This is a very quick sketch of Leo the Long-eared Owl. Leo is a permanent resident of the Center for Wildlife, a wildlife rehabilitation center in York, ME. I've been going there to sketch the "ambassadors". These are injured animals that cannot be released back into the wild. They serve as ambassadors of education.
On this occasion I spent most of my time observing and sketching Leo. He is a "hoot" to watch. Not that he's funny in any way; he's just incredibly still and never takes his eyes off of me. Leo is very good at hiding and staying very, very quiet. Good and bad. It takes me awhile to locate him but once I do he's a perfect model.
I have been practicing the technique of one-stroke painting where I use a very limited number of brush strokes to try and capture the essence of the animal. No drawing allowed. I basically draw with the brush. When I do this I'm also paying attention to the color choices I make. They don't need to match the local color of the animal but should indicate a good sense of light and dark, and when possible, a sense of pattern or texture.
I'll be doing more of this kind of work in the coming months. Not only with my animal paintings but with trees and landscapes, too.
