Today, I’m sharing a marmot drawing, painting, and photos. I took several photos of this Yellow-bellied Marmot, Marmota flaviventris, I saw in eastern Oregon. These large rodents don’t fear people as much as other critters you might encounter.

I wanted to draw it, but I couldn’t decide how to color the picture. First, I did a pencil drawing and used colored pencils to add a little color.

Then I drew over it with a dip pen and black ink. I added color with acrylic paint. To add more texture to the volcanic rock the marmot was sitting on, I dabbed on paint with a sea sponge.

This picture shows the things I used to create the second version. I used black ink and dip pens with two nibs, five colors of acrylic paint applied with six brushes, and a small piece of sea sponge. It was a limited palette of colors compared to the Wood Duck painting I featured in another post.

I took several pictures of the marmot as it ambled across a lawn. They are entertaining to watch.

Is a marmot the same thing as a groundhog or woodchuck? Groundhogs and woodchucks are the same animal. Their scientific name is Marmota monax. Marmots are a larger group. This means, “every groundhog is a marmot, but not every marmot is a groundhog.” There are 15 kinds of marmots worldwide. Groundhogs often live in lower elevation habitats, while marmots are more common in mountains and foothills.

Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.

First Friday Art

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