#artwork

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Giant Panda | Endangered Species Series

Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) Quick Facts: Status: Endangered Population: 1,864 in the wild Height: Up to 4 feet Weight: 220-330 lbs Average Lifespan: 20 years Habitat: Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of southwest China The Giant Panda is the rarest member of the bear family and lives mainly in remote bamboo forests high in the mountains of southwest China. They prefer cool and wet locations and will climb up to 13,000 ft to feed on higher slopes during the summ

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Chimpanzee | Endangered Species Series

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Quick Facts: Status: Endangered Population: 172,700 - 299,700 Habitat: Dry and moist forests Height: 4 to 5.5 ft Weight: 70 to 130 lbs Diet: Omnivore - fruits and plants, insects, eggs, meat Lifespan: up to 50 years The chimpanzee is our closest living relative, sharing 98% of our genetic makeup. They live in communities of several dozen. They are highly social creatures and care for their offspring for many years. Chimpanzees are one of the fe

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African Elephant | Endangered Species Series

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

African Elephant | Endangered Species Series

African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) Quick Facts: Status: Threatened Population: 470,000 Height: 8.2 - 13 ft Weight: 5,000 - 14,000 lbs Average Lifespan: up to 70 years Habitat: Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests, Flooded Grasslands and Savannahs, Miombo woodlands, Acacia savannahs Range: Central and Southern Africa Diet: Herbivores - roots, grasses, fruit, and bark; they consume up to 300 lbs in one day African Elephants are the largest land animals and are sl

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Bonobo | Endangered Species Series

Bonobo (Pan paniscus) Quick Facts: Status: ENDANGERED Population: 10,000 - 50,000 individuals Height: 28 - 35 in Weight: 68 - 86 lbs Habitat: Rainfoorest Range: Congo Basin Diet: Frugivores - half their diet is fruit, supplemented with insects, worms, eggs, and small animals The bonobo, also known as the pygmy chimpanzee, is smaller, leaner, and darker than the chimpanzee with pink lips and a smaller head and ears, though they both share 98% of their DNA with humans - making

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Pet Portraits | Celebrating Our Furry + Feathered Friends

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
1 min

Pet Portraits | Celebrating Our Furry + Feathered Friends

Pet portraits are some of my favorite projects to work on. Not only do I love drawing and scratching animals, but pet portraits are extra special for the person commissioning them. Very often, unfortunately, these portraits are requested to celebrate the life of a beloved pet who has passed away. For anyone who has ever had a special animal friend, losing them is as hard as losing any other family member. Other times, pet portraits are commissioned to honor a special bond

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Amur Leopard | Endangered Species Series

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Amur Leopard | Endangered Species Series

Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) Quick Facts: Status: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED Population: around 60 individuals Body Length: up to 5 feet Weight: 70 - 105lbs Lifespan: 10 - 15 years Habitat: temperate, broadleaf, and mixed forests Diet: roe and sika deer, hares, badgers, mice, and other small animals The amur leopard, the world's rarest cat, is found in the northern-most part of the species' range, Far East Russia. This rare species has adapted to life in the temperat

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Orangutan | Endangered Species Series

Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Quick Facts: ENDANGERED Population: 40,000 (down from 60,000 just a decade ago) Height: 4 to 5 ft Weight: 73 - 180 lbs Arm Span: males may stretch their arms up to 7 ft Average Life Span: 30 - 40 years Habitat: tropical rainforest Range: Sumatra and Borneo (the only species of ape to come from Asia) Diet: fruit, leaves, bark, insects, and on rare occasions, meat The long-haired, orange primates are closely related to humans (sharing 97% of the same

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Red Panda | Endangered Species Series

Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) Quick Facts: Size - Head and body, 20 to 26 in (50 to 65 cm); Tail, 12 to 20 in (30 to 50 cm) Weight - 12 to 20 lbs (5.4 to 9 kg) Lifespan - 8 years Diet - herbivore; bamboo, fruits, acorns, roots, eggs Habitat - high-altitude forests and mountains; Nepal, Myanmar, and central China Population - less than 10,000 individuals STATUS: Endangered The red panda has been classified as a relative to the giant panda, as well as the raccoon. They are curre

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
3 min

Grey Wolf | Endangered Species Series

Grey Wolf (Canus Lupus) - ENDANGERED Once almost completely disappeared from the lower 48 states, the grey wolf is making a comeback in the Great Lakes, northern Rockies, and the Southwestern United States. There are an estimated 7,000 - 11,200 in Alaska, 3,700 in the Great Lakes region, and 1,675 in the Southwest. The ancestor of our domestic dog, the grey wolf ranges in color from grizzled grey or black to white. Wolves play a key role in sustaining healthy ecosystems. T

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World Wildlife Day | Serious About Wildlife Crime

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
1 min

World Wildlife Day | Serious About Wildlife Crime

World Wildlife Day 2015!! Today we celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of flora and fauna in our world, recall the privileged and special interactions we have with wildlife across the globe, and are called to raise awareness of the crime being committed against wildlife! We must get #SeriousAboutWildlifeCrime! Illegal wildlife trading....Pangolin poaching for meat and scales...Rhino and Elephant poaching for ivory...Tiger poaching for skins, teeth, bones, claws...IT

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Polar Bears | Endangered Species Series

Polar Bears...the romantic symbol for the plight of the endangered species. Polar bears have become one of the head figures for the global climate change movement and for this reason, they may be one of the lucky ones. All endangered species need our attention and our help to preserve their habitat and protect them from harm, but there are so many of those species that no one in the general public knows about or cares about. The polar bear is a large, beautiful creature an

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Personal Post | A Bit of Reflection

Good Tuesday morning everyone! Today I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on a few things. First of all, I want to thank you again for your continued support. I am humbled, deeply honored, and incredibly excited to announce that I was named RAW Minneapolis Visual Artist of the Year - RAW is an international organization for artists, by artists and their mission is to provide artists in the first 10 years of their career with the tools, resources, and exposure needed to

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Rhinoceros | Endangered Species Series

There are five different species of rhinoceros, with 11 subspecies, that are at different levels of endangerment, but continue to be threatened (human encroachment, poaching, etc) and need our protection to stabilize, grow, and thrive. Ranging from 1300 - 6000 lbs, 3 - 6.5 ft at the shoulder, and 6.5 - 15 ft from head to tail, the different species of rhinos have unique features, including number of horns and snout shape, but all are herbivores. The specific vegetation they

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Pitbulls | Misunderstood Animals

Today's post is a bit different than most, but I think it is a very important topic to bring to light and increase awareness for all! As I recently finished two different commissioned pieces of some adorable pitbulls, I thought it would be a great opportunity to discuss pitbulls and why they are misunderstood. The following information has been gathered and condensed from the article "5 Reasons Why Pit Bulls are Misunderstood" on OneGreenPlanet.org (thanks Matt for showing m

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Conservation Organizations | Possible Beneficiaries of Spring Project

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
3 min

Conservation Organizations | Possible Beneficiaries of Spring Project

Good morning everyone! Today is a very exciting day because this post will be featuring a number of wildlife conservation organizations that are in the running to be the sole beneficiary of the proceeds from the project I'm working on for this Spring!! (Hint: large collection of wildlife art + a chance for you to make a difference for wildlife and wild place conservation!) Please take a minute to visit the websites and educate yourself on all the great work being done to prot

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Nominate Me TODAY | RAW Minneapolis Visual Artist of the Year

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
1 min

Nominate Me TODAY | RAW Minneapolis Visual Artist of the Year

Please Nominate Me TODAY (February 1st) through Saturday, February 7th to become RAW Minneapolis' Visual Artist of the Year and go on to the National Competition!! You are allowed ONE VOTE PER PERSON, PER DAY! Vote here - www.rawartists.org/melissahelene RAWards is a nationwide indie arts award competition held annually by RAW: natural born artists. Hosted over a month-long competition and judging process. RAWards selects nine winners out of over 15,000 artists that partici

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Website Makeover | What You'll Find and Where

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
1 min

Website Makeover | What You'll Find and Where

Good Morning and happy Wednesday all! The post today will be short and sweet. I just wanted to highlight where you can find the usual content that has been reorganized. With the coming of the new year and new business, I decided to condense information and streamline the website to make it more user friendly! The Artwork page has been condensed to more easily showcase all the pieces available for sale and to view in a few easy galleries. There is also now information about

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African Lions (Panthera leo) | Endangered Species Series

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

African Lions (Panthera leo) | Endangered Species Series

The African Lion is a majestic, powerful, and beautiful creature that is symbolic in many ways for a lot of people. Lions have been a fascination of mine for a long time and have become one of my favorite subjects to draw. They are amazing creatures and really need our support and help to flourish. Please continue reading to learn more about their habits, what is threatening them, and WHAT YOU CAN DO to make a difference! African Lion (Panthera leo) The African Lion is lis

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
3 min

Scratchboard PROCESS | Start to Finish

Today, I want to share with you a little bit more about the actual PROCESS of starting, working on, and completing a scratchboard piece. I'm frequently asked how I do these pieces, but have never shared an in-depth explanation. SO here it is...Start to Finish! Step one is deciding what reference image to use (this part really is more difficult than you'd think, even with a whole library to chose from!) Step two is determining the best size board to use for the subject...do

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

A Personal Post | A New Year, A New Business

With the turning of the new year, I am thrilled to be working on building a business that combines so many things that I am passionate about (art, scratchboard, wildlife, nature, photography, social justice, personal impact) into one enterprise that will one day be the career of a lifetime! I've spent many weeks planning for the start of this new year; PLANNING, PLANNING, PLANNING - developing schedules, task lists, goal maps, a business plan, marketing and social media strat

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MH