I come Bear-ing sketches...

When I got the latest scientific name for the Illustration Smackdown, I spent some time staring at the ceiling trying to remember a class I took nearly two years ago. The class was on wildlife illustration, and while I knew we had covered bears, I couldn't remember for a while if I had previously drawn Ursus arctos, the American Brown Bear. Once I got home from work, I was able to go through...

the old files and find that I had, in fact, illustrated Ursus americanus, the American Black Bear. The black bear is smaller than the brown, tends to travel singly (rather than in packs) and is - obvious from the common names - more likely to be black than brown. Black bears are considered better climbers than brown bears; whether that is from size, curve of the claws or species preference, I don't rightly remember. The brown bear, once numerous in CA, is now extirpated. Black bears can still be found, particularly in the mountains.

Ursus americanus done in acrylics.

Now I get to spend a happy week researching the anatomical differences between the two species and figuring out which medium will best illustrate U. arctos. Yay!