The hoary marmot, a very large ground squirrel, gets it name from the frosted tips of its hair. While our well-known member of the marmot family, the woodchuck, lives in the eastern United States, the hoary marmot ranges through the northwestern states, as well as Canada and Alaska. These marmots live in colonies, similar to those of prairie dogs. With its sharp forepaws it digs a burrow while pushing out dirt with its hind feet. This tunnel contains a family room lined with dry grass and stems. In the fall, after fattening up on grasses, grains, seeds and flowers, the marmot retreats to hibernate with as many as fifteen of its family group huddled together through the winter months.
In the spring the mother gives birth to five or more hairless, toothless babies. Six weeks later, fully furred, they venture out of the den to play. When a predator threatens, the guarding adult emits a shrill whistle, and every marmot scuttles for cover. After danger passes, the sentry sounds a deep-toned all-clear note, and out pop the marmots.
You will need:
- Heavy tan paper
- White acrylic paint
- #4 round brush
- 4B Graphite Pencil
- Graphite transfer paper
- Prismacolors
- For an 8” x 10” finished drawing, make your rectangle 5” x 3½” and the circle 2” in diameter. To this basic shape, add details. Once you are satisfied with your sketch, fasten it to your tan paper; slip transfer paper, graphite side down, between them; and trace over your sketch.
- With either a sharp 4B pencil or black Prismacolor, put in the darkest details and some black hairs. Next apply a thin coat of white acrylic to the marmot and the rock, letting a lot of the tan paper show through.
- Using many layers of short quick, overlapping pencil strokes, we can accurately depict the white-flecked hair of the marmot. Following the contour of the body, alternate black with brown, letting the tan and white show through except in the darkest shadow areas.
Put in the rest of the hair. Build up light, fine strokes on the nose and long, heavy ones for the tail. - Pencil greenery in the background. With your yellow Prismacolor, color in flowers and the lichens on the rock. Add a few black patches to the rock.
Finish off the front paws with sharp, shiny claws. Let the back claws peek out just a bit from under the marmot.
Add a few whiskers and you are done.
