A Big Cat Fascination...and Art :)

Young future King

I have a fascination with big cats. It all started with watching a television program called , Mutual of Omahas Wild Kingdom. An amazing television show that I blame for starting my passion for wildlife. But the big cats of the world have stuck out, everyone that knows me knows my passion for raptors or birds of prey. Folks sometimes confuse them thinking I'm talking about dinosaurs, like the time I went to an emergency room and told them I was grabbed by a raptor and the talons went thru my hand literally. The looks I got were priceless. Along with the mentions of Jurassic Park out in the hallways by nurses as they peeked in my room, that's another story.

Big cats also have an amazing presence. Their way of life. The amazing regal beauty and design. And that one thing that strikes a deep chord of art and passion. I have never worked with big cats but have several good friends that do and I'm very fortunate. I have two animals that rule my drawing domain. My favorite being the horse and a close second, big cats.  

Brothers in the world make a great team.

I went to Africa recently and worked with an amazing wildlife team doing rhino conservation. But while I was there I saw them. Lions. A very dear friend runs a lion park and is an amazing wildlife wrangler. He toured us in his SUV thru his place and saw the pride. He also has a pair of white lions that are separated from the pride. The wildlife there was just absolutely inspiring. The rock formations. The amazing prehistoric bush art just blew my mind. Apparently the wildlife there has been inspiring artist thru history. That actually made me tear up a bit.

I remember one of the times we were done working on a rhino we were gathering vet equipment and tools when I looked in the distance and saw a big gathering of vultures. I stopped and took in the moment. I've seen this countless times on documentaries but never in person. Not in Africa.  As I sat there a ranger walk by me and says, "it's the lions." He smiles and walks away. "The lions?"

Ball point tiger sketch. Video here

I grew up in West Texas and my family has a ranch in the Big Bend area where we have cowboyed going back to my great great grandfather. The area is home to one of my favorite big cats. The mountain lion. I have only seen one in my life there. When I was a very young boy of about 8 I was with my father in the mountains deer hunting when we came upon a cave in some rocks. Lion tracks everywhere and a deer foreleg still warm but with no meat left. My dad held me close to him and said, "lets get out of here and let me know if you see the cougar immediately." I was scared and excited at the same time! I remember wanting to take that bone with me because a mountain lion was chewing on it. What a great souvenir. I was already passionate about big cats. 

I remember how excited I was when I found out how to record national geographic or pbs documentaries. Now I could slow things down or maybe even pause the picture to draw from! It wasn't the greatest image to draw from but I learned. A lot. I never realized how big of an impact the film team of Dereck and Beverly Joubert would be in my life.  Joining the ranks of Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler. Thanks to their films, photographs and their Big Cat Initiative they continue to feed this crazy fascination of all big cats.  If you haven't seen their National Geographic work I recommend them highly. Eternal Enemies, Relentless Enemies and The Last Lions to name a few.

Butch. Video Here

As far as wildlife art went one man caught my attention early on. Bob Kuhn. This was all thanks to a magazine called Boys Life that I got as part of being a Cub Scout. He made my imagination go absolutely nuts. His paintings captured such life and adventure. An animal story in one painting. When I finally saw his sketches I was floored. I couldn't get enough of his artwork and I had a heck of a time finding it as a kid. His inspiration still lives with me to this day. I spoke to him once and hoped to meet him at a gallery show in Arizona but he passed away. I did finally see his work recently at his latest traveling exhibit. Every time I'm out flying my hawk in the woods I see what I call a Bob Kuhn moment. And it makes me smile. His love for animals and art shows thru his work.  Now with the internet we can all find our favorite artists and even possibly contact them. 

Tiger Drawing Video Here

Big cats have helped shape me into loving to draw and paint. Traveling whether to another country or just visiting a zoo or sanctuary is a must. Life is an amazing teacher. With lessons that are both amazing and sometimes hard but it's our passion that keeps us going thru "difficult terrains." Our journeys also lead to new people and amazing friends. Fellow Art Explorer, Terryl Whitlatch and I spend countless hours discussing talons, horse hoof anatomy, sighthounds, camels you name it and we have discussed it. We even have a project we are playing with dealing the animal world.

Cheetah Doodle with Neocolors

We live in a society where we don't get outside enough. I think it's keen for people to step outside. It feeds the human spirit. Whether you are an outdoor enthusiast or not. Life is better outside. Feed your passion, enjoy nature and the beauty it has to offer your soul.

Manny

Field Sketching

Hello and welcome!

I hope everyone has enjoyed the direction of our Art Explorers Blog. I am about to go on a pretty amazing trek and was resupplying my art bag and thought I would share what I carry as far as art supplies. These supplies are what I take with me to zoos, out on a hike, travel and it's always usually in my vehicle.

All of the things pictured above are packed inside an Oakley laptop bag that I've been using for years. I'm actually looking into a new bag that seems like it will work, but for now its the same bag.                                                              

The art supplies I carry are the following:

China Marker black and white. I used these years ago when I was animating traditionally and have been since. The big size of the lead stops the drawing of detail and one can focus on shape and mass. The white china marker I also use to highlight drawing on the brown paper I like to draw on.

Copic Markers:

I like to carry the earth tones and a grey marker to do quick gestures and layouts. I like to draw using just markers as well. The drawing of the cowgirl was from a horse clinic and was drawn using a marker. I can afterwards tighten my rough using a darker marker or a brush pen. I carry a couple of marker refills in my bag as well. Usually a grey and a sand color.

Caran d'Ache supra color soft water color pencil. I love these pencils. I usually use the white pencil to highlight on my marker drawings when I'm done.   

                                                 

Faber Castell brush pens. Any brush pen will do, I just like the variety of colors they carry. I actually do an alteration to the tips on most of them. I get my leatherman scissors and actually cut the brush tip to fray it. I like the variety I get in the line work. I like  to turn the pen as I draw and get a variety of lines or a repetitive pattern. I'll do a video tutorial soon and explain. The horse is an example of the lines one can get with this frayed tip. I do carry unfrayed ones as well :)

Bic Ballpoint Pen. Old reliable. Its waterproof, its very inexpensive, its fun and I've been doodling with these since high school.

Pentel Brush Pen. A great pen that I recommend playing with. Its brush tip is great for sketching and the variety of brush lines it can make is beautiful. The only downside is its not waterproof. I have refilled and experimented using different waterproof inks. The Rapidiograph ink seems to work the best and hasn't clogged yet. Unclogging these brushes can be a task so be careful if trying other inks in the tube. The lioness was drawn with the Pentel brush pen, the thick Copic marker and the handy correction fluid pen.
Correction fluid pens are great. My studio mate David Levy was responsible for the influence. I actually call the brand I use "the Levy White."

Pentel Waterbrush. This is great to carry and use with watercolor pencils and portable watercolor kits. I have also used them with a drop of ink in them and they're great. Just be aware and dont let the brush sit too long or it will clog and again not fun.

The water color kit I use is this Koi Kit by Sakura. A good variety of colors and Sakura is a reputable company. The colors are nice and bright. The kit opens up and has a thumb ring which helps one keep the watercolor palette easy to hold and handle.

Pencils of course. I try a variety and have been happy with Derwent so far. I found a company that makes "Cedar" natural pencils and Like them as well. ( They smell great ran thru an electric  sharpener.) Blackwing pencils of course are great. I also use Col Erase pencils, usually blue and crimson red.  Speaking of sharpeners heres what I recommend.

I found this KUM long point sharpener and like it a lot. Im weird that I love the lead to be out quite a bit, just my preference. That's the main reason my main sharpener is a knife. (The whittling technique can't be beaten) But this sharpener does do a good job.

And there's the Leatherman. Everybody should have one of these. I use the knife and file on it to help sharpen in the field all the time. The file is two sided and the rough file works great. This tool has helped me out millions of times but that's a different post. If your going to buy a multi tool spend the money on a good quality one, it is well worth it believe me. 

The Sign Pen. One of my favorite pens ever! If you have never drawn with one go get one!!! Pentel Sign Pen. My fellow Art Explorer, Thierry Doizon introduced it to me when we shared a studio together years ago. The feel of it on paper is great!  There is also a flexible tip one as well. Super flexible and can give you those great thick and thin lines. I prefer the original tip, looks a bit like rice soaked in black ink. The Rhino is drawn with the sign pen and brush pen shadows. Only downside. Not waterproof :( sigh!

The animal below is the reason for my upcoming journey. They are suffering in numbers due to them being slaughtered for their horns. Going on quite the "Art Explorers Adventure". I will keep all you posted on the journey and hope to post while there.  Thank you Cabelas and Kuhl for your awesome sponsorship!

Now its your turn! Tell us what you have in your Art packs!!! Any certain bag you like? Certain supplies? Any art packing secrets? Please share them with us! We are always looking for the perfect art bag between all of us we will find it!!!

Best to you all

MANu