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Unfortunately your browser does not support iFRAMES. <P>However by scrolling down you can still see all the image captions: <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="AFRIENDLYFACE">A FRIENDLY FACE</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(337mm x 229mm)<br>(13 4/16" x 9")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">I heard about an island off the coast of Honduras where photographers go to get their ‘authentic’ dolphin shots. I decided to pay a visit myself. There were about a dozen Bottlenose Dolphins in a bay fenced off from the open sea. It was quite apparent that they had every chance to escape if they wished but obviously free food, plenty of space and the easy life were too rewarding.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="ALLCLEAR">ALL CLEAR</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(308mm x 205mm)<br>(12 1/16" x 8 1/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">I saw my first wild badgers in May last year. A friend of mine guided me to a sett late one evening. The coppice wood had been cut opening up the landscape and we waited silently downwind. About 9pm the first head popped up, quickly followed by two more. They were young, excited and tumbled around until eventually the night’s foraging started whereby they ran off into the neighbouring fields. In this drawing I’ve tried to recreate the magic I felt as they first emerged.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="ATENDERMOMENT">A TENDER MOMENT</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(198mm x 170mm)<br>(7 13/16" x 6 11/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">Giraffes are elegant creatures and I'm rather fond of them. I've drawn Mum and her calf nuzzling up close. The youngster is stretching up to offer a gentle lick whilst Mum bends down to reassure. I've drawn this scene from an unusual perspective forshortening the mothers neck as she bends forward.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="BACKFLIP">BACKFLIP</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(231mm x 216mm)<br>(9 2/16" x 8 8/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">You would have to be pretty stoney faced not to find this youngster amusing. I saw this one playing around with his mates at the breeding centre in Chengdu, China. They are obviously breeding them easily now as there were so many young ones. In fact the latest census has revealed that there are now about 1600 wild pandas, 500 more than they thought there were! Good news for a change.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="BACKSTROKE">BACKSTROKE</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(124mm x 265mm)<br>(4 14/16" x 10 7/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">I'm constantly amazed when people assume that when I work I'm meditating. There seems to be a myth going round that artwork is in some way relaxing. I'm sorry but let me put you right on this matter, this drawing took me three weeks and did my bleedin' head in.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="BAMBOOBREAKFAST">BAMBOO BREAKFAST</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(274mm x 190mm)<br>(10 13/16" x 7 8/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">I got up at 6am to see these pandas at feeding time in Chengdu Breeding Centre in Sichuan Province in China.I made it a mission to go and see them. I needed a drawing of pandas so I thought I might as well go to China, why not?. It would have been nice to see them in the wild but I went in winter and it was minus 20 at the time.Now I've seen them, they are definately one of my favourite animals.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="CHESTNUTTREEANDTAWNY">CHESTNUT TREE AND TAWNY</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(204mm x 250mm)<br>(8 1/16" x 9 13/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">A simple and restful composition. I’ve placed the owl in the top left hand quarter of the picture surrounded on 3 sides by strong verticals of coppice wood. To finish I added background shading to soften the effect and create some movement.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="FEEDINGSTATION">FEEDING STATION</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(279mm x 135mm)<br>(11" x 5 5/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">I started this picture without any idea what I was doing, in fact I kept on drawing until I ran out of paper. It was OK but something was missing. I put it away. A year later I added the birds and the picture sprang to life.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="GRUMPYMONKEY">GRUMPY MONKEY</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(142mm x 253mm)<br>(5 9/16" x 9 15/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">This is a Pygmy Marmoset, a tiny monkey from South America. They are adorable little creatures with huge wide eyes. <BR> It occurred to me whilst drawing her that on close inspection there was something about her expression that said ‘grump’ hence the title.<BR> I like this composition; it is clean, uncluttered and well balanced.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="HANGINGAROUND">HANGING AROUND</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(268mm x 188mm)<br>(10 9/16" x 7 6/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">I'm a rotten photographer so I took several bad snaps of this baby orangutan in Singapore zoo. In one photo the head looked good and not the body and in the other the body was good and not the head. After a careful transplant I had the picture I wanted.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="HEADOFTHEFAMILY">HEAD OF THE FAMILY</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(158mm x 198mm)<br>(6 4/16" x 7 13/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">A very superior lion looking down his nose.I saw this one in the lion park near Harare in Zimbabwe, not wild but in Africa at least. He struck this pose when he heard the roar of another lion in the background. This is a very strong image, I've noticed that my customers often buy it for their Dads and for Leos.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="HEADSANDTAILS">HEADS AND TAILS</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(153mm x 167mm)<br>(6" x 6 9/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">I love Lemurs they are adorable. They have that wonderful need to cuddle up, cling and socialise with each other, I suspect we could learn a thing or two.This trio was having a rest and snuggling up in a cosy knot of fur.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="HIPPOCALLING">HIPPO CALLING</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(150mm x 160mm)<br>(6 9/16" x 6 5/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">Here is one for all those hippo fans and collectors. My hippo is calling out across an African sky and has given me the excuse to draw in every detail down to the whiskers round his nose. I may have a repetitive obsessional compulsive disorder.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="HUNTINGATDAWN">HUNTING AT DAWN</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(278mm x 100mm)<br>(10 15/16" x 3 15/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">These are 'rescued' cheetahs. They had the misfortune to be born wild on the wrong ranch in Namibia. They had worried the farmer's livestock so he had plans to shoot them as vermin! Thankfully not everyone thinks this way and they were now part of a breeding project in South Africa. I was allowed into the fenced field where they were kept. It wasn't dangerous, cheetahs don't attack people. In fact they don't attack anything that fights back, they rely soley on speed to run down their prey and will not risk an injury.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="JUMBOFAMILY">JUMBO FAMILY</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(219mm x 262mm)<br>(8 10/16" x 10 5/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">One of the best things to do in Sri Lanka is a visit to the Elephant Orphanage.I don't know how many there are, 30 or so I'd guess.You can follow them down to the river and watch them bathe. It is magical running along side the herd and you can go down and help give them a scrub if you wish. I saw this litte'un with his Mum and took a series of bad photos as usual. Never mind I drew Mum from one photo, the calf from another but raised his trunk, I finished by giving Mum a better ear!</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="LAZYLOOKOUT">LAZY LOOKOUT</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(195mm x 213mm)<br>(7 11/16" x 8 6/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">Everyone delights in meerkats especially when they stand up on tiptoes. That’s why I laughed when I saw this individual taking his duties a little less seriously than he should. Well if you’re on top of the rock what’s the point in standing. It’s so easy to identify with meerkats as they seem to reflect so much about ourselves in their society. Let’s hope that doesn’t include ‘chavs’.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="LEOPARDROCK">LEOPARD ROCK</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(220mm x 285mm)<br>(8 11/16" x 11 4/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">Imagine the scene, its evening and with a yawn and a good long stretch the lady slopes forward to stand atop her moonlit lair. Sends a tingle down my spine just thinking about it, pity she was in Singapore zoo! <BR> Well let’s face it I can’t really be expected to get all my images from the wild, I cheat like everyone else its called 'artistic licence'.<br> I did see a leopard once but not in Africa, in India in fact. It didn’t pose, it walked out in front of us and before I could steady the camera it walked off and sat in the bushes. Bloody typical.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="MISCHIEFMONGER">MISCHIEF MONGER</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(246mm x 150mm)<br>(9 11/16" x 5 14/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">I adore foxes and never tire of spotting one, I get excited everytime, which is usually late at night down our road. This one is a country cousin and looks like he’s been caught getting up to no good.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="MOTHERHOOD">MOTHERHOOD</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(345mm x 212mm)<br>(13 9/16" x 8 6/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">I have drawn Mum exhausted, complete with a snotty snout, in the middle of four of her new litter. I saw them under a village hut in Laos and they were only a day old. Drawing all that straw was a nightmare but the trickiest part of the whole picture was the bristles running up mum's back. To achieve the effect I had to score the paper first before going over it with the side of a pencil. This is a hit or miss technique that courts disaster.</P> <P CLASS="title"><A NAME="NIGHTSHIFT">NIGHTSHIFT</A><BR><FONT CLASS="dimensions">(326mm x 232mm)<br>(12 13/16" x 9 2/16")</FONT></P> <P CLASS="caption">Whilst visiting Luang Prabang in Laos I took a side trip to Kwang Si Falls and came across this tigress, her name is Phet. She had been rescued from poachers when she was just 6 weeks old and was now living in her own jungle enclosure. When I saw her she was a healthy 3-year-old young lady.</P>
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