I jumped the gun a little bit when I first showed you this grizzly gliding through the water effortlessly. Grizzlies are good swimmers. They can also run 35 mph. As cubs, they can climb trees readily to escape dangerous situations, but as adults their very long claws get in the way.
I love finding out facts of the different animals that I paint. They always become more alive and respected, not just another pretty “face”.
Getting back to the painting. I blocked this fella in a few weeks ago from a very fuzzy photo I had taken at one of the sanctuaries. So, I have to use my imagination and reference material, like always, to capture the entire face of this guy. For example, I know their ears are not that long, but more “teddy” bear shaped, but like most sketches I do, I try to capture the feeling first, and then go back and paint the realistic parts of the animal.
I am hoping to have this guy finished next week, but I am also in the process of looking at other subjects to block in to create a flow in my creativity.