Badgers

It is always difficult at this time of year to find the time to sit down and concentrate on painting. I actually began this painting last weekend, but Christmas shopping and the shorter hours of daylight got in the way of completing it. Luckily, working in a school means I had a 'half day' on Friday, and I was able to race home and put paintbrush to paper.
I have attempted Badgers before, without success. Being nocturnal, it is very hard to collect good reference of them. Their lovely black and white faces are surprisingly difficult to get right. When I initially completed this image, I had got the white central stripe too thin, and as a result the eyes were too close together. Luckily, my artist parents were on hand to point out this mistake, and with a clever use of black watercolour and white acrylic, I was able to reapply the eyes and widen the stripe.
What I like most about this image is the fur. I layered flicks of black, brown, dark blue and white watercolour/ink. The result was a dense and textural covering.
When I eventually get the time to sit down with my paints again after Christmas, I will probably attempt another beautiful mammal, the Red Squirrel.