A Sad Tail

I had no painting planned for yesterday, but circumstances forced my hand when the cat brought in this lovely (and very dead) little mousy animal. It’s tail doesn’t look long enough to be a true mouse, but it was definitely not a vole either…

Anyway, it was beautiful and apparently unscathed, and it seemed to me that it would be a shame not to mark its passing with a watercolour sketch.  His tiny paws were somehow terrribly poignant, and it was a rare privilege to be able to look at every detail of his little nibbly face. As I painted, I wondered how many such Beatrix Potter must have drawn as practice, before she was able to put life back into them through her pictures.