#scratchboard

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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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

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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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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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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Golden Headed Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) | Endangered Species Series

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Golden Headed Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) | Endangered Species Series

Golden Headed Lion Tamarin (LEONTOPITHECUS CHRYSOMELAS) Length: body - 22-26cm, tail - 33-40cm Weight: 480-700g (1-1.5 lbs) Home range: Brazil Habitat: rain forests Diet: fruits, seeds, lizards Social Structure: live in family groups started by a mated pair, up to 8 individuals Lion tamarins usually give birth to twins. The Golden Headed Lion Tamarin's name describes its appearance perfectly, as the long, orange mane around its face is reminiscent of a male lion's. When in d

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Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) | Endangered Species Series

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) | Endangered Species Series

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) Average Weight: females - 5-8kg, males - 6-12kg Grouping: predominantly solitary with complex social hierarchies based on a dominant male with territory that overlaps several females and sub-ordinate males on the periphery Range: Australia - NE Queensland to Eyre Peninsula in the south Habitat: temperate, sub-tropical and tropical forests, woodlands, and semi-arid eucalypt areas Population: fewer than 80,000 in the wild, may be as few as 43,000

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Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) | Endangered Species Series

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) | Endangered Species Series

Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) "The bighorn sheep is one of two species of mountain sheep in North America." These animals range in color from light brown to grayish to dark brown and have a white rump and lining down their legs. The bighorn sheep is named for the large, curved horns of the males - rams. They are legendary for their ability to climb very steep and rocky mountains. Height: rams 3 - 3 1/2 ft, ewes are smaller Weight: 140 - 300lbs Length: rams 5ft 3in - 6ft, ew

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Endangered Species Series | Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus)

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Endangered Species Series | Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus)

Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus) Average Weight: females - 9.9kg, males - 14.5kg Lifespan: up to 30 years Grouping: they live in troops up to 100 members Range: Gibraltar, Morocco, Algeria Habitat: Oak and Cedar forests Population: 8,000-10,000; Rock of Gibraltar - 230 living in 6 groups, Northern Algeria - only 7 small subpopulations that are separated by 50-200km, Moroccan Middle Atlas - the largest and most important to conservation Diet: Plants and insects (snails, worms

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Endangered Species Series | American Bison (Bison bison)

melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Endangered Species Series | American Bison (Bison bison)

The Endangered Species Series showcases endangered and threatened species around the world through wildlife scratchboard artwork and education about the creatures. Wildlife and the natural world play a very important role in my work as an artist - they are my inspiration and now part of my motivation. I want my art to be more than just pretty pictures to hang on walls - I want it to have a greater purpose. I feel a responsibility to protect the world that inspires me every

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melissahelene

Sep 9, 2020
2 min

Scratchboard | The Art & My New Focus

In the last few months, scratchboard has become the main focus of my artwork. For those of you who have been following my work, this is a trend you may have noticed. If you're just coming across my work and this site, please take a look around and see what I've been up to here. I thought I might take a few minutes to write about the medium itself and why I've switched my focus from primarily pencil and charcoal to scratchboard. Scratchboard is not a new medium, but it is de

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MH