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I really love this little guy. The painting is taken from a picture that my daughter-in-law took at our local zoo. Doubly nice for Carrie's alphabet book, I should think! He was continually worked on, as I didn't know if I wanted to put in brush marks of fur, or leave it with a hint of fur, but soft. I would try one effect and then another. I opted for the soft look, and am pleased with the result. And I have fallen in love with his face. In the photo, there wasn't a clear look to the wallaby's eye. So when I painted the eyes, I put in iris and pupil, even if you can't see it, with the highlight mark for life.
Now I have a question for you to ponder. Do you really know what an ox is? I bet you don't. I sure didn't, and now that I know, I'm sure I won't reveal all to my four year old granddaughter. I am working on an OX for X. More, soon.
You shared with us a preview of this picture on an earlier blog, but I'm completely taken aback by how much more beautiful it is compared to what I was expecting! I love the addition of the grass around the wallaby - it adds to the soft look too, I think.
Okay, I thought an ox was like a huge buffalo. Didn't Paul Bunyan have an ox named Blue? Do I get any points for identifying a famous ox?
OK Tiffany, you are right about Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, but the name of the ox was Babe. There are no female oxen, however. Because, all oxen are actually neutered bulls. A male bull being of the cow variety. I am not sure exactly when the bull is neutered, but once that happens, the bull gets larger, with a longer neck and long legs. They become very strong. And there are many varieties of oxen, just like the varieties of cows...I never knew any of that! That is why when you see an ox or pictures of oxen (the plural), they may all look different. That is because they probably are all a different variety, like Black Angus, Jersey, Guernsey, etc.. And when I write Ox facts for Carrie, I'm going to be very general!