Graphite Zebra

To bid click here.

This is another ACEO from one of my photographs, watercolour and graphite on Mellotex paper.
I put an indigo watercolour wash down first then worked over it in graphite. Mellotex paper is totally smooth and very white and was a pleasure to work on.
I'm thinking of doing a bigger pece featuring one or more zebras.

Dalmatian Dog in graphite

'Spotted'

To bid click here.

This is my latest ACEO, graphite on mellotex paper, 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

The garden pond has been claimed by a pair of Mallard ducks. Unfortunately they tend to return from their roost about 5.00am in the morning, flying in right past the Conservatory windows. The dogs who sleep in the conservatory always spot them and make sure they bark to tell me that they've come back. If I pretend not to hear them they simply get louder until I give in and go downstairs, then they decide that as I'm up I might as well let them out to do what dogs need to do.

Shopping for a Conservatory blind might be on the 'to do' list for this weekend.

Graphite Lion

To bid click here

Went back to the graphite as I had some spare time today but no coloured pencils available.
ACEO size on Mellotex paper.

Graphite Tiger

Well Roma's season was immediately followed by her daughter Roxie launching into hers, so upheaval has continued.

In the midst of rampaging dogs I decided to retreat to graphite as it creates no mess, well until the dogs knock my electric sharpener to the floor.


I usually use clutch pencils but add touches of 6B with a wood cased pencil.
This is approximately 20 x 14 inches on Mellotex paper, using a range of pencils from 4H to 4B.
I have indented some of the hairs in the ear using a pergamano embossing tool.

There is more head and body in the complete image, but it didn't fit on my scanner.

Living on the Edge

I'm lucky enough to have a quite a large garden which is visited by a wide variety of animals and birds.

We buy bird food by the sackful in the winter to stock our feeders, which as well as attracting many birds also attracts the grey squirrels.

I know many people regard these as pests, but we don't have the native red squirrels in my area so I don't need to feel bad about being fond of my grey's.

One female squirrel who I think is feeding young, is particularly tame and feeds right outside my window. She is easy to photograph and after I had taken several nice shots of her I decided it was time to put pencil to paper.

I intend to call this 'Living on the Edge' partly because she is balanced right on the edge of a feeding dish, high above the ground, and partly because they are in conflict with man throughout some of their range.

I need to add here that the collies are much less fond of the squirrels, and tell me in no uncertain terms that I should let them out to play with them. In turn the squirrels have come to recognise the dogs can't reach them and stand there making rude squirrel gestures.

I have recently received some new paper to try. This is Mellotex which comes in various weights and shades of white.

I ordered the 340gms as I like a fairly heavy paper and this is ultra white.

After my Meerkat I am still in graphite mode so decided to continue to use graphite with the addition of Graphitints.

The graphitints are made by Derwent and are watersoluble coloured graphite. They can be used dry to give a hint of colour, or wet if you want a brighter effect.

They are manufactured in 24 colours but not all of them are lightfast so I restrict my use of them to the ones classed as lightfast.

The size will be about 18 x 14 inches and I am using a HB mechanical pencil and graphitints in cool brown, dark indigo and cloud grey.