Sand Cats

My daughter was getting National Geographic Kids for a while, and occasionally in an issue they would include these animal fact cards with lesser-known animals. One day, an issue came with card of a sand cat - a very small wildcat from the deserts of Africa and Asia. I had never heard of them before, but the photo was just adorable! Growing to only 5-7 pounds, these cats are nocturnal, sleeping in burrows during the heat of the desert day. They are not endangered.

This drawing was done with only graphite on smooth bristol paper. I have been using bristol vellum for most of my work, and wanted to try out the smooth version. I like it very much, but the real test will be when I try charcoal on it. Because of its smooth nature, there is not much for the bits of charcoal to grab onto. My test scrap shows promise, though, and perhaps one of my next charcoal drawings will be done on this new paper. In the meantime, however, I still have a commission to finish before Christmas and several in-progress pieces on the table first.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving!