Primal Endurance - Hyena Illustration

I've always been one to fall in love with things, especially animals, that most people may think are ugly or bad. Hyenas, vultures and Sphynx cats (I swear I will own one some day!) are just a few that are on that list. Somehow hearing and seeing people recoil in regards to a certain critter makes me like them even more. Go figure. 

I was happy to find out that a friend of mine also has a huge love for hyenas! There are some very neat facts about hyenas, plus they can be absolutely adorable. I personally am a bit on the fence as to which species I like best, as I love the facial features of Spotted Hyenas (like seen in this blog post), but love the coat pattern of Striped Hyenas. 

"Primal Endurance" by Danielle Trudeau. 11" x 14", ink on bristol paper.

That friend decided to commission me for an ink piece featuring a spotted hyena, and I must say that it was an absolute pleasure to work on. Its been awhile since I've gone into crazy-detail-mode with ink, I really missed it. 

It measures 11"x14", and was done on bristol paper with various pens and a bottle of India Ink. I also use a waterbrush (from Pentel I think?), and load that baby up with diluted ink for some washes. That is one of my secret weapons when it comes to working with ink. Wash wash wash away~

Angle view of "Primal Endurance".

Although the original already has its new home, there are prints for sale on FineArtAmerica!

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/primal-endurance-danielle-trudeau.html

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Recent Pastel Craze - Finished Pieces

Way back in 2008 I was introduced to soft pastels as a medium, and something else that has captured my heart since that time - velour paper!

I've only used soft pastels on two types of surfaces, watercolour paper and velour. And let's just say that I will not be doing more work with the watercolour paper.

Velour is a nifty paper that actually has a layer of fibres on one side, imagine something similar to velvet. The fibres capture the pastel dust perfectly, the colours are vibrant and in my eyes it gives everything a lovely dream-like quality. I simply love the stuff.

I took a break from the medium for a few years, and finally felt the urge to give it another shot recently. That sent me digging through my supplies for my trusty soft pastels and velour paper!