Canines and Primates and Birds, Oh My!

Okay, so more accurately one canine, two primates, and one bird.  Either way, you get the idea. Titles aren't my strong suit.  These don't really require a lot of explanation, so... yeah... here they are.

First up is an owl.  I didn't have a specific type of owl in mind as much as a generic concept of an owl.  Again, working without reference or any experience with feather dynamics, there are some issues (with the wings in particular) but I'm reasonably happy with the way he turned out.

Next up is a bulldog.  His eyes are kind of big, but I wouldn't change that. I like to make eyes a bit too large for extra emphasis on the emotion they can convey.  For example, this dog's eyes are saying "Where's my food?" It was also a great dog to choose for wrinkle shading practice.

Primates are a little easier for me since I have a long-held fascination with monkeys and apes.  Not a lot to say about this gorilla. I wasn't crazy about the fact that his ear was hidden in his fur in the reference pic I used.  When I added it in during the early sketching process, though, it didn't look right so I just went with the hidden ear.  He looks rather indifferent about it.

I'm usually hesitant to say too much good of my own art (a large part of my reasoning behind starting this blog), but this little guy is an exception.  I easily qualify him as one of my favorite drawings.  Like the bulldog he seems to portray his thoughts very well through his facial expression.  He seems to be thinking "Mmm... this is some tasty bamboo."  It isn't especially deep, but what do you expect from a monkey.

As a finishing note, I've found that posting just once a week is just doesn't seem like enough, so I'm working on a few possible weekly mid-week posts. Probably some rough sketches or doodles.  Eventually, I'll likely post some pics of paintings and wire sculptures I've done, too.  Again, any ideas for future drawings or art projects can be dropped as a comment below.

-AH!