#689 White-tailed deer

Both Mule Deer and White-tailed deer are found in Wyoming
but Mule Deer are more prevalent.I see muleys daily where I live in
the Lander Valley located on the eastern slopes of the Wind River Range.
Occasionally, White-tails are to be found on the western slopes of the continental
divide, but not often.White-tails are typically considered an eastern deer but we have
them and the further east you go from Wyoming,the more common they become . . .
the Rocky Mountains are the cut-off of their range to the west.

My studio is located on a river that flows into the eastern drainage of the Wind River
and there is a resident herdof White-tail deer a few miles northwest of us . . .
we don't see them often but today a doe and a yearling were out in the harsh,
snowy weather.  Below, are images.

Below, are images of etchings entitled,"First Snow" and "White-tail in Snow".

Below, are images of sculptures entitled, "Swamp Buck" and "White-tail".

"Swamp Buck"
15"H 13"W 6"D
Edition 65
2,400



"Whitetail
12"H 12"W 4"D
Edition 65
2,400


"Whitetail
12"H 12"W 4"D
Edition 65
2,400

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#653 Locomotive anatomy . . . deer

Please see the previous post for more information about this blog.

The focus of this post is anatomical considerations of the deer in motion.

Every artist knows that it's difficult to sketch a jumping or running animal.  Studying skeletons, muscles, and proportions of a species and understanding "nature's one pattern" and waypoints - see blog #644 thru #648 - is invaluable knowledge
for the sculptor and will initiate an understanding of all quadruped locomotive anatomy . . . deer included.

Drawing action gestures and lines in the field, will help you catch the spirit of the pose and will  prevent becoming
involved in the details before you have established proportions and character of the pose.
The legs of a running or jumping deer are moved one after the other in rotation . . . a horse moves the legs diagonally.
Shown below, are quick sketches created afield.

In the field, you will observe that at the beginning of a deer's leap or jump, the head and neck are extended.
As the deer lands, the head is drawn back.  Below, are additional drawings depicting the deer's anatomical structure.
Remember . . . drawing in the field is about curiosity; not the final product.
Look for the big picture . . . don't get mired in details.

Photography is an invaluable tool for the artist in the field.  This little Mule Deer fawn didn't see me crouching behind a bush and ran right toward me before veering off!  All four legs were off the ground and it was demonstrating a maneuver
peculiar to Mule Deer called "stotting".  White-tailed Deer don't do it but some African antelope do.

Shown below, is a recent sculpture of a White-tailed Deer in motion entitled, "Swamp Buck".

Shown below, is another sculpture of a White-tailed Deer in motion entitled, "Whitetail".

                                                                                            

Go to the BLOG INDEX and Reference Page for more information.  See post #616 and #655

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#59 Remarque: "Whitetail" . . .

Seeing things first hand or "being there" is vital to the wildlife artist.  Sometimes being there causes things to happen - sometimes things happen because you've been there.

As a young woman out of art school and undecided about where to go in the arts, I had the privilege of "being there" by tagging along with my father in the wilds of Canada.

While grouse hunting (or partridge as the Canadians call it) on a logging road several years ago a whitetail buck emerged from the woods (or the bush as the Canadians call it) and struck this pose before bounding off again.

Whitetail
12"H 12"W 4"D

Whitetail
12"H 12"W 4"D

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish