Unisex Hoodie

The Saddle Billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis), is a tall, lanky, black-and-white stork with a unique red, yellow, and black bill. The male has dark-brown eyes, and the female has yellow eyes. The slightly upturned bill can grow to 13″. In flight, the bird’s massive size, and the dark bands in the center of the white wings are diagnostic. Scarce but conspicuous; mostly resident but can be partially nomadic in parts of the range. Found singly or in pairs at rivers and large undisturbed wetlands, foraging for favorites like catfish, but it will also take frogs, birds, and insects.

The male is larger and heavier than the female, with a range of 5.1–7.52 kg (11.2–16.6 lb), with a mean mass of 6.38 kg (14.1 lb). The female is usually between 5 and 6.84 kg (11.0 and 15.1 lb), with a mean mass of 5.95 kg (13.1 lb. Its extremely long legs measure up to 36.5 cm (14.4 in)) in tarsus length. The long bill measures from 27.3 to 36 cm (10.7 to 14.2 inThe sexes can be readily distinguished by the golden yellow irises of the female and the brown irises and dangling yellow wattles of the male. It is therefore one of the few storks to display sexual dimorphism in colour.
It is spectacularly plumaged; both the female and male appear identical when perched but the female shows much more white in the primaries in flight. The head, neck, back, wings, and tail are iridescent black, with the rest of the body and the primary flight feathers being white. Juveniles are browner grey in plumage. The massive bill is red with a black band and a yellow frontal shield (the “saddle”). The legs and feet are black with pink hocks. On the chest is a bare red patch of skin, whose colour darkens during breeding season.

About the painting
I love the dramatic primary coloration of the bill and “saddle” and the piecing yellow eyes of the female.

I Started with two photos from renowned wildlife photographers Manoj Shah and Debi Dalio, comped together to add the sheen of Debi’s captured neck plumage to the regal pose of Manoj’s primary photo.

I stripped out the background and played with various palettes before settling on the deep fern green, which I ended up painting in Gouache to achieve a flat matte look. The black-looking parts (I almost never use either pure black or white pigments), were applied using a very loose wet-on-wet wash, charging Payne’s grey with Burnt Umber and Prussian Blue. The sheen was then added using Payne’s Grey and glazed with Prussian Blue and Viridian Green, while the white feathers were toned using Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, and a touch of Raw Umber. The Red of the bill was Deep Crimson with Alizarin Crimson shading, and the yellow was Chromium Yellow Bright, Hansa Yellow and a touch of Yellow Ochre, while the black of the bill was done using wet-on-wet and glazing, of a mix of Payne’s Grey, Prussian Blue and Burnt Umber for the base with some deliberate blooming, glazed over with Raw and Burnt Umber. It was a relatively un-detailed and quick piece for me, taking less than 60 hours in one solid week of work.

About my conservation commitment
25% of all proceeds from saddle-billed stork art and merchandise is donated to Kenya Bird of Prey Trust, to help with their ongoing community projects to clean up Lake Naivasha, which is the home of their raptor sanctuary and to monitor its incredibly rich and diverse bird life, including raptors, but also positively affecting populations of water fowl, such as great crested grebe, kingfishers, cormorants, several endangered heron species and of course, the occasional and ever characterful saddle-billed storks (the harlequins of storks).

This comfy unisex hoodie has a soft outside with a vibrant print and an even softer brushed fleece inside. The hoodie has a relaxed fit, and it’s perfect for wrapping yourself into on a chilly evening.

• 96% recycled polyester, 4% elastane for manufacturing in the US/Mexico
• 95% recycled polyester, 5% elastane for manufacturing in Latvia
• Fabric weight (may vary by 5%): 9.08 oz./yd.² (308 g/m²)
• Soft cotton-feel fabric face
• Brushed fleece fabric inside
• Double-lined hood with design on both sides
• Unisex style
• Comes with drawstrings
• Overlock seams
• Blank product components in Mexico sourced from Poland and Mexico
• Blank product components in the EU sourced from China and Poland

Disclaimer: In areas where the fabric is double-layered (like pockets), details from the inner fabric layer may subtly show through, especially with lighter designs.

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

• Traceability:
– Knitting—China
– Dyeing—China
– Manufacturing—Latvia
• Contains 95% recycled polyester
• Contains 0% dangerous substances
• This item releases plastic microfibers into the environment during washing

Age restrictions: For adults
EU Warranty: 2 years
Other compliance information: Meets the flammability, and formaldehyde lead and phthalates level requirements.

In compliance with the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), Oak inc. and SINDEN VENTURES LIMITED ensure that all consumer products offered are safe and meet EU standards. For any product safety related inquiries or concerns, please contact our EU representative at gpsr@sindenventures.com. You can also write to us at 123 Main Street, Anytown, Country or Markou Evgenikou 11, Mesa Geitonia, 4002, Limassol, Cyprus.