Paws 'n' Claws

This is a sketch of a female leopard looking down at her young cub as it clings precariously to a tree branch.

It was sketched using the medium of PASTEL on a Pastelmat board whilst using a series of beautiful reference photographs courtesy of Dustin Van Helsdingen.

Below are a sequence of images showing how I skeched the above image

I've roughly sketched in the outline and spots of the mother and cub on the branch

Gradually I'm beginning to fill in the base layer of the dappled background

I'm now filling in the mother leopard's ear and I'll then work down her face

Here I'm using a resting bar to fade in some of the inner ear before adding some fur.

Slowly I'm working down the forehead, snout and then the throat of the leopard

I've now moved onto the cub as I work on it's ears before starting on it's blue eyes

I'm adding the eyes to the cub here

Gradually the cub is starting to take shape now the eyes and nose have been added

I slowly worked on the cubs face before moving onto it's neck and chest

Looking at the image from a different perspective during a coffee break

Now I'm working on the big paws and claws and then back legs.

The back legs are now complete as I move onto the cubs right foreleg and then chest

I'm adding some finer white fur to the cubs chest as the mother watches on

That's the little one nearly completed as I start on marking up the bark of the tree

The bark of the tree is starting to take effect now as I work right to left.

That's it, the image will go off to Framers Gallery to be scanned & framed

The Scanned Image. You can get a signed limited edition print here >