Animal Project Part 1- Studying and Painting Unique Animals

My name is Noelle and for this video I'll be studying various animals as a part of my animal project. The purpose of this project is to illustrate animals that are not well known and spread awareness of their existence and impact. There will be a series of four videos for this project featuring a total of 14 animals. As an artist, I will sketch some studies and make a final painting for each prompt. I hope you enjoy watching me paint and learning about these interesting creatures. The first animal in this video is the pangolin. So pangolins are mammals that live in parts of Africa and Asia. They look like a pine cone or a mix between an armadillo and an anteater, but scientists have concluded that they are in fact closer related to carnivorous species like cats and dogs. They range in size from 12 to 39 inches or 30 to 100 centimeters depending on the species. Pangolins are the only mammals with scales which are made of a protein called keratin, the same substance that makes up our hair and fingernails. These scales are used as a shield against predators. Some species of pangolins can even climb trees while others remain on the ground. Pangolins are primarily nocturnal creatures that eat insects like termites and ants and rely on their sense of smell and hearing to find food and navigate. These little guys are so cool, but unfortunately all eight species range from vulnerable to critically endangered according to the red list of species. In the last 10 years, it is believed that over 1 million pangolins have been illegally trafficked. This makes pangolins the most trafficked animal in the world. Pangolin meat is a high demand bush meat that is considered a delicacy in southern China and Vietnam. Local healers also use pangolin scales for medicine since they are believed to have medicinal qualities. Deforestation and habitat loss are also threatening these species. Pangolins are one of the most difficult animals to raise in captivity, so people can't breed them to repopulate, making them highly susceptible to poaching and environmental changes. Saving pangolins will prevent forests from being overrun by termites and other bugs that can disrupt balance in the ecosystem. I decided to choose pangolins for my list of animals to illustrate in my project because they are not well known and need to be protected. Now onto my second prompt, glass frogs. There are over 60 known species of glass frogs that inhabit the earth and are commonly found in parts of South America and Latin America. They are generally small, up to 3 inches in length, mostly living in trees, hanging over rivers, streams, and creeks, as well as some frogs living in the canopy. Some, but not all, species of glass frogs have transparent skin on the underside of their body, exposing their internal organs such as their heart, intestines, and stomach. The glass frog family consists of a lot of similar looking frogs, making species difficult to identify and organize into groups. And fun fact, the Colombian 500 peso coin features an image of a glass frog on one side, which is pretty neat. Alright guys, so about the painting. I chose a reference image of a glass frog that doesn't reflect their unique transparent belly, partially because I already sketched some and partially because I was a little lazy and short on time. I don't really draw a lot of frogs though, so this was a neat experiment for me. Like most, if not all of my work, I tend to work in a lot of layers and slowly build up color very cautiously. Because I am using cotton paper, the paint is difficult to lift from the paper, which is ideal for glazing, but not for fixing mistakes. The third prompt of my project features the African wild dog, not to be confused with a hyena, of which I just recently learned aren't actually dogs and that just blows my mind. Anyway, African wild dogs, also known as painted wolves, are animals that live in eastern and southern African countries, living in grasslands, savannas, and open woodlands. All African wild dogs have their own unique pattern in their fur, making it easy to identify individuals. They hunt for zebras, impalas, wildebeests, which is another animal prompt, warthogs, rodents, and more. Wild dogs are very social animals and are one of the only species of animals that look after old, sick, or disabled members of their pack, which I think is pretty cool. Packs tend to have about 10 individuals, but some packs are recorded to have over 40. They can also run at speeds over 44 miles per hour. This species has been listed as endangered since 1984, with the wild population estimated to be around 3,000 to 6,600 individuals depending on the source. The biggest threat to African wild dogs are humans in accidental and killings, disease, habitat loss, and competition with larger predators like lions and hyenas. Farmers and ranchers will shoot or poison wild dogs because they are considered a nuisance. Wild dogs help regulate prey species, which sustains balance within the ecosystem. Without them, vegetation will run low and eventually degrade the natural capital. Here are the final pieces of the artwork I created in this video. Let me know your thoughts or any questions you have in the comment section. Of course, thank you so much for your interest in this video. Like and subscribe if you want to see more, and I hope you have a great day!