I had such fun painting this little hibernating hazel dormouse. I loved how he was curled up in a little round ball with his fluffy tail lying over him. His bed of fallen leaves in autumnal shades of orange, umber, ochre, greys and blacks makes the perfect contrasting background to his soft, fat furry body.
After just a tincture of research, I discovered that dormice are one of the most ancient mammals of the rodent family. They are largely found in Europe and, yes, they do spend an awfully large amount of time sleeping! In fact, they hibernate for about four months a year but still like to doze off whenever they get the chance.
Dormice are perfectly suited to their woodland homes. Their food of choice is berries, nuts and seeds that they forage in their wooded environments.
I painted the dormice by using a small brush for the majority of the work. Winsor & Newton shades used: Raw Umber, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Vandyke Brown, Cadmium Orange, Alizarin Crimson (hands and feet), Paynes Gray and Ivory Black. The paper used is an acid free, hot press, slightly smaller than A5 size – so it’s a small painting of a small guy.
