A Waiting Game | BOTTLE FED | Cat in the Cool | Cool Waters | CURIOUS CUB | DOUBLE TROUBLE | EYELASHES | EYE TO EYE | FAMILY PORTRAIT | FOCUSED FELINE | Laid-Back Bear | Lion Country | LOOKING FOR LUNCH | SIBLINGS |

A Waiting Game 191mm x 321mm ( 7 1/2\" x 12 5/8\" ) If you have ever wanted to see cheetahs in the wild then I advise you to head for Masai Mara in Kenya. This is a young male I saw on my last visit but he was not alone. They are essentially solitary hunters but male siblings will team up and I was lucky enough to find three brothers together that day, a wonderful sight.	BOTTLE FED 310mm x 235mm (12 1/4" x 10 1/4") Just when I thought I'd taken photo realism to the limit, I go one step further. This is detail gone mad and I went bonkers doing it. This is a youngster from Daphne Sheldricks' Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi. It was visitors time when the public are allowed to view the orphans playing around and having a bottle or two.. This cheeky one had learned to feed itself. Irrisistable.
BACK TO TOP
Cat in the Cool 261mm x 376mm (10 1/4" x 14 3/4") This beautiful cat was born in the Snow Leopard Breeding Project in Darjeeling. I saw her in the neighbouring zoo where she was housed in a large enclosure well away from the public. I'm especially pleased with the quality of this reproduction, it is an amazing match and you could almost run your fingers through her fur.	Cool Waters 220mm x 298mm ( 7.87" x 11.73" ) I thought I would have another bash at drawing a white tiger. This time I chose to draw her face-on as her attention is focused to the right of the viewer. In actual fact she was looking at the zoo keeper who had arrived with lunch. I always find out what time the animals are fed when I visit a zoo. Its the only time you can be sure to get those alert and interesting pictures you always hope for.
BACK TO TOP
CURIOUS CUB 220mm x 285mm) (8 11/16" x 11 1/4") Drawing the spotted cats is a nightmare. It takes forever and making a spot look like black fur and not just a dirty black smudge on a nicely drawn cat is insanely hard work. This little guy has just woken up and he's watching his sibling below. His eyes are wide and now his ears are up. He's waiting for his chance, a moment later he leaps.	DOUBLE TROUBLE (164mm x 328mm) (6" 1/2 x 12" 1/2) This is one cub drawn twice and if they look familiar it's not surprising, its the same leopard I drew in 'Curious Cub'. This will make a fine companion piece and is drawn with the same manic attention to detail. It remains simple and clean in its composition and I'm sure this cub is a star in the making! I've got another planned.
BACK TO TOP
EYELASHES (333mm x 222mm) (13 1/8" x 8 3/4") Everytime I look at this threesome (two Ladies and a Gent I believe) I imagine a microphone in the middle and they are the backing singers in a jungle trio! If I had my commercial head screwed on of course I could have made this into a tryptic of 3 seperate studies,sold them as a set and cashed in! As it is I didn't and this should now be considered a third of the price and an absolute bargain.	EYE TO EYE (193mm x 331mm) (7" 3/5 x 13") This is the face of a wild tigress and yes she really was peeking round a clump of bamboo. There is some artistic license in re-arranging the bamboo but it reflects the truth of seeing her only 20 feet (7m) away! If you want to see a wild tiger then head for Bandhavgarh National Park in India, you are almost guaranteed a close encounter!
BACK TO TOP
FAMILY PORTRAIT (230mm x 235mm) (9 1/16" x 9 1/4") These monkeys are called Black Shanked Douc Langurs and are critically endangered. I saw them when I visited a breeding project run by Frankfurt Zoo in Coq Phuang National Park, Vietnam. They were breeding well and this mother and baby decided to sit and pose for me.	FOCUSED FELINE (193mm x 331mm) (7" 3/5 x 13") I don't suppose that many people have heard of a Marguay, this is a pity as they are simply stunning. I think it's fair to describe these cats as smaller versions of an ocelot. They have a similar distribution, they are native to Central and South America. This is a classic cat profile. Her gaze is focused on dinner and every muscle is tensed for an sudden strike.
BACK TO TOP
Laid-Back Bear 264mm x 330mm (10.4\" x 13\") All in all pandas don´t seem to need much for a happy life. A good supply of bamboo and plenty of sleep seems to be enough. They feed by stripping the bamboo stems with one paw, then roll the leaves and chew them from one side. They eat upright or as with this fellow on their backs. I am told this is to aid their digestion.	Lion Country 220mm x 297mm 8.66 inches x 11.69 inches 'When you are in Lion country it certainly lends an edge to your safari. And there is no better place in the world to see them than in the Ngorongoro Crator in Tanzania. It has the highest concentration of large predators on Earth.This guy was not really alone, he was with his brother. They were both fit and healthy and showed none of the battle scars of older males. They were young pretenders to the throne and for the time being they were biding their time. The keen eyed amongst you might have noticed that the setting is unlike the crator. This is because I added the acacia trees later on as an after-thought.'
BACK TO TOP
LOOKING FOR LUNCH (161mm x 196mm) (6 5/16" x 7 11/16") I needed a squirrels eye view to get this composition. There I was in the park, on my belly with a packet of broken biscuits bribing my models to come ever closer. I was a little self conscious with the locals looking on in high amusement but dignity can't get in the way of art.	SIBLINGS (314mm x 178mm) (12 3/8" x 7") On a visit to a temple near the desert town of Bikaner in Rajastan I noticed these guys warming themselves in the morning sun. They looked to be well fed as temple dogs should and posed rather elegantly I think. It is difficult when dealing with a subject such as this not to tip over the dividing line into sentimentality. Hopefully I’ve succeeded in capturing the charm and not the goo! I am personally very pleased with the results.
BACK TO TOP