Sunday, January 25, 2009

Illustration Friday - Climbing


This is an illustration of a Northern flying squirrel that I did for a natural history magazine a few years ago, including what it looks like when it "flies" and what its tracks look like in the snow. However, it is rare to see their tracks on the ground because once a squirrel climbs up into a tree, it can travel a good distance in the treetops, "flying" between trees.

Flying squirrels tend to be nocturnal, so they are not often seen by people. The model for this illustration was a flying squirrel that had been trapped in someone's chimney and was being released back into the wild. I was able to observe it and snap some photos before it climbed up a tree and disappeared.

It has been quite a while since I posted for IF, so this topic gave me a chance to get back into it. Times flies when you are having fun!

4 comments:

joseph's art and stuff said...

Excellent illustration! Great technique and realism!

Coreopsis said...

Great illustration--very realistic, but also visually pleasing. I especially like the darks and lights of it.

Cat W said...

really cool! you're very talented!

Brine Blank said...

Great pic...I actually had the pleasure of raising two that had been 'abandoned'.