Elephant No. 15: Drawing with Markers

I felt like drawing today, so I thought I'd try using coloured rollerball pens.

Since I lack access to actual elephants, I worked from a photograph. This is the photograph I chose.

Asian elephant, after a swim at Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka, India, 2007.
Photo: Jayanand Govindaraj
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IndianElephant.jpg

I was originally going to use all the colours except black and brown, but thought that might either be too chaotic or too dark for what I had in mind. I decided instead to use just orange, yellow, red and purple, in that order.

I began by sketching lightly with orange. I can't tell you how much I wanted to sketch in pencil first—the comfort of knowing I can erase is truly hardwired into my brain—but I made myself use a marker right off the bat.

And I apologize in advance for my photographs. For some reason, this was really hard to capture.

The above looked like enough orange to me, so I added yellow next, shading mostly with a cross-hatching effect. Well, to be honest, shading with something more like cross-hatched scribbling.

 I added red next, trying really hard not to overwork the drawing.

And purple, at the end, in really small amounts, mostly to darken the darkest areas and add a bit of definition to things like the eye and the tail.

This was much easier than I expected it to be, if a pain to photograph. In future, I think I'll avoid using yellowish paper with orange and yellow pigments. In real life, however, it's quite nice, and I'm sure I'll draw elephants with markers again.

 

Elephant Lore of the Day

And now for some art of a more sobering sort.

I came across the photograph of a painted billboard while adding to one of my Pinterest boards. According to its sign, it sells ammunition and guns for hunting wild game—particularly elephants.

Even more disturbing is the fact that the shop is located a mere 200 yards from the local wildlife protection office.

Elephant hunting shop, Bangassou, Central African Republic, 2011.
Photo: L. Williamson
Source: http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0425-hance_camposarceiz_blake.html

To Support Elephant Welfare

World Wildlife Fund

World Society for the Protection of Animals

Performing Animal Welfare Society

Zoocheck

Bring the Elephant Home

African Wildlife Foundation

Elephants Without Borders 

Save the Elephants

International Elephant Foundation Elephant's World (Thailand) 

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Elephant Nature Park (Thailand)

Wildlife Trust of India

Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary (Thailand)
Wildlife SOS (India)  
The Elephant Sanctuary (Tennessee)