A Fleeting Encounter

World of leopards series

This is an image of a beautiful and rare Amur Leopard which I've sketched using Pastels on a white Clairefontaine paper whilst using a beautiful reference photograph licensed from Everlasting Photography.

The Amur Leopard is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia and northern China and is listed as being Critically Endangered on the IUCN List.

In 2021, it was estimated that the population of wild Amur Leopards was only 60 - 80.

Below are a sequence of photographs showing how I sketched the above image

I've lightly sketched in the leopard, adding a PanPastel blue tint as a base for the background

Snow capped mountains give the image solitude and depth as I start adding in the ears and eyes

Here I am at my main easel working on the darker fur above and around its left eye socket

I'm gradually working accross the muzzle of the leopard

I'm now working on the ruff of its neck and also I've added a few whiskers

Here I'm rubbing back to the base colour using a fine eraser to add shaddow on the chest

Now I'm working across the body to the rump of the leopard

Just a base layer of colour with the dark rosettes on the flank before working in the highlights

I'm adding the white highlights to the leopard's fur whilst using a bar to rest my wrist on

Now I'm working on the base layer of the fur on the hips as I move down its back leg & tail

Beginning from the hips, I work down the leg and tail which is now beginning to take shape

Here I'm adding some NE18 Unison pastel to the tail to add some low-light effect

I'm now working my way down the leg into the snow and then will move onto the back right paw

The finished image just waiting for my signature

The completed image scanned at Framers Gallery