Jessica Crabtree

This is really extraordinary aerial footage of a gray wolf pack hunting a herd of bison. It’s intense, and maybe grisly to some – but in my mind it’s good to see that there are still places in the world where these fascinating animals can still carry out these ageless rites.

BBC Frozen Planet: Wolf hunt footage

Here’s a photo to throw the midsummer heat into stark relief.

This one comes from a 1987 edition of National Geographic courtesy of Jim Brandenburg.

“The freezer may look bare but an arctic wolf knows a tasty fish might be within reach in the shallows off Canada’s Ellesmere Island. Barren and severe, the region is nearly devoid of human activity, so the animals show little fear of people.”

“Perhaps it was the eyes of the wolf, measured, calm, knowing. Perhaps … the intense sense of family … individual personality… their ridiculous sense of fun … For the native people who lived with the wolves … there was much to learn from them. Is it any wonder that the myths of many tribes characterize the wolves not as killers but as teachers?”

Perhaps the American Indian was much more knowledgeable and perceptive in their understanding, acceptance, and treatment of wildlife – especially of the wolf – than we allow ourselves to be. They were not threatened by wolves; rather, they respected, admired, and learned from them.

Read the rest of the article on Wildlife Extra

Photo Credit: US Fish & Wildlife Service (public domain)

Lobo: The Wolf That Changed America

Ernest Thompson Seton was a professional trapper hired to rid 1890′s New Mexico of a legendary wolf named “Lobo” – a wily predator who was the scourge of local ranchers. By the end of the hunt, Seton the bounty hunter faced a revelation in his view of the natural world, and Lobo’s death warrant spelled out the beginning of a new chapter in the story of America’s turbulent relationship with the wolf.

Following the heartrending episode of Lobo’s capture, Seton put his natural knowledge and journalistic skills to new use and became one of the country’s leading advocates for preservation. He said, “Ever since Lobo, my sincerest wish has been to impress upon people that each of our native wild creatures is in itself a precious heritage that we have no right to destroy or put beyond the reach of our children.”

Watch a full-length documentary from PBS:
NATURE: The Wolf that Changed America

Lobo’s mate, Blanca, after her capture

Painting a Wolf in Pastels – Part 4

(Click for larger view)

JESSICA CRABTREE NATIVE AMERICAN PORTRAITS & WILDLIFE: Mexican Wolf

Ok, NOW it’s done. I’ll be posting a photo of the finished framed painting shortly. For now you can see it up on my Gallery.

I saved the finest details for last, for instance you’ll notice a few whiskers and claws (plus the sparkle in the eye), but no major changes.

As far as the background and rock setting, I randomly blended some dark greens, blues, and browns into the black suede to give indication of a natural setting; nothing distracting. The rocky ground was also straightforward; I used some of the browns from my wolf’s palette (Nupastels 313 and 283) and the side of a black chalk to block in some craggy textures – no underpainting here, I wanted to keep the texture rough.

Last of all I’ve added my signature using my trusty Pilot marker (for more on this check out my Artist’s Tip Bag post How to Sign a Pastel on Suede Painting).

The latest view of my Mexican wolf painting: click for larger view.

Not much to add since the last time I worked on it – the further along the picture gets, the slower the going is, because most of the time is spent working in finer detail. You can see from looking at the last shot that I’ve roughed in the rocks and an indication of a backdrop, and added some finer detail to the fur around the head and shoulders.

I find that a lot of time in this stage is spent stepping back and looking at the overall picture (especially in the mirror), making last-minute adjustments and a few touch ups here and there. (A word on finishing…)

See the project from the beginning with the following posts:

Sneak Peek: Mexican Wolf – Day 1
Painting a Wolf in Pastels, Part 2

Coming up next: the last installment (finally finished!)

Painting a Wolf in Pastels, Part 2

(To catch up on the project from the beginning, check out this post:
Sneak Peek: Mexican Wolf – Day 1)

Now let me show you how we got this far – lots more in-progress photos below (click any of the pictures to enlarge)

I left off work last time with a good start on the head, so I’m moving on to the rest of the body.

Just like I did before, I start out with black, shading in the darkest areas. (More on the advantages of this later.) When this done I can come in with a base color, in this case one of my primary browns. I go over lightly and blend this first layer in with my fingers.

For each color that appears in the fur, I apply another full layer so it doesn’t show up in isolated patches. Blending together the browns, reddish-browns, yellows, grays, and beiges (like the ones you can see laid out in the photos) makes it much easier to recreate the texture and color diversity of real fur. I can just draw out whichever tones I need to emphasize in a particular area.

Notice again, I’m working from dark to light, as I mentioned before. Only later, after the other colors are blended in, do I apply anything like white or beige, because I find it really hard to work with. If used correctly it can come across looking soft and fluffy, the way I’ve tried to show here.

You can see the layers really starting to come together in the following pictures. I’ve added Nupastels 253 (cocoa brown) and 223 (burnt umber) to my palette for undertones; 233 (raw sienna) for golden highlights; charcoal gray; and 276 (buff beige) as the brightest layer. This project has a fairly limited color range – in all I won’t need more than a dozen or so chalks.

Right: The blunt edge of a Nupastel is perfect for making the short, choppy strokes that imitate layers of thick fur.

Another advantage to this kind of layering is that with the darks underneath, anytime you mess with the chalk you’ll get some nice rich undertones showing through (that’s why you’ll want to choose your base coat carefully).

One of my favorite techniques – particularly when doing hair or fur – is using a tortillion, or paper stump, to pull the darker layers out between the lighter hairs. This is much easier than trying to add dark chalk between the light areas to make them stand out, and running the risk of blurring the edges.

Think of it as a kind of “reverse pencil.” In general, I like to use tortillions in lieu of my fingers in any places too small for me to work.

Left: A well-loved paper tortillion.

Next up: A little closer to the finish – finishing the fur, paws, and small details.

Painting a Wolf in Pastels

By popular demand, I’m finally doing a wolf on suede. It took me quite a while to find just the right shot (thanks to April King for a gorgeous photo of a Mexican wolf – read more here).

My matboard is 16×24 black suede and I’m using mostly Nupastels. This is what it looks like after the first day’s work.

(Click on any of the pictures to see them larger.)

I’m taking a lot of stage shots of this one (compared to the usual 3-step photos) so I can use it as a kind of demonstration piece for my pastel series. So many people are interested in the pastel blending process that I thought this particular project would serve as a good illustrated tutorial. (continue reading…)