My latest psychedelic animal painting titled “Chill Capybara” features an adorable capybara in bright rainbow colors on a tie-dye inspired trippy background. Original painting is acrylics on a 11″ x 14″ wood panel and was finished on July 21, 2022. This trippy style matches their personality, which is extremely laid back and mellow. They are the world’s largest rodent species, which is probably why they are so chill, since they don’t have much to worry about besides jaguars (and people). You can see a larger version of this painting in my portfolio. This is the third in a series of South American wildlife species that I have painted, with the other two being the Three-Toed Sloth and the Jaguar. I have plants to paint other iconic South American mammals, including the giant anteater, ocelot, and llama.
I painted this capybara in a style very similar to my Psychedelic Sloth painting, and the background was inspired by my Psychedelic Panda painting.The main reference photos used were by Karoly Lorentey on Flicker, and my own reference photos taken at zoos. As with most paintings, I started with the background first. I made a diagonal rainbow gradient, starting at yellow in the upper right corner, and going through the spectrum to blue in the lower left corner. I then added diagonal lines that were perpendicular to the gradient, which gives a kind of rainfall effect. The capybara was painted with colors that are mostly complementary to the background colors in the areas where they meet along the edges. This makes the animal “pop” out of the background instead of blending in. I originally was going to add water lilies and lily pads to the artwork in the foreground and have him standing in shallow water, but scrapped that idea since I was not sure it would look right. I also wanted to keep the animal’s feet clear so I could cut it out and use it as a sticker design, so that would interfere with that plan. If I had to do it over again I might have made the background a little less busy.
Information about the Capybara
The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest rodent species in the world, weighing up to 150 lb, and are around 2 feet tall at the shoulder and 4 feet long from nose to rump. They do not have a tail. They are found throughout South America with the exception of Chile. Capybaras live near water, such as near lakes, rivers, and swamps, and spend much of their time in the water. Their closest relatives are Guinea pigs, cavies, and maras. They are very social, and live in large groups. They feed mostly on grasses, water plants, and fruits. Just like Guinea pigs, capybaras are one of the few mammals that are unable to make their own Vitamin C, so they need to get it from their diet. There is a large scent gland on their nose called a morrillo. You can read more information about this animal on their Wikipedia page.
Wall Art, Home Decor, and Gifts
This original artwork is available in my various online stores as wall art, home decor, accessories, gifts and more. Please read the following paragraphs to learn more about what products are available in each store.
My FineArtAmerica/Pixels store is my main store with a huge selection of wall art and other nice home decor products. They have framed prints, and prints on canvas, wood, metal, and acrylic. There are hundreds of framing options, or you can get your paper print unframed and frame it yourself. There are several options for size, ranging from 6″x8″ all the way to 48″x60″, so there is a size for every decor. Also choose from tapestries, greeting cards, phone cases, throw pillows, tote bags, duvet covers, shower curtains, carry-all pouches, beach and bath towels, shirts, coffee mugs, yoga mats, spiral notebooks, fleece blankets, jigsaw puzzles, vinyl stickers, and wood ornaments. No matter what you are looking for, there is something for everyone on your list, especially capybara lovers!
In my RedBubble Store are many cool gifts and clothing options. In this store are many unique gifts not found in my other store above. Such gifts include mouse pads, hats, pet blankets, dog and cat food mats, dozens of shirt choices, laptop sleeves, iPad skins and cases, postcards, acrylic blocks, coasters, bath mats, clocks, comforters, floor pillows, pin-back buttons, scarves, socks, travel mugs, water bottles, hardcover journals, aprons, and die-cut flexible magnets. This store also has a variety of wall art, throw pillows, shower curtains, tote bags, carry-all pouches, coffee mugs, fleece blankets, tapestries, jigsaw puzzles, and vinyl stickers, similar to the store above. The advantage is you can get everything in one place here since they have more options.
Finally, in my Etsy store are a few select products that I offer directly. These are vinyl stickers, fleece plush blankets, canvas prints, tote bags, and jigsaw puzzles.