Rescue Mission OR Wandering Around on Illustration Friday
Welcome
back, friends, and Happy Holidays. This time of year usually finds me in a
cheery mood. I also find that I really like doing wintery activities outdoors
as well as all the cozy indoor activities.
I love icy park walks in the snow late seasonal hikes or icy kayaking,
even ice skating.
I'm actually literally "chilling" outside right now in 47-degree
weather at Bryant Park's winter village. Why? You ask. I am waiting to go ice
skating. For Christmas this year, I decided to buy myself a pair of ice skates
to wear during the winter skating season here in the city. I’m waiting to take
them for their first spin around the rink.
I'm quite excited. I haven't gone ice skating in a very long time
so we will see how adept I am at it now lol. We will see how it goes tonight.
Inh the meantime I'm on my phone typing up this little post.
I began this year with an Art resolution to complete unfinished
pieces that, for one reason or another, were left abandoned. This piece
is also a part of that resolution. I'm glad to be rounding out the year with
it.
I'm not quite sure of the origin or circumstances of the initial
idea or concept behind this illustration. I was only able to find a
thumbnail and a few bad sketches of where I was trying to develop it. I do have
some vague ideas or guess that it might have been something meant for
Illustration Friday, perhaps. I want to say that it was.
I also want to say that the topic might have been
"Rescue" though it could have been "Wander." I don't
really remember. Anyway, I was modeling the Polar Bear after the Alpine Barry
Dogs. You might know these dogs as "those rescue Saint Bernards with a
flask around their necks."
Saint Bernard's (before the breed had a name) were known as Barry
Dogs. They were used by monks in the 1700s to search and rescue people that
went missing in the "White Death" (snowstorms.)
I thought it might be cute to have a Polar Bear do this (there’s a
story in there somewhere.) However, I just canned the idea when I decided to
pick this illustration up a few weeks ago. To be quite honest, I forgot
about the Barry Dog reference as I was sketching the new polar bear out and
decided "it wasn't that important. “
I may write a short story or a picture book about a Polar Beary
"Dog" at a monastery. Sounds like a fun idea.
In the meantime, I just want to draw animals in winter wear (scarves, hats, gloves, coats.) I think it's cute. What is slightly less cute is the actual harsh hard life of a real polar bear. Between April and late June, male polar bears search for female mates on the sea ice by following scented trails left by footpads.
Mating takes place on the sea ice. But the fertile eggs don’t
implant until the fall, and only if the female has enough fat to sustain
herself and her cubs during the long denning period. This process is called
delayed implantation.
After mating, adult males remain with the female for a few days
before taking off on their own.
After feeding through the summer and fall, gaining as much weight
as possible, pregnant female polar bears prepare to enter maternity dens to
give birth to their cubs. To build a den, the female digs a small snow cave in
a snowdrift —just large enough for her to turn around. She then waits for the
snow to close the entrance tunnel and completely hide the den under the snow.
Males will remain on what remains of the sea ice for the duration
of the winter, often living/sleeping/hibernating on a singular piece of ice
exposed to the outside elements.
Wild polar bear cubs are most often born in December. The mother
gives birth to 1-3 cubs, with twins most common. The family remains in the den
until spring. While in the den, the mother bear doesn’t eat or drink. She is
devoted to nursing and caring for her cubs. Totally dependent on their
mothers, newborn cubs are blind, toothless, and covered with soft white fur.
They weigh a little more than 1/2 kg (1 lb.) and are just 30-35 cm long (12 to
14 in). The cubs grow rapidly on their mother's rich milk (31% fat) and
continue nursing for at least 20 months.
Polar bear families generally emerge from their dens in March or
April when the cubs are strong enough to survive in outside Arctic conditions
and make the trek to sea ice.
Now, mother bears can start teaching their young how to hunt seals
on the ice and survive in the Arctic.
Let's talk about the art...
One thing I struggled with most about making this illustration was
Illustrating the ice and making it look right. Since I don't live in the
Arctic, I only have references of photos and film/video. I Illustrated
the ice and mountains a total of three times before I was happy with the
outcome. I was toiling with the ice and snow and would think I would be done
with it...
...then next day, I would look at it with fresh eyes and decide
"it’s still not right." And would start over on the ice and mountains
again.
I am pleased with this final outcome. I guess the third time
really is a charm. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed working
on it... even if I did have to redo most of it three times over.
Anyway, I hope that you all get an opportunity to get out this
week or weekend and do something wintry, even if it's just holiday shopping. Tis
the Season.
I leave you all with one of my absolute favorite depictions of
Polar Bears: the Coca-Cola Polar Bears.
Until next time, friends,
keep making art.
Cheers,
LEWIS
**Polar Bear Life Cycle information provided by the article:
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