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Vaquita Marina

extinct-vaquita-marina

The word vaquita is Spanish for “little cow”.  He is a species of porpoise and on the brink of extinction.  One of the world’s most threatened marine species is a tiny porpoise.  It only exists in the Gulf of California, outside of Mexico. It is officially one of Mexico’s threatened species.  No one knows for sure how many are still alive today; but by 2018 there were less than 19, according to researchers estimate. Unless the decline of this species can be halted, the vaquitas are likely to go extinct before 2021.  What a beautiful little guy.  It is frustrating to watch the process and we can’t do anything about it.  So if all I can do is draw.  I draw.
With the lock down in place from covid 19, I should have lots of time.  In reality, I don’t have more time.  I am just busier than ever, and that’s a lot for me.  I chose to get into the guts of photoshop and learn a new interface and grapple with new tools and the wonderful Cintique as my venue.  What is normally so easy for me in watercolor is still a struggle in this new format.  I’m not thinking tonally. I”m in essence trying to paint tonally like an oil painter with digital tools that I can’t find easily, so it’s coming out crude.  I keep getting messed up by the interface.  Practice time I am sure will fix this.  Every day I tackle the challenge. Here you go baby

 

 

alphabet, animals, endangered animals, Illustrations, mexico, Nature, whimsy

Axolotl – the water monster

axolotl-endangered

     Axolotl means water monster among the Nahuatl tribeIt is possible to find this animal in the floating gardens of Xochimilco,a borough within Mexico City.  However, there arefewer specimens that actually exist in the wild. Most water monsters now live in aquariums throughout the world. I is often called a salamander. They are usually 20 to 30 cm. long.

The most striking thing about the axootl is not only its appearance and the variety of colors it comes in, but the fact that it is able to regenerate its own cellular tissues.  It can change its own colors. Due to water contamination and the use of this animal for medicinal purposes, there has been a huge decrease in its specimen count. It is almost extinct.

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Old watercolor palettes

quiller-wheel1

Cleaning up one of my old, old Quiller watercolor palettes. After all these years I decide how much I still love colors by Blockx and Marimeri Blu. Soon it will be time to shop for new paints. Tomorrow I will photograph the 2 new palettes I bought. ONe is rugged and small for plein air.