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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Newlight - Eagles and Cat Skulls - Learn How to Apply Gold Leaf

 "Newlight" by Danielle Trudeau

Bighorn - Mixed Media with a walkthrough!

Now and then I get the opportunity to do an excellent commission, something that feels like fun time rather than work time.

This piece is a mash-up of mediums. The paper was dyed with tea, then baked in the oven on low with a sprinkling of coffee grounds for more colour and texture, then painted.

First step was a rough sketch with a mechanical pencil, knocked down some details. 

Inked those lines with an assortment of Staedtler and Faber-Castell fine liners. I typically use an assortment of pens for my artwork, but these lines needed to survive through a good soaking, hence the use of my waterproof \staedtler and Faber-Castells. Got rid of my pencil lines to avoid any sort of water-soaking mishaps.

I mixed up a strong brew of cheap Earl Gray tea, cutting open the tea bags to release the leaves for their texture. Settle that paper onto a baking sheet, poured the tea in and piled the leaves on the surface of the paper.

Next step was to let that soak for as long as you can manage (usually I let it sit for at least an hour). I got impatient and pulled it out of the tea after 20 minutes, which resulted in it being paler than I would have liked. I drained the tea but left the leaves on top, then sprinkled some coffee grounds (the paper still smells heavenly) onto the surface and popped it in the oven at 200-250 degrees F for around 10-15 minutes. Make sure you watch it, although I've been lucky so far and haven't experienced any burning.

I never leave the paper in until its completely dry, usually I let it sit overnight to let it dry, then rub all of the leaves and coffee grounds off.
Look at all that lovely texture! The ink sketch becomes pretty tough to see at this point, but its still there!

Now the painting begins. I decided to use watercolours to start bringing out some tones and shapes.

Then I brought out some details with white acrylics.
And then I do it again. I bounce back and forth between the watercolours and the acrylic until I'm happy with the details and tones.

Keep at it until you're done! Voila!

Here are some close-up photos of the detail and texture.

Enjoy!

- Danielle