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8TwilightAngel8 β May - Amur Leopard
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Published: 2012-05-23 01:53:34 +0000 UTC; Views: 1830; Favourites: 38; Downloads: 0
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Description
May's Submission for the Endangered Art Project: [link]Common Name: Amur Leopard
Scientific Name: Panthera pardus orientalis
Status: The Amur Leopard is classified as Critically Endangered (CR).
Threats: The Amur leopard has been systematically hunted out of most of its former range for its coat and for the bones that are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The local ungulates that make up the majority of this leopardβs prey have also been greatly depleted, leading the leopards to concentrate on domestic livestock, including farmed deer, and therefore inciting further persecution. The tiny population that survives today is under extreme risk of extinction; genetic variation is low in small populations and they are extremely vulnerable to any chance event such as an epidemic or large wild fire. Poaching remains a threat in Russia and annual wild fires rage through the area. In addition a variety of proposed economic development, including the building of an oil pipeline, threatens the last wilderness refuge of these big cats.
Its my first time doing an Amur Leopard. I've done snow leopards before. They are a similar build. I love these cats so much and its so sad that they are critically endangered
There are only believed to be around 35 individuals left in the wild.Reference Image by
Artwork Β© Rachel Hardy
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Comments: 20
You have been featured in #Protect-Wildlife as part of our Featured Species of the Month [link]
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Very nicely done. Amur leopards are such striking cats. It's really a shame that their numbers are where they are. Supposedly out of the 30 or so in the wild, fewer than 10 are females. :<
Out of curiosity, what medium did you use? It's masterfully worked. I love the textures!
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It is really sad, and the thing is not too many people know about these cats
Thank you so much!
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I learned about them about 4 years ago too... I had a few sketches back in the depths of my gallery (that I think I un-stored now, can't remember). There's something like 200 in captivity, but there's a lot of genetic polluting with other leopard subspecies so very few of those 200 are true [i]Panthera pardus orientalis[/i]. :<
It's really nice! There's so many effects that can be achieved with watercolour. I was between marker or watercolour for this. Hopefully you can find time, it's definitely crazy nowadays.
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Very nice work on the coat pattern and love the technique used for the background. Beautiful pose choice too.
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Thank you so much!
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That is really well done Rachel. Next locical step is to learn to make furs more fluffy and realistic. Thats about only major difference I notice to reference picture you used. At the moment fur looks like skin on many parts. There are some really good fur areas that look just great such as chin, ears and chest. However I cant help of thinking this as one of best feline paintings with more detailed fur hairs. It takes hours more to draw thought and is kinda pain but ventual results are often great as well.
Lineart is just great no noticable mistakes to original photo.
Colors are well balanced to drawing
Eyes are capturing and well detailed!
Eh... sorry forget of what I said of furrs. I went trough your traditional callery and noticed that youre indeed able already to make furs really well especially on those few canine dravings. But beside those this is much more accurate and thereby much better. At this accuraty and tecnique you have used, hairs might swallow too big chunk of time. >.<
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Thank you so much for critiquing me!
I definitely want to do more fur detail on this. Amur's have such thick coats and i definitely want to show that here. 
It is probably best to paint, but i think i need a smaller brush in order to get the really fine hairs. The small brush i have is about the size of a pen tip but even that is too big
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Love it! Its such a shame though that this beautiful animal is on the verge of extinction!
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Thank you! 
i know
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Your welcome! Definitely!
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