The first time I saw a manatee up close was during a visit to the Tampa Zoo. I had been around sea otters and sea lions before in California so I expected the manatee to be somewhat similar in size. I had no idea they were this big. Males average around 10 feet in length and weigh up to 1,200 pounds. Females can grow even larger. They are a very common sight around Florida waters in the summer months. In the colder months, they migrate further north up the coast or west to Texas. They are endangered and protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978. The West Indian Manatee, which is found around South and Central America, is protected by Florida’s act as well as the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. The technique I used on this was a first for me. I’ve used tattoo needles before but usually I simply hold the tool by the small stem at the bottom and scratch the ink off. This time I picked up a small electric tattoo needle holder and lightly grazed the top of the scratchboard surface. I found that if I applied too much pressure the needles gouged the clay. Grazing the top gave me a rough looking and almost 3-D texture. This worked great for this subject. I added color with mixes of translucent ink.