New Year

I've been neglectful of my blog again the last few months unfortunately! But as it's just gone past the New Year I thought it was about time due for a new entry.

I can't remember ever writing down New Year's resolutions for last year, but I think it was something like draw more and go out and take lots of photographs. This year is pretty much the same, draw/create more in an attempt to improve and get back to writing more. I used to love writing stories but in 2013 I don't think I did that once. I also want to write more for magazines and try and submit some of my photographs to card companies.

　

As far as my rat news is concerned, they all enjoyed Christmas (in so far as eating the leftovers - rats with sprouts in their paws is a very cute thing to see! Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of them doing it though. Obviously they loved the turkey too!)

Felix's back leg became swollen last week but after a visit to the vets and rest he seems far better and back to his relatively active self. Domino may have the beginings of another lump which is less pleasant and far more costly to sort out. At the moment it's only the size of a pea and not bothering him but might have to be removed at some stage if it does grow.

　

Art-wise I'm currently working on an A3 acrylic painting of a Spectacle owl after seeing this lovely bird on a bird of prey experience day.

I also had a few pictures to do for Christmas.

　

Squash, the Staffie - A3 in size on canvas panel.

　

Syd the American Bulldog, I think this one was 5" x 7" and fitted on a mini easel for display.

　

I've also got two articles in two different magazines this month - one in Small Furry Pets magazine about how to keep small pets warm over the colder winter months and one in the new magazine Life with Pets all about rat keeping! Both magazines are on sale now in Pets at Home stores and are great magazines for pet lovers.

　

Lastly I have a few pieces of art currently for sale on eBay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/wolfysilver/m.html?item=130866422659&ViewItem=&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Hoping to clear out a few pieces to make room for new art of 2014! (Honestly, I have too much art in my house!!!)

　

- The Blogging Rat

Rat Talk

Another long, overdue update (I used to be so good at updating regularly!)

As usual, a quick art update and rat update!

I mentioned in one of my last entries my two newest boys, Bonzo and Barker.  I have since introduced them successfully to my oldest boy Felix.  The arrangement seems to suit them all, Felix is happy as long as there's food (he doesn't have a mean bone in his body!) and the young ones happy as long as they have regular playtimes.  However, my 'regular' playtime and Barker's version of 'regular' playtime do vary.  Unfortunately he's picked up the bar-biting habit, particularly when he thinks it's time to come out of the cage.  One of my past rats, a lovely boy called Locke did the exact same thing.  They do learn to know the exact time I usually let them out and any later - well they soon tell me about it!  It doesn't help that playtime differs in time when I'm working and when I'm not so on arriving home from work Barker is quick to look at me with an expression that clearly says 'YOU'RE LATE!' 
My other cage boys, Jake and Domino are happy alone.  There seems no chance of integrating the two groups anytime soon unfortunately.  It would have been lovely for them to all get along but I doubt it's going to happen.

But onto art!

I've got really into making sculptures again lately - this one was based on a lovely rescue Akita.  He's made with Super Sculpey clay on a foil and wire body then painted with acrylics. 

This was another recent painting finished, an A4 acrylic painting of a caped rat (as every rat should have a cape!) 



And finally, my most recent wooden sign commission of two guinea pigs.  I'm always open for sign commissions - they're 6' x 3' and hangable with jute string. 

 

I've also recently finished my first Christmas commission for this year (so can't actually upload it until the day!  Hoping they'll like it when they see it). 

 

That's about it for now - hopefully my next entry won't be so far away in the future!!!

 

- The Blogging Rat

Artwork Sale

Hello,
 
I've recently listed some pieces of original art on eBay, please take a look :D
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/wolfysilver/m.html?item=130965468236&ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
 
Might add a few more tomorrow night too.  All have low starting bids :D
 
Or I have some original pieces with buy-it-now prices if you're not keen on auctions, all available at my Etsy store:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/WolfySilver
 
I'm also open for commissions!  Please either see my Etsy store for details - or rodent related art check out my webpage at http://rat.wolfysilver.co.uk.  Or contact me for any other type of commission not listed ^_^
 
Thanks for looking!
 
- The Blogging Rat

Oh Rats!

Such a long time since I last posted - I feel significantly guilty!

The last two weeks or so I've been very busy with art - trying to paint and draw more 'exotic' type pets ready for a show I attended on the weekend.  It turned out to be a good day - met lots of exotic pets including lizards, snakes, raccoons and skunks!

Hedgehog on Scratchboard

Raccoon Sign

With the show over, I finished off a piece of personal artwork that had been long neglected.  I wanted to draw one of old role-play characters from Wolf Mountain RPG (http://www.wolfysilver.co.uk).  His name is Gyfero and is painted on A3 canvas paper with acrylics:

 

But this blog entry wouldn't be complete without a rat comment!  A few weeks back I rescued two new boys from my local Pets at Home store (in the rescue section).  Their owner had apparantly been involved in a serious car accident so could no longer look after them.  Their names are Barker (husky rex rat) and Bonzo (agouti hooded).  They are lovely natured boys.  My plan was to add them to my existing group but it's working out to be harder than I had hoped - what with them being older my one boy Jake just doesn't want to accept them. 

One of my existing boys has also recently had a lump removed and has to be kept separate for a few days which has also put introductions off for now.  However, he in particular is rather aggressive to my oldest boy so my potential plan is to introduce my oldest boy (Felix) to the new boys.  He has met them a few times already and is unbothered by them, he just wants a quiet life with lots of food!  My other two boys will stay together instead.  So hopefully all will turn out in the end.

 

 

- The Blogging Rat

 

Lack of Updates

I haven't updated in many, many months...  I must try harder!

I am currently selling a few pieces of original art on eBay here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/wolfysilver/m.html?item=130866422659&ViewItem=&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562 (I ship worldwide!  Low starting bids). 

I also sell some buy-now pieces of rat related pendants and artwork on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WolfySilver
Thanks for looking!

Rats, Rats and More Rats

I've recently been creating lots of rat related art which has been fun and is strangely addictive. I thought 'no, I'll have a break from drawing rats' but actually that break only lasted one picture until I had the desire to draw rats again. I don't know what it is about these cute little creatures ;)

Here's a small selection of my most recent ratty art. The first few are part of an art trade. The last picture features my own little group (not including Levi who doesn't live with the boys in this picture. I didn't think he'd be all that happy pictured with these guys as they can't be let out together!)

).

I've also put a few pieces of art for sale on ebay just to see if anyone would be interested in some of my original pieces of art.

Sadly however, my little ratty group was one ratty short as of Monday when I had to take Jasper to be put to sleep. He was a beautiful rat, lovely natured from the first moment I met him. I remember the day when I bought him back in February time, it wasn't an intentional purchase really. Whenever I visit the local pet shop I always look at the rats and that day he was there looking out at me. Usually rats in pet shops hide but he was there saying hello in his own ratty way. The fact that he was a rex really made me have to take him home - I adore rex rats and it's not often you see them around here. He was so tame when I first handled him too which isn't really typical for pet shop ratties.

Over the last few months I'd guess he'd started to drop a lot of rather big crumbs when eating treats, something rats don't typically do but I thought nothing of it. Looking back I guess that was the start of it. Then about a month ago I was asking my rats to stand up on their hind legs for treats (one of the easiest tricks to train rats to do as they stand up often enough!) However, he was leaning to one side as he stood. The next day I took him to the vets.

Having read a lot of what it could possibly be, I assumed it would be an ear infection. He was a young rat (not even a year old) although I knew there were other potential things it could be - stroke, brain damage, tumour, etc. Those things were typically described as things that happened to older rats. However, I felt even then that maybe it could be something worse. He was put on medication for about two weeks as for an ear infection it takes a while for it to penetrate into the source of the infection in the ear.

After two weeks he was still the same. Over the next week he got progressively worse, he was already weak on one side but this seemed to get more pronounced as time went on. He would walk in circles some of the time and didn't seem to see out of one eye. His sense of depth wasn't really working - he'd lean over things. He'd lived at the bottom of his cage for about two weeks anyway, not trying to manage the ladder to the higher shelves (which was a good thing as before he'd toppled from shelf to floor which lead me to place lower hung hammocks to catch him). It was hard for him to hold food in his hands, he'd typicaly lie his head on the floor to eat. Until near the end he still had a good appetite though (I fed him on soft foods mainly and broke up harder foods into tiny pieces). He still lost a lot of weight though - 100g in 20 days. Then he really started to go downhill and the only option was really to put him to sleep. His worsening symptoms meant that he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. :(

In a way, it was so unexpected. Rats don't live long lives anyway, but he's only my second ever rat to live less than a year. He was such a beautiful natured rat and he'll be hugely missed both by me and his brother (and step-brothers).

Jasper

- The Blogging Rat

I haven't updated in ages - I've been super busy the last few weeks and now when I can update I have no idea what to write about!

I've completed a few pieces of art since my last update but not many big pieces other than this racoon piece. It's A2 in size and on stretched canvas. During the process of painting this all I could think about was the very old kids TV show 'The Raccoons' (wiki link to anyone who is curious about the show!: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raccoons). I might even YouTube it just to see how funny it looks now, watching it as an adult. (Although I always think kid's TV shows these days cannot possibly compare to what I watched when I was young hah - I really preferred cartoons that aren't all 3Dish - I can't think if that's the right way to describe them but hopefully you know what I mean).

Aside from that particular piece I seem to have been drawing a lot of cats lately. I have quite a few pieces to work on when I manage to get a bit of spare time (strangely I have got three commissions all at once from different people - I shall be busy!) I've since finished one (hoping they like it, they haven't seen it yet!)

Other than art I've recently treated myself to a new camera, a Nikon D3200. I've never used a SLR before so I'm still learning but I love it. All I've taken so far is things and animals around the house - I did want to go to the local safari park on Monday but I've since found out it's closed for the winter season. I'll have to find somewhere else to go and try it out - Bristol Zoo is tempting but it's a bit too far out and not somewhere I like travelling alone (I'm hopeless at working out buses in another city). Ah well.

But anyway, onto the photographs! Naturally, rats ;)

-The Blogging Rat