Elk in the Reeds

Sorry, but my mind has been on so many other things lately that I've given myself very little time for doodling. We're getting ready to take our youngest to college in a week. That's been on my mind a lot. Maybe there will be some "empty nest" illustrations in the making very soon. Sometime after that my wife and I are going to take an extended vacation. I plan to get some serious work done on the book I want to illustrate while we are traveling.

In the mean time, I offer this recent shot of an elk I took near Reedsport, OR. There is a viewing spot there on the highway going east out of town where a herd of them hang out. That day they we especially close the the road side. Copy & Share If You Dare.

Elk Hunt - Again

I put my counter on this blog about mid- January of this year. I don't know what the number of hits on this blog would have been if I had the thing installed a year ago (I've learned so much since I starting blogging.) But, sometime tonight I should go over 10,000 hits. I'm kind of excited about that. (Of course, about 5,000 of those were from me.)

Before I installed the counter I had no idea that there were a number of people visiting this page, and not leaving a comment. I just figured that the number of comments I got pretty well equaled the number of hits I was getting. Little did I know that a number of you out there are the lurking type.

Anyway, thanks for visiting the old blog. I've said before, and I'll say it again, my tender ego needs, thrives on, the attention.

Above is another cartoon that I did a couple of years back. Previously I have posted two other elk hunt drawings; a rifle hunt, and a different bow hunt version. This one is actually the first bow hunt one that I drew. But, when I drew it, I didn't like it because I didn't leave enough room for the arrow to stick out straight from the elk's nose. To me, that didn't look right. So, I had to redraw it. Still, I liked this one well enough that I hung on to it.

Which one do you like best? (A question obviously asked to try and get a comment out of you lurker types.)

When You Gotta' Go...

I get a lot of different kinds of request from the various readers of this blog, but none has been more "different" than the one I received from Carolyn not long ago.

She wrote, "I am interested in a picture of a cartoon elk dressed in camouflage, squatting down with his pants pulled down, getting ready to take a dump."

Yes, that's right boys and girls. You saw it here first. Carolyn wanted an illustration of... "nature answering nature's call."

Now, while it's not the kind of cartoon that I'm forwarding to my Mom for her viewing pleasure, I am happy with the way the illustration turned out. Thank goodness Carolyn said that I didn't actually have to draw in the... well... umm..., let's just call it... "the dirty deed." I guess the position of the elk's repose speaks volumes enough.

Now you're asking, "Why would Carolyn want such a drawing." I was curios about that myself, but unfortunately I am sworn to secrecy. Maybe she will feel free to give explanation herself here, but, as for me, I will have to leave it to your dirty creative minds to guess as to why a woman, who describes herself as the grandmotherly type, would want me to draw a dignified animal caught in a less than dignified situation.

Any guesses?

P.S. This is not the first time that I've drawn an elk. Go here, and here, to make an informed comparison of my work with the creature.

Elk Hunt - Gun

Back in January I upload the bow and arrow version of this drawing. I drew this one back in 2005. It is another popular piece for those who enjoy elk hunting.

Many of my drawings have a "nature gets even" theme to them. This is no exception. I've drawn this concept before, only you could see the hunter's feet dangling over a cliff. This particular drawing grew too big to fit that part in.

Drawing the antlers and making them look as if they match has always been a particular challenge for me. Once I get them down I don't want to erase them and start all over. That's why I left the hunter's feet off frame.

I think I like the bow and arrow one (posted on January 19, 2007) better. What do you think?

Elk Hunt - Bow Season

I drew this one a couple of years ago. I like the idea of nature getting even. It lends itself to some humorous ideas. I think if I drew this one again I probably would have made the background darker, but I wanted the subjects in the foreground to stand out.

What do you think?