Day at the Zoo

Finally had a somewhat decent day yesterday. Now was my chance to get to the Zoo. Had to park at the bottom of the hill and walk up. The National Zoo is on a hill. You either go up or down. I took my time (three and three quarter hours) and stopped by the lions. Then went to the The Great Ape House. The Western Lowland Gorillas were outside. I watched for a while and then drew four of them. They were quiet. The Female was carrying her newborn on her back. Just got a quick glimpse of her.

Then up the hill to the elephants. Unfortunately, they were doing their daily jig for the public. And believe me there was a lot of the public watching. Moved on to the Pandas. Each was in the back of the yard and couldn't be seen. Then across the bridge and to the Bird House. Really disappointed here. My favorite birds, the Red-crowned Crane, were gone. Bit disappointed, I was. I knew it was going to happen. I had talked with the head keeper last year and she said they were going to be moved to the farm in Shenandoah Valley this year for breeding purposes. The DNA strain was needed. So I wandered about the bird house and put some color on the Giant Kingfisher drawings I had done previously. Also stood and watched the Double Wattled Cassowary for quite some time. I make this deep hum sound in my throat and she then follows me along the fence line. Back and forth. The kids love this bird. It is so impressive.

Then up the hill looking for the Sloth Bear. Walking by the Clouded Leopard area I had to excuse my way through a crowd of folks trying to get a look at a partially visible animal. Little did they know that if you go ti the top of the walk and look down you will probably get a great look. I did and told others as they came by. They looked at me like I was crazy until they took a look. The Sloth Bears were in the back of their yards. Then off to the Cheetahs. The three brother were sleeping way out there behind some brush. The female was in her yard and visible. Even though crowded, I was ready to draw. She got up and walked behind some weeds.

Then down the hill. The Emu was in the back of its yard. Didn't even think about the invertebrates. There was a line to get in the house. Went back to see more of the apes. They were inside with half the kid population of the Zoo. Glad to see them enjoying the animals.

It may seem like a fruitless trip. Not so. I like to observe the animals and their behavior and I got to do that. I am thinking of recording the sounds made by the human parents. It would be humorous. One father was photographing the Cheetah with his cell phone. You hear "here kitty, kitty". I look up in disbelief and walk away.

Fred R. Crowley

The Giant Panda

This animal always draws the crowds at the National Zoo in Washinton, D. C... I try to get there early so I can see them feeding on bamboo. They are interesting in that in the wild they are loners. When the staff puts the male and female in the same enclosure it can get interesting.

One winter day they were wrestling. Actually it looked like they were beating the heck out of each other. Some observers were saying how cute they were.

Two weeks ago I went to the zoo and was totally surprised that there wasn't a parking spot in the whole place. I turned around and drove the 25 miles home. Found out later that it was Tai Shan's 4th birthday. The public loves these animals. Kids in particular are fascinated by them.

Sometimes the kids ask to see my drawings and we talk a bit. The parents usually just want to move on to another exhibit. Drawing the Panda is fun. Basically round shapes with definite color separations on the body. The mouth and eyes have to be done properly or everything is off. The ears have to be placed properly also.


Fred R. Crowley

African Elephant

The African Elephant has always fascinated me. Drawing them is a challenge. Each time the animal moves you have another perspective challenge. Some times the image doesn't even resemble an elephant. It just doesn't look right, but it is. I had to get past that.

I have the opportunity to draw the African Elephant when I visit The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk. The Zoo ha three elephants, all of which are female. At present the matriarch is Lisa. She pushed Monica from the position after Cita arrived. Lisa does not know how to handle the job and is a bit rough. The keepers separate either Lisa or Monica when the three are outside. It will take some time before they put all three out in the big yard together. Cita just gets along and knows her place. She is also the oldest.

Monica was born with one tusk. Lisa has both. Cita has both, except that the right tusk faces down instead of forward. She also tucks hay under her tusks to keep it away from the other two.

It is very pleasurable to just stand and watch their behavior. I also spend quite a bit of time cataloging their bodies in my mind. I've done some research and have found the best book for me is "How To Draw Animals" by Jack Hamm. The text is invaluable. The drawings are instructional in nature and show how animals walk, the differences between species, and a lot of other valuable info. Not much on drawing technique, but extensive information on construction. It is rather inexpensive (mine was $9.99).

Just remember that all things are made of simple shapes and we can the add the detail to flesh things out. Enjoy yourself.


Fred R. Crowley

Assateague Ialand and Chincoteague NWR, 8-10 June 2009

Earlier this month my bride and I visited the Eastern Shore of Virginia. It was a beautiful two days. In the evneing we sat at a picnic table and I drew the gulls. During the summer the Ring-billed and Herring Gulls are few. The Laughing Gulls are definitely abundant. They will pose indefintely. Particularly if you throw out some crushed Low-Calorie Wheat Thins.

One creature all love to see are the Ponies of Chincoteague. We had seen some at a distance. Brenda got out of the car to get her binoculars from the trunk and was swarmed by mosquitos. That was the last time we got out of the car on the refuge. They were even swarming the cars as they stopped.

We were fortunate to see a mother and foal standing in a parking lot. I drew rapidly and painted the image later as we sat on the beach. It was a rare treat. I had seen the ponies close up once before many years ago during the fall. You never know if you will see them when you visit.

These were drawn with fountain pen, ink, watercolor, waterbrush in a large Moleskine.

Summer Solstice "Day Lily"

Happy Solstice. A first for me today. I have actually drawn and painted my first "plein aire" flower. Also this is my first post as a contributor to what I consider a first class blog. Thanks for the invitation Kate.

I am a big fan of orange stuff and these flowers are all around the area where I live. They are particularly stunning next to the duck weed covered pond where I had the pleasure of drawing. Lots of breezes today to keep the pesky critters at bay.

I did this at Hidden Pond Park in Springfield, Virginia. I used my fountain pen, sepia ink, watercolors, a Koi waterbrush , and a Micron 05 Sepia pen (borders) in a large Moleskine sketchbook. It was both fun and a challenge holding my color box, paper towel, and book in one hand and the brush in the other. I had to visit the Nature Center to find the name of the flower. I borrowed a field guide and found my flower. So I not only enjoyed drawing I gained some knowledge. I'm better with bird identification.

Fred R. Crowley
Springfield, Virginia