Having a look back at The Fox On The Cove today! This was one of the last commissions I took on before I stopped taking them. It was for a gentleman who has a huge collection of fox art and tributes.
We agreed on what items would go best inside this little fox- As a great lover of Prince Edward Island, we were happy to keep a really Atlantic theme to the piece. I began the sketch by working out the shape of the fox’s face, and breaking it into sections. When I began with ink, I was careful to get most of the items work in first.
I was definitely concerned about losing the items inside, and wanted to leave white space for skies and rest for the eye. As you can see below, I filled this whole fox with intricate designs, florals and sea life. The full list of what went inside is: Lobster, Sand Dollar, Crab, Sea Snail, Lighthouse, Fishing Boat, Lady’s Slipper, Oak Trees, Heraldic Lion, Barberry Leaves, Bayberry Leaves, Lupins, Potatoes, Sunset, Burdock Leaf, and a field of crops going right up his nose!
Next up was the task of colouring it! I tend to love things black and white, but did was happy to give this fox some deep rust tones, golds and deep browns. It really helped to bring out the items and make the detail pop.
Most of the piece was done with Sakura Micron archival inks. For the colour, I used copik markers- Which most people really love but personally I’m not buying anymore. I’ve had too many of them explode on me, which is frustrating when working on an original.
If you’re someone who loves watching drawing videos, I have a little action shot below!
While the original piece went to the gentleman who commissioned it, I have kept the rights to reproduce, though I am only doing it to a limited extent.
I have a limited run of 11” x 14” prints, and 5” x 7” greeting cards, both found on Etsy. The prints come with a list of what to find, and the card has them listed on the back. Click the images below to see the items there.
