Snuggle Up, Up, Up!

"Snuggle Up, Up, Up"

(watercolour, approx. 8x10")

    Snuggle up, waaay up!!  Reminds me of the CBC's 'The Friendly Giant' show - I loved that show when I was a kid!  Every time I look at this illustration, my eyes are immediately drawn to the feet and then my eyes journey up, up, up the legs, gaze over their 'coats', follow their twisting necks up, up, up, pause to take in the peaceful contented look on their faces, pop up to the heart, and then back down to the feet to begin all over again!  Is that a good thing?  I don't know for sure but I find myself following that pattern over and over again for minutes at a time! 

    This illustration is the third in a safari themed "love & friendship" series!  I love giraffes almost as much as I love elephants... As I worked on this illustration, I remembered a mental note I had made last summer while photographing some giraffes at a local zoo.  I checked out my photos, knowing it had something to do with their feet. You see, I had always assumed giraffes had camel-like feet - soft, pillowy, cleft feet - but they have hooves! Cleft hooves!  

    I also did some online research to find out if there were any differences between a male and female giraffe (colouring, features, etc) before I started inking/painting. This is what I found: The only difference (in a reticulated giraffe - my favourite!) is that the female has tufts on their ossicones (horns), whereas the male does not - his ossicones are bare from fighting and rubbing them against trees - similar to a young male deer.

    Well, it's an official Snow Day in this l'il patch of Earth - and we actually have snow!!  It's supposed to be quite a storm with lots of snow falling this morning...  I'm glad that the whole family can stay home and snuggle up, up, up!  

   ♥ Cath-