A Fuzzy Little Distraction

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What do you do when your house is under construction, you’re behind on watercolor commissions, and stuck in bed with the flu for a couple of weeks? You grab your colored pencils and revisit a donkey drawing you’ve been wanting to redo.

First attempt

The reference photo came from Pixabay. I’d already drawn this little guy once before, but I wasn’t happy with the results.

I had already created the outline for earlier in Procreate and printed it out on Vellum paper, so all I had to do was transfer the image Saran graphite paper onto my paper of choice, Bristol Vellum, and get to work.

I often start with the eyes of animals.  After all, they are “windows to the soul” and I’ve found that, when the eyes are just right, they give life to the artwork. This little guy though, had his head at such an angle that they were hidden by his heavy brow ridge.  Once those were drawn in, I moved my work to that cute, tiny muzzle.

Colored pencils make you work harder than other mediums I’ve explored. When you’re mixing colors with pencils, you’re doing it by layering one pencil over another. Much like with watercolor, I build my tones from light to dark, reserving the white areas where I can.

This little guy had the furriest forehead—and after roughing in a bit of that texture, I made my way up to those fuzzy, expressive ears. Miniature donkeys have the most endearing fuzzy ears, and this guy was no exception!

For a while I went back and forth, refining the ear, then returning to that soft, shaggy forehead. As you can see from the image, I did a majority of the work on this guy in bed.  paper taped down to my artists board and used my desk top easel as a laptop easel.  I’d work on it off and on when I needed to do something more than just lay there and watch TV.  A kneaded eraser was a big help with those fine adjustments along the way; no eraser crumbs in bed. I have to say, this was the most enjoyable, and memorable flu I had.  Banging and pounding of the work down stairs, me watching The Gilmore Girls for the first time, and messing around with my colored pencils in bed.

After finishing the head, I moved on to the body—starting with one leg. The collage above shows how it slowly came together. I roughed in the darker tones first, then gradually continued layering different colors of pencil to match the photo.

Leg completed, I moved on the body.  This was when I realized I need help of the grid method; it’s a little harder to add them after the art work was started, but it was vital to get the exact placement of areas I didn’t trace out.

Once the grid was sorted out, I could keep going. One thing I love about colored pencils is how you can just keep layering—tiny hair after tiny hair. I’m not sure where I first heard this, but it stuck with me: when drawing hair, try quickly sketching three hairs in the direction of growth, but each one angled slightly differently. It helps the hair look more natural and prevents those too-uniform lines that don’t really look like hair.

Once the donkey was completed, the addition of straw grounded the little guy to the paper so he didn’t  look like he was floating.  I was so glad I gave him another shot—and happy with how he turned out.  The image above is a scan of the original drawing; it’s amazing how lighting and a camera can distort images.

When I showed the finished drawing to my husband and mentioned that I’d love to turn it into a Christmas card, he said, “Donkeys have nothing to do with Christmas.”

Challenge accepted.

A quick search led me to a sweet poem by Rita Beer called Just a Little Donkey—a reflection on the humble donkey who carried Mary on Christmas Eve. That was all the confirmation I needed.

This fuzzy guy made his Christmas card debut in 2022, and I still smile every time I see him.

I’m excited to offer this card in my Etsy shop—but only for a limited time! Since I can’t use Rita Beer’s poem due to copyright, I created an original poem to go along with the artwork. I’m proud to share this piece with you all, and I hope it brings as much joy as it has brought me.

Click here to order the donkey Christmas cards now! Available in packs of 8, 16, or 24 with envelopes—perfect for sharing with friends and family this holiday season. These are printed to order and ship directly from my production partner, so please allow a little extra time for delivery.

Sorry, U.S. orders only. Limited time—available now through November 30.

Have a favorite animal you’d love to see brought to life in colored pencil or watercolor? Or a holiday memory this little donkey reminds you of? I’d love to hear from you in the comments—or feel free to reach out if you’re curious about commissions or past card designs!

Supplies I Used for This Drawing

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!

• Colored Pencils – A mix of brands, including Prismacolor Premier and Faber-Castell Polychromos
• Paper – Strathmore Bristol Vellum Pad, 9x12
• Transfer Paper – Saral Graphite Transfer Paper (for tracing outlines)
• Kneaded Eraser – Kneaded Rubber Eraser (no eraser crumbs!)
• Artist Tape – Scotch Artist Tape for taping down paper
• Artist Board – Portable Drawing Board for a sturdy surface
• Desk Easel – Compact tabletop easel for comfortable drawing
• Ruler – Clear acrylic ruler for grid method layout

The Foals

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I’m so excited to share the story behind this painting of two precious foals I created for a dear friend. From asking for permission to use her photo to sharing progress photos along the way, it was a joy to bring these little ones to life—and I wanted to walk you through how it all came together.

When my friend and I were talking about the horses she wanted me to paint for Christmas gifts, there was one photo on her Facebook page I couldn’t stop thinking about: two sweet foals lying in the hay. They were already close, but I imagined them even cozier, nestled right up against each other. I asked if I had permission to use her photo to paint them for her as an extra gift.

Once we agreed on the changes I wanted to make to the photo, I drew an outline in Procreate. Then I printed it and transferred the drawing onto watercolor paper, ready to start bringing these babies to life.

I began with the first layers, blocking in the lightest undertones I could see to set the foundation.

Next, I started building up the darker layers, adding depth and shaping their forms.

Layer after layer, the foals slowly started to emerge from the paper.

Eventually, I reached the point where I could add the fine details.

With each new layer, the foals came to life—soft, squishy muzzles, tiny adorable hooves… there were so many sweet details to capture in these two little ones.

I loved every moment of working on this painting, and it was such a joy to share each step of the process with my friend. Thank you for following along—I hope you enjoyed seeing how these two adorable babies took shape, one layer at a time!

Supplies Used in This Piece:  Some links below are affiliate; I may earn a small commission at no extra cost—thank you!

• iPad
• Procreate App
• Translucent Vellum Paper
• LED Light Box A4, Ultra-Thin USB
• Saral Graphite Transfer Paper (wax-free)
• Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleedproof White
• Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper
• Mijello Mission Gold Watercolor Paints
• Winsor & Newton Masking Fluid
• Water-activated tape
• Washi Grid Tape
• Ruled Washi Tape (I used tape from TheArtistLife.com, they are no longer in business)
• GatorBoard - Purchased locally at Blaines Art, mine is cut in half.

Whiskers in the Garden: Drawing a Gentle Rat

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!

For some of you, this post might make you want to grab a broom and swat at these dear, sweet creatures—not me. I love all animals!

I volunteered at the Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth, Minnesota. Because I didn’t freak out when they sent me into the flying fruit bat exhibit with a tray of food for the prehensile-tailed porcupines, I earned their respect.

Volunteering to handle the tarantula got me even more kudos.

Until the past year, I’ve always had some kind of pet—cats, dogs, birds, horses, not to mention mice, rats, and yes, my own tarantula.

And before you ask—yes, I’ve looked for reference photos of tarantulas. No, I haven’t found any adorable one, yet.

This is another incredible reference photo from Debbie Anne – Photography., an amazing photographer based in the UK. She shares some of her photographs in the Facebook group called Free Reference Photos for Artists.

And sorry, not sorry, but the second I saw this, I KNEW I had to try recreating it with my then-new (and very intense) hype fixation: colored pencils.

With my trusty iPad and the Procreate app, I traced what I felt were the important features—especially the direction of the fur. Then I printed the outline on vellum tracing paper and transferred it to Strathmore Toned Tan paper. For this piece, I used a mix of Polychromos and Prismacolor colored pencils.

With pencils in hand, I got to work. 

I began by slowly laying down the lightest colors I saw in her (yes, I decided the rat was a she—but I could be wrong). Colored pencil work is all about layering, starting with the lightest tones and gradually building depth. That’s exactly what I did with this sweet girl.

I’ve seen many other colored pencil artists zero in on one area and complete it before moving on. I’m not one of them — I tend to bounce around. I’m still adding the underlying colors I can see.

I don’t print my reference photos; I keep them on my iPad and constantly look back and forth between the drawing and the screen.

I hate to disappoint you by not sharing 3,279 images in this post. I was still pretty new at this and didn’t think I’d ever need progress photos. But here she is—pretty much completed—and now I’ve started focusing on the pole she’s on.

I actually thought I was done here. Her had whiskers have been added, and you could still see the paper showing through on the pole.

So many layers of pencil. I worked to make sure the “black pole” had some depth—not just flat black, but a build-up of dark tones and texture.

If you enjoyed this piece, I invite you to visit my Etsy shop, NorthernSwanArt. I’m gradually adding artwork to items like totes and mugs—pieces that weren’t commissioned and that lend themselves well to print. Commissions remain private unless clients specifically request otherwise.

Supplies Used in This Piece:

Some links below are affiliate; I may earn a small commission at no extra cost—thank you!

• iPad
• Procreate App (for tracing the outline)
• Vellum Tracing Paper (for transferring the outline)
• Strathmore Toned Tan paper 
• Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils
• Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils
• Reference Photo by Debbie Anne – Photography. (shared via Free Reference Photos for Artists Facebook group)