Otters as social media stars
A few weeks ago I signed up for an online drawing session with wildlifedrawing.co.uk. A few times a year I attend these along the in-person ones. They provide a comforting space where you can unwind, draw and learn more about a particular animal. And you will leave more inspired and uplifted after each session. This time it was about the hairy-nosed otter, for me a welcome change to the more familiar and better known Eurasian otter. Hairy-nosed otters are home in South East Asia, where they sadly get victimised by poachers and habitat loss. These otters are so rarely sighted that we don’t know a lot about them and they are considered endangered by the IUCN. Instead of a pencil, our instructor Jennie used a brush ink pen, after the work of Charles Tunnicliffe‘s wood carvings. I haven’t drawn with ink in a long time traditionally too. I am quite satisfied with the result. Unfortunately otters are often kept as pets, especially the small short-clawed otter in Southeast Asia. The ille...