Meet the Thorny Devil, the desert’s spikiest survivor and one of nature’s strangest drinkers. No bottles. No bowls. Just skin. Every groove and channel in its scales pulls in precious water, from rain, dew, or even damp sand, and funnels it straight to its mouth. It doesn’t just survive the desert, it drinks it.
Drawing this one felt a bit like wrestling the desert itself. Every thorn, every scale, every shadow demanded its due. Easily one of my most challenging and time-consuming illustrations to date, but worth every painstaking line to capture a creature that looks like it was carved by the Outback itself.
💥 Original pen & ink illustration up for grabs! Highest bidder takes it home (bidding in my Instagram Stories). 100% of proceeds go to @bushheritageaus — protecting the wild heartlands these spiky little legends call home. bid here https://www.instagram.com/stories/andycmarshall/3742286722907642287?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=ZjJ0YnF0eGo1c2c=
Kids Book Illustrator Andy C Marshall 