The Clouded Leopard is an elusive and mysterious species of wild cat; they are rarely seen
in the wild and not very much is known about them.
The population of clouded leopards is decreasing, and they are currently considered
vulnerable, threatened by large-scale deforestation and commercial poaching with
estimations of around only 10,000 individuals living in the wild.
Females produce a litter of between one and five cubs per year. Leopard cubs are
dependent on their mother up to around 10 months but often remain with her for up to one
and a half years,
They have a distinctive coat: coloured brown and a yellowish-grey, with different sized spots,
stripes and blotches.
They have large paws with specialized foot pads and sharp claws for gripping branches; and
they have stocky, powerful legs with rotating rear ankles. They nimbly clamber up and down
tree trunks and from branch to branch, using their long tails for balance.
They inhabit forested areas in southern and eastern Asia, and can be found from Indonesia
to Nepal, Borneo, Indochina, and into Taiwan and south China.
After the initial drawing and blocking in the black patches on the Leopard and cub my initial
thoughts were of a bright green background. When blocking in the colours and starting to
paint a moss covered old tree stump it seemed that the painting would likely look too
midtone. The background was then darkened and made more dramatic. The next stage was
to complete the tree stump and moss then finally complete the detail on the mother and son.
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