The Bright-Eyed and Bushy-tailed squirrel

Complete colour painting of a grey squirrel

The squirrel has taken to our towns in a big way. It is said to be an intelligent, attractive creature which is also a great pest. It is a resourceful survivor found in many parks, forests and cities. The grey and brown squirrels have bright eyes and a bushy tail. They are frequently seen in home gardens to raid the bird food or dig-up newly planted flower bulbs.

A common pose sitting up to eat

You will find that the head shape of a squirrel is similar to that of a mouse or a rabbit. You will observe this in Fig. 1. See the way I have suggested the tail by drawing longish pen strokes which radiate around the tail. The fur near the tail bone is dark grey but this turns white at the outside.

To achieve this impression I have left white space in abundance at the back of the tail. I used short lines which goes the same way as it grows on the animal to suggest body fur texture. You will notice that the squirrel has small rounded ears, short whiskers, dark eyes outlined by white or cream fur, long hind legs and toes, and human like hands.

Always bear in mind when drawing any animal that if you draw the main shape accurately the rest is relatively easy. There are two types of squirrels in Sri Lanka, the grey and the light brown. The grey squirrel is common and frequently visits parks and gardens.

The red squirrel is unmistakable. It has a lovely brown coat and long tufts of hair on its ears. It is found mostly in forests. The red squirrel is smaller and slimmer than the chubby grey one and has longer fur.

Squirrels are best observed through binoculars while in the shelter of a bush or hide. They are very nervous creatures which move rapidly.

They spring from branch to branch before suddenly stopping to listen and look

Fig. 2 gives you an outline pen drawing and a complete sketch on the right. You will observe how the hair radiates from the central bone. Fig. 3 shows a complete drawing in grey commonly found in our home garden.