your Totem is the Seahorse ...
You are patient and mild-mannered, happy to idle your way through life. Alas, this means you have difficulty adjusting change and can be quite stubborn in your resistance against it.

If your Totem is the Deer ...
You live for variety and loathe routine. Any challenge, you will hurdle with ease, and take it by the horns. This can lead to some wild and radical decisions, made without due consideration.

If your Totem is the Crab ....
You are of sensitive nature. Devoted to your family and friends, you put the needs of others ahead of yourself and make for a generous friend. However, you can turn bitter and snappy if things do not go your way (or if you feel underappreciated), and prone to withdraw into your shell.

If your Totem is the Goose...
You have a positive outlook on the future, and consider it often. This means that you have your goals clear in your sight and you will work hard to achieve them. You are a perfectionist, and thus take any sort of failure or setback to heart.

Alphabet Twinchies

The lovely WhisperedPrayer lured me into a trade with her (bribing me with her beautiful art and a theme I couldn't resist). So here are three twinchies for her alphabet chart.

M is for Marmoset (Pygmy)
V is for Vulture
A is for Aye-aye

These were a blast to make, I could do the whole alphabet quite contentedly.

These are prismas and tombow markers on oil-paint cardstock. It was an interesting experiment because the weave is too deep for pencils to work without a great deal of blending. However, the brush markers filled in the gaps. I hope the end result is bearable!

An Eclectic Natural Selection

Swallowtail butterfly on Gaillardia aristata flower. For Juany.


Narwhal spears the sun. For Pixiepoo.


Giant Panda's Banquet. Also for Pixiepoo.

Random Assortment

You may know the Fable - the Fox sees a juicy bunch of grapes and tries to reach them - but oh, gosh darn it, he's not tall enough, even when he stands on his hindpaws and stretches up as high as he can go. Still out of reach. Again he tries, and again, but without success. Finally he gives up. "Probably sour anyway," he mutters to himself as he pads off. This coining the phrase "sour grapes".

Well, he obviously wasn't a Grey Fox. These American foxes can actually climb trees. They have hooked claws, which allow them to scramble up and escape predators.

Or in this case, get the grapes.


How now, Randall cow? Err, calf. This wee black and white lass is one of the many "Thank you" ATCs I shall be sending out over the next few weeks. She's going to live with Ibus in Scotland.

And this is another, it's off to Montana for Xstitcher's ATC garden. It's a Echinopsis subdenudata and it's referenced from here


Whereas my Crowley portrait worked well, this portrait of Greebo in his human form (still showing certain feline characteristics) was rather less successful. Oh well.