During this week's research, I learned that there are actually three species of three-toed sloths: the maned, the pale-throated, and the brown-throated. I’ve found I’m painting a brown-throated sloth, scientific name Bradypus variegatus. My research confirmed what I had been seeing in the photos and videos I’ve found about sloths: their fur is an array of different colors. They can have a mixture of gray, browns, oranges, and even deep reds in their fur, and all those can be covered in the green algae that grows in their fur. All these colors blend with the green leaves, and the neutral tones of the rainforest. I’ve been having a lot of fun layering up these colors this week! Their fur acts as both camouflage and a protective layer. When it rains, the sloth’s thick fur wicks away the water. They are really built for the rainforest!
Here's a male sloth (photo by R. Richardson) showing off his speculum, or that patch of orange fur with a black stripe running through it. It is believed the males use them to attract mates. You can also see the diversity of color within his fur.
Back to my painting, I continued to layer up my paint! First, I continued to work on the background, adding more depth and detail to the rainforest floor and the vegetation around the sloth. I started to add darker tones to start defining the shadows and forms of the objects.
Then, I turned my attention to my sloth. I’m layering up my different colors with a sort of “stripe” motion to indicate the more coarse texture that sloth fur has.
Here’s where I ended for the week with my sloth piece! I can’t wait to wrap up this painting and show you the finished artwork next week!
Here's a nice, short, peaceful video of a sloth I enjoyed this week, as well as some helpful resources I found: