Asio otus
| Distribution: | Pretty much everywhere (except the moon) |
| Size: | 860 – 1020mm wingspan |
| Diet: | Small rodents and birds |
Look, I know it’s not an insect. But I spent around 6 months(!) drawing this juvenile owl and so it’s going on my bloody website. Illustrating as a hobby means I get to draw whatever I like, and after meeting this funky owl at a the Small Breeds Farm Park in Kington I thought I’d set myself the challenge of drawing some feathers.
Lots of extremely talented avian illustrators (that is, ‘folks who create art featuring birds’, rather than a duck with a paintbrush) draw adult owls in majestic, noble poses, whereas I liked how scruffy and characterful this one is.
One of my goals with this piece was to make the owl’s surroundings as interesting as the owl itself, which meant taking lots (loads) of photos and trying a number (loads) of different compositions. The final image features a tree stump from some woods on Dartmoor, ivy and dead leaves from Blashford, brambles from Stanpit, shaggy parasol mushrooms from Exbury and a lime hawkmoth from Google.
It’s not listed in my Esty shop just yet, but will be soon.
Take a closer look…
