Como Zoo Crane

Como Zoo crane... at least I think it's a crane. This is a picture that I took at the zoo with the kids without really paying attention to what it was.

Como Zoo Snow Leopard - Uncia uncia

The snow leopard is an interesting cat. It's native to Central Asia (Tibet) and lives above the treeline. Unlike larger cats, it cannot roar because it lacks the necessary structures in its throat.

There was a nature special on this year where the camera caught, for the first time ever, a snow leopard in its natural habitat, on the hunt.

While snow leopards may be hard to catch on camera in the wild, they are fairly common in zoos.

Como Zoo - Capuchin Monkey

Back to pencils here.

Como Zoo Lion

OK.. so I realize I got way too dark with the shading here. The top of his mane is cool but the bottom is not. He does have a two layer, light/dark mane, but I didn't represent that well. Maybe because I was trying a different ink pen... excuses...

In any event, this drawing did reinforce for me that I need to be more disciplined with proportions. I used a sketch grid here, which was very helpful in that regard. And I'll definitely use it as a tool for any sketches from photo references.

Como Zoo Gorilla

About 15 years ago (1994), Casey the Gorilla escaped from his pit in the Como Zoo and wandered around the zoo grounds for about an hour. He didn't really do much or threaten anyone. We was just out wandering around.

I can imagine, though, that it would have been pretty terrifying to come around a corner with your cotton candy and come face to face with a 400 lb gorilla.

Casey has since been transferred to another zoo. Como plans a gorilla exhibit makeover in the next four or five years.

Como Zoo Timber Wolf - Canis Lupis (#2)

My second go at a Timber Wolf.

I just finished reading Hungry for Home: A Wolf Odyssey
It's definitely not a Disney story, so don't read it if you demand happy endings. But do read it if you love wolves and you're looking for a look at the way they live their lives.

Oh, and by the way, they have wolves at Como Zoo too.

Como Zoo - Sparky the Sea Lion

Sigh... I'm completely unhappy with this sketch of Sparky the Sea Lion and his handler, but I guess they can't all be winners, right? Or for that matter, they can't all even be average.

Sparky is a Como Zoo fixture and recently celebrated a 50 year anniversary. Of course, since sea lions typically only live to be about twenty years old, there have been several Sparkys. I'm sure I'm wrong on this, as I'm recalling from the last Sparky show I saw with the kids, but I think the current Sparky is the seventh and also, a lady sea lion.

Como Zoo Orangutan

Another Como animal, the Orangutan, always seems the happiest to me. The orangutans, probably because they are a family, seem the least stressed and mental. The seem social, curious and even engaged with the people looking at them. Having said all that... it's still depressing seeing them in the zoo.

The orangutan is native to southeast Asia. It gets it's name from a combination of Malaysian and Indonesian names - "Orang" for "person" and "Hutan" for "forest" ... thus orangutan = "person of the forest.

Como Zoo Polar bear - Ursus maritimus

The last post with the giraffe from Como Zoo got me thinking it might be fun to do a bunch of Como Zoo animals. So here is the Polar Bear, the world's largest land based carnivore. The adult male can be up to 1,400 lbs and ten feet in length.

Giraffe - Giraffa camelopardalis

The tallest living land animal, the giraffe can be up to 18 feet tall.

At least once a year, we take the kids to Como Zoo here in St. Paul. The giraffes are a favorite. Of course, its always depressing to visit them, because they have no where to wander & they spend entire winters in an indoor cage that's about 100 feet square. But the kids don't get that aspect of it quite yet.