A Tale of Two Sisters

Using black paper has opened up a whole new dimension to using coloured pencil for me as it is both challenging and rewarding. I tend to look at my reference images in a different light and often plan to leave shadow areas as the black paper and leave parts of the drawing as understated.

For this drawing however I strived to evoke a sense of mystery, the same as there was in the event that I witnessed whilst on safari last year in Botswana that inspired the drawing.

When we came across this gorgeous leopard in Botswana last year, our driver was surprised to see her blatantly entering her sister’s territory in a very relaxed and confident manner. Her sister was not of the same demeanour.

After some time wandering around, this strong and beautiful leopard settled to rubbing her face in a fallen branch and began rumbling that sounded just like purring, calming but threatening to her sibling.

We watched and waited then decided to depart and leave the sisters to write their own story.

So here is my memory of the moment.