Hagrid: Scratch Board In Process 2

 

I scratched out more of the light areas and defined certain areas.  

I added some color.  

He has orange markings on his face.  

Here is a detail on his face.

Hagrid: Scratch Board in progress

 

Hagrid Beardie is quite beautiful. He has the well known feature of spikes scales on his beard area and around the back sides of his head.  The spiky scales are on his sides too.

His face has orange, and then there are black areas and light orangey brown area down his back.

I thought it would be good to do a scratch board portrait of him.  

I started the other night, to scratch out the light areas.  

I plan to add color.  

Here is what I did the other night.

In progress.

Hagrid Growing and Shedding

Hagrid is happily in his new larger enclosure.  

Hagrid is showing signs of growing.

Like snakes, a new layer of growth and skin pushes the older skin away.  The old scales dry out and fall away. 

At different points, the scales can come off as little pieces that remind one of dandruff. At other times, the scales can come of as fuller pieces of skin.  

One day we notices a piece of skin that had pulled away from his arm.  The piece of scale skin matched his upper arm, elbow and part of his lower arm.  

Another time, we noticed his eye was looking bulgy.  The scales had pulled away.  The old scales looked like the area around his eye.

Hagrid's old scaly skin.  

Hide and Seek

Children enjoy playing Hide and Seek.  There's mystery and surprise in the game of Hide and Seek.

There are are advantages to the game that are vital to an animal out in the wild.  The instincts are strong in animals.  Hiding to protect oneself.  Hunting for the next meal. It is ingrained in their DNA.

Kenji, a domestic rabbit,  does play Hide and Seek.  He is drawn to places that are like a den.

under the bed

in a box

in a corner

Yet because he has gotten to know us, he does come out to see us.  

I go upstairs and he may or may not be visible.  If I don't see him, I call his name, "Kenji, Kenji bunny".  
I look in the places I know he goes: under the bed, in a box.  

Then suddenly he comes out.  

"There you are."  I say.  

I let him smell my hand and pat him. 

We can be sure he will come out when we have his favorite treat, a banana. 

Hagrid, our Bearded Dragon  is a predatory animal.  

He will move as a predator does like in the wild. He will stay really still and keep low and hide behind a plant or branch to approach his prey, crickets.  Stealth and timing is key.