Monday, July 4, 2011

Whiteout

I finished these critters last week, but didn't have the time to post them because my extended weekend was overrun by family time and excellent eating.  Now I'm back at work so I have the time to blog it.

Society6 had an open brief (that closed on Friday) for submissions on the theme "Whiteout".  Whiteout can mean one of three things; a polar blizzard, the correction fluid (American for tipex) or a state of reduced visibility due to a lack of contrast.

There are places where the changing of seasons creates a drastic difference in landscape.  A few animals have adapted to these conditions, to camouflage and blend in.  Both hunting and hiding would be quite futile if you're brown and scurrying accross the white blanket of winter snow.  The animals I chose to draw: Arctic Fox, Arctic Hare, Ptarmigan and Ermine, all loose their colouring in winter and turn white to match the snow around them.

My images are all painted with ink and white gouache.  They are available to buy as prints on Society6 here:

Whiteout: Arctic Fox

Whiteout: Arctic Hare

Whiteout: Ptarmigan

Whiteout: Ermine

Ermine are too flippin' cute!  (as you can see in the vid)  But they are wild animals and carnivores to boot, so they can be pests if you are raising chickens or other small animals.  They're widely known as the white fur with black bits that English kings and queens used to trim their garments with.  Below is Marilyn Monroe sporting a very fetching ermine bikini; a good call for British Summer.



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