Wildlife & Railway Art - Frédérique Lucas

The little lads (+ friend)

Hey everybody. I've been down with the sickness as well as super busy with learning to drive trains, so a bit quiet again. But here’s some more friends from last year’s big commissions: a couple of little lads which I was glad to paint because a) they’re cute b) beautifully marked and c) for some reason I rarely get to paint them.

The Haviside’s dolphin has a funny story because it was actually misnamed. Captain Haviside first brought a specimen to the UK for study. The species was supposed to be named after him, but the zoologist studying the dolphin thought it was surgeon John Heaviside who’d brought it in (he did a lot of collecting too). Alas, scientific names may not be changed willy-nilly and so Captain Haviside remains forever miscredited. Common names, however, are flexible - hence my use of ‘Haviside’s dolphin’, even though ‘Heaviside’s’ is more common.

Commerson’s, our favourite oreo dolphin. There’s two subspecies: the South American which is black-and-white, and the Kerguelen, which is shown here and is more black-grey-white. I think they’re cool cause it shows there’s actually a colour pattern hidden in there. They also have serrated leading edges to their pectoral fins which is weird.

The Southern right whale dolphin is a bit shoe-horned in here (they’re not that little) courtesy of their bff relation with Dusky dolphins. For some reason the two species very often travel together and have even produced hybrid offspring.

• HYBRID DOLPHINS • - Species: Southern right whale dolphin (Lissodelphis peronii) x Dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) - Parentage: unknown, possibly sire x dam - Status in the wild: very likely | Status in captivity: X View the entire hybrid dolphin series

It seemed only fair that the first official illustration should be of the hybrid that started it all. This most charismatic of hybrids, the dolphin that shouldn’t have a dorsal fin - and yet does. It’s one of the few wild hybrids to be described in scientific literature but has also been observed by private individuals, most notably whale-watchers off Kaikoura, New Zealand. Since no DNA tests have been done their status is not certain. But the strong known association between the presumed parent species, and the intermediate features make the hybrid ‘very likely’. Hybrids have been seen in mixed species groups as well as the sole company of Dusky dolphins, making this the possible maternal parent species.

I find the right whale dolphin hybrid especially interesting because they combine a very stark black-and-white pattern with more subtle markings. Without photographs it would be hard to guess what colouration would dominate. As it turns out: Lissodelphis does. The Lagenorhynchus side of the arrangement is only found in the faint hint of a blaze on the flank, a dark marking on the beak, the separate eyespot, the faint grey on the shoulder, and of course that two-toned dorsal fin, albeit diminished in size and shape from the original. Note also the pectoral fins which have a most interesting shape. Lissodelphis have very unusual, elongated sickle-shaped pectorals and although somewhat normalised, the shape is still clearly present in the hybrid.

Multiple existing photographs, albeit of varying quality, make this one of the better documented wild hybrids. Very little guesswork was undertaken in the creation of this illustration, mostly with the colouration of the flukes.

• REFERENCES • - Yadzi, P. (2002). A possible hybrid between the dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) and the southern right whale dolphin (Lissodelphis peronii). Aquatic Mammals, 28(2), 211-217. - Benegas, R. J., Orri, R. D., Pettite, L., Castello, H. P. 2000. Sighting and video recording of a possible hybrid dolphin between Lagenorhynchus obscurus and Lissodelphis peronii at Golfo Nuevo, Pla. Valdés, Chubut, Argentina. Abstracts of the 7th International American Cetacean Society Meeting, (Monterey). - Several photographs taken by private individuals.

HYBRID ODONTOCETES POSTER Now here’s a project I have been working on for literal years. I’ve never had much to show for it though (except for a little teaser last year), as work had mostly been little and far between. But after completion of the sketches last year, I’ve now picked it up in earnest. And with the first two illustrations complete and a third in the works, I found it high time to formally introduce the project.

You may know I have a thing for odd dolphins. And way back in 2011 I saw a photo of a very odd dolphin indeed: a presumed hybrid between a Southern right whale dolphin and a Dusky dolphin. It sparked my imagination and the interest never left. I started collecting data on hybrids and eventually the idea for a poster was formed. Please laugh along at the first concept for it - and the stunningly detailed sketches lol. I can reassure you the layout and quality has changed considerably since then. 

Due to the vast difference in size and very low number of known hybrids, baleen whales are not included, leaving only the Odontoceti or toothed whales. At the moment no less than 30 hybrids occupy the poster, with 2 more potentially being added. With some 38 species of regular dolphins, that’s quite a number indeed. Instead of waiting years before I can slap the whole poster online, I will upload each hybrid individually as I finish its illustration. That way they each get their deserved moment in the spotlight, because I believe all of them are (scientifically) immensely interesting. The first will soon be uploaded. But for now have a look at the first hybrid I ever painted: that fateful Southern right whale dolphin x Dusky dolphin, from 2012. 

DOLPHINS OF A DIFFERENT COLOUR Lately I’ve been painting odd dolphins. Abnormally coloured cetaceans have long fascinated me, and I though mirroring them with a normal conspecific was a pretty cool way to show some off. All of these are real and have been seen in the wild, their markings the result of a genetic anomaly. These guys are also for sale! Message me if you want to welcome an odd dolphin into your home :)  All are watercolour on hot-pressed paper, 14.8 x 21 cm.

• the short-beaked common dolphin who lost her dorsal overlay • Delphinus delphis - Short-beaked common dolphins are perhaps the species most frequently observed with anomalous colouration. All sorts of fun things can happen. Like many dolphins, their markings appear to consist of two overlapping systems: the yellow ‘cape’ and the grey ‘dorsal overlay’, where the two meet they form black. In some rare cases the dorsal overlay disappears, leaving only the yellow cape. It provides a fascinating insight into the make-up of their markings. Often these dolphins have little bits of overlay remaining at both end of their body, explaining the grey tail and dark facial markings. In some the normal-coloured parts are wider, leaving a yellow-and-white band in the centre of the body, while others have no black at all.

• the long-beaked common dolphin who only kept yellow • Delphinus capensis - Interestingly, long-beaked common dolphins are never seen with a missing dorsal overlay. Instead they show a different mutation with somewhat similar results - which in turn is never observed in short-beaked commoners. If we may apply birding terms, these animals seem to be leucisitc. Leucism completely inhibits the production of melanins, resulting in a white animal. The eyes remain a normal colour. The common dolphin’s yellow patch however is likely produced by a different pigment (e.g.  carotenoids as in birds), unaffected by leucism. As such, they retain the shape of their normal markings, but only the yellow is visible. Leucism need not be complete: sometimes regular-coloured patches remain, and leucistic long-beaked common dolphins often have these in the form of black spots on their back.

• the dusky dolphin who turned ebony • Lagenorhynchus obscurus - Dark dusky dolphins like these have been seen a few times around New Zealand. They show a form of melanism: an abnormal deposit of melanin in the skin, often - but not always - resulting in a darker animal. This can take on many forms, such as increasing the spread of dark markings (like a tiger with merged stripes, which is sometimes called ‘abundism’). However in these duskies the markings remain intact but so much melanin is produced all over the body that they become harder to make out. They also appear more brownish than their normally coloured counterparts, possibly indicating an increase in pheomelanin (brown pigment) production. 

Namu’s sketchbook p7

So, unusually, these are all in order of drawing, just to show the progress. We’re in mid 2016 now and I feel that here my sketching took a big step forward. Instead of ‘meh’ as I have with most older work, here start the sketches I can look back on and actually like.

The first few pages are a mix from all over the place. Some made at home, some in Germany, some in Italy. On the first page you can see the original concept for ‘Dreams!’ I don’t know why but I started making a conscious effort to put more time and thought into my sketches, even the free hand ones made on the train. I think it showed. It’s pretty funny to compare the front view killer whale on page 3 with the similarly posed one from 2 years back. See what I meant with improvement? :p

And then came the real game changers - the photo studies. That’s the last two pages (and the hippos on page 3). I love these. They gave the satisfaction of making something correct while giving opportunity to work on technique. They’re some of my favourite pages in my sketchbook!

See all entries here!

Another dusky finished! This was ‘number 10’ in the sketch overview of last time. These four images show the progression from very very first colour blob to more or less completely finished. He straightened out quite a bit in the process! It worked well in the composition but unfortunately dolphin spines don’t bend all that well sideways ;) 

I payed special attention here to keep the colours fitting all throughout the painting process, which I think worked quite well. I tend to easily get lost in making things look ‘prettier’ by picking more contrasting colours as I go along - with the end result of a dolphin that may look pretty but doesn’t seem to fit into the painting anymore. In that regard it’s easier to get things right the first time than trying to fix colours afterwards.

Another dusky finished! Five down, just 7 more (and one enormous beaked whale) to go...Onto the next finned friend we go.

A little demonstration in just how important hues and values are for making a character look like it fits into the environment. The first ‘pose study’ in more or less greytones sticks out like a sore thumb. Adding shadows and blues helps a lot, and manually painting in details and adding extra shades fixes things to about 90%. The last 10% of ‘oddness’ should be fixed while going over the whole dolphin to paint in the details.

I just finished the ‘first dolphin of yesterday’. Oh dear indeed. Anyone else join me in beginning to think that two dolphins in one day was a bit recklessly optimistic? I’ve done four so far, and each took between 4 and 5 hours. This painting is gonna take a while! On the plus side (if one could call that a downside): I’m learning a lot about the beautiful markings of this species. Such lovely dolphins - which, admittedly, is almost a pleonasm, because really, what dolphins aren’t?

Onward with the strap-tooth painting! My personal goal is to finish two duskies today, not sure how well I’ll fare with that... First up is this handsome chap (or lady? discuss), curiously coming up from the lower right corner of the painting. From one to the other is about 40 minutes of work, and shows the insane importance of using reference photos. Left shows how I free-drew the concept pose, as my mind thought a dusky from this angle would look. Right shows just how wrong I was. I’m especially surprised at how much bigger the dark cape/spinal field is from this angle than I originally thought it would be. 

FYI: there is absolutely no shame in using references! Au contraire, your art will only become better as a result. You cannot expect your brain to remember every single thing.

(Beaked) whale, whale, what do we have here? Dusky time! I worked on finishing the third dusky dolphin of this painting today. It’s strange how painting a dolphin follows this curve of HUGE FIRST LEAPS OF IMPROVEMENT - wow it took me an hour to fix 2 things - HEY WE’RE DONE IN 30 MINUTES. I slapped together a fancy gif to get an idea of the painting’s progression.

I also messed around with the overall composition, because I suddenly realised the original had a gaping hole in it. Still not sure whether I want to fill that hole with a 13th dusky, or just move one of the others around. Lastly it was time for miss Layard! Big improvement on the anatomy but she still looks weird. Such incredibly odd whales they are. Also, check out the third dusky to get an idea of huge size difference between them! Beakers can be monsters.

The drawing of the Dutch steam locomotive I've been working on for the past two months(!) is finally finished :D I'll get to uploading it soon. For now, it's straight on to the next painting, which is wildlife again.

I decided to pick up a double-old one, which none of you here are probably familiar with. It was an idea started way back in 2011, of a couple of Hector’s dolphins meeting a Strap-toothed beaked whale and staring in wonder. The idea got revamped and revisited in 2014, with Hector’s changed unto Dusky dolphin... and then it was put aside for another four years! Until now, when I finally have the time to properly work on it - for which I am super grateful, because I love this painting to bits. It's incredibly pleasing to work on, duskies are lovely to paint, and I'm itching to see it finished. 

I'll keep you all updated on the progress as I go along! Attached are some of the old wips from 2014, as well as the most recent face, painted yesterday.