Andean Mountain Cat

Another fun little sketch to while away the day and keep up the practice

I tried a different technique of layering markers from light to dark, which although turned out OK in the end was probably unnecessarily wasteful. But hey, this is how we learn, right?

About the Andean Mountain Cat

The Andean Mountain Cat is a small wild cat native to the high Andes; its habitat stretches the high peaks from Peru, down through Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.

While it is often mistaken for the Pampas Cat, the Andean Mountain Cat possesses several characteristics which can make identification easier. These include its thick blunt tail, its dark nose & eyes which are lined on the sides of its face, the color of its coat, among other traits.
It can grow up to 85cm (33.5″) in body length, with an additional tail length of 48.5cm (19.1″), has a shoulder height of 36cm (14″) & a weight of up to 5.5kg (12lb).

Its preferred prey are mountain viscachas (which are rodents similar to rabbits), chinchillas, other rodents, and likely some bird species.

Currently , fewer than 2,500 individuals exist in the wild, so it is listed as Endangered. Its primary threats include habitat loss due to human interference, hunting by farmers & for tradition, reduction of its prey stock & disease.
Although it is protected by law in its territories, its range is difficult to police & its interactions with its human neighbours are seldom positive. Education & conservation efforts are in place & continue.

Watch the process video below:

Additional Video Notes

• I’ve been toiling outside in the yard doing some landscaping lately so as seen in the video my hands are a worn and rough. Rest assured, I am moisturising, but repeated activity isn’t improving things.
• I’m also still working on getting some funds to buy a better camera/lighting setup. I used my iPhone X and a cheap stand to record this so it’s a little shaky. If you’d like to support my continuing efforts, feel free to donate via my Ko-Fi account (click the Buy me a coffee? button in the header). Any help would be greatly appreciated.
• I’ve not been adding my sketchbook illustration content on the website lately as I hope to add it in the future in one large batch, but I thought I’d make an exception for this one as I recorded the process video for it, so hopefully you enjoy it. I do plan to record some more illustration & painting videos in the future as time allows so stay tuned.

What do you think of this illustration? Do you like it? Hate it? Think I need improvement, let me know below. I will happily accept critique and comments.