The Great Escape

Pangolin

This is an image of a scurrying Pangolin which has been sketched in Pastels on a PastelMat paper whilst using a beautiful reference photograph taken by Todd Gustafson.

The Pangolin sadly holds the unfortunate title of being the most trafficked and poached mammal in the world. Tens of thousands of pangolins are killed for their scales for use in traditional Chinese medicine and for their meat, a delicacy among some of the ultra-wealthy in China and Vietnam. They are also eaten as bush meat in many parts of Africa. There are eight species of pangolins.

Below are a sequence of images that show how I sketched the above Pangolin.

I've started with a light sketch before I begin to fill in with a background colour

I've added the rich base before starting from the tip of the tail

I'm slowly filling in the scales up the tail to its back legs

Here I'm adding highlights to the scales on its back leg

Here I'm adding the highlights first before putting in shadow and then its front legs

I'm now working from the nose back up along its neck and shoulders

Here I'm adding the final creamier highlights to the scales

Scanned and now beautifully framed by Framers Gallery