About the Tiger-striped Leaf Frog Drawing
I have never seen a Tiger-striped Leaf Frog alive, but some animals become fascinating long before there is an opportunity to encounter them in the wild. I was immediately drawn to this frog’s unusual body form – its large eye, elongated limbs, expanded toe pads, and almost angular way of grasping the branch.
Tiger-striped Leaf Frogs are nocturnal, arboreal inhabitants of tropical forests in the Amazon Basin and surrounding regions of northern South America. Their green upper surfaces blend with foliage, while the flanks and limbs carry the bold orange-and-dark markings that give the species its common name. Like other leaf frogs, they deposit their eggs on vegetation above water, allowing the tadpoles to fall into the pool below after hatching.
In Forest Pixie, graphite replaces the animal’s vivid coloration with pattern, texture, and form. The dark bars across the long limbs, broad adhesive toe pads, prominent eye, and delicate grip give the frog an almost fantastical appearance. The title reflects the impression of a small, unusual creature poised quietly among the vegetation.
Forest Pixie is a graphite wildlife drawing of a Tiger-striped Leaf Frog (Callimedusa tomopterna) by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art.