A Place to Call Home

12 x 16 inch Derwent Lightfast 300gsm paper
Derwent Lightfast pencils
Reference: my own photo

These quite wonderful creatures are Scimitar-Horned Oryxes, and very aptly named they are too.

A type of large antelope, they roamed the arid regions of North Africa in large numbers. Sadly, their numbers were driven to the point of extinction and they were formally declared extinct in the wild at the turn of the millennium.

Conservation projects around the World, started following the capture of a small number of wild Oryxes in the 1960s, have carefully preserved the species. As a result, following reintroduction into a protected nature reserve, there are now around 200 or so residing within a large natural habitat. Their population remains incredibly precarious and they need, as so many other species do, a place to call home.

Whereas I am gasping without fluid every 30 minutes, these fine animals can go up to 10 months without a drink of water, due to moisture contained in their chosen edible delicacies. They were domesticated by Ancient Egyptians and their twin horns bound to form a single horn, this is thought by some to be the source of ancient myths about unicorns.

This pair, however, were not spotted by yours truly upon the red iron oxide soils of Chad, but instead on the lush green meadows of Longleat Safari Park in the UK. I have an enviable record with capturing photos of wildlife. For some inexplicable reason, animals tend to present their behinds to my camera, wherever I position myself. I can say, with some certainty, that I have the finest photo collection of animal bottoms in existence.

The planets and scimitar horns aligned for me on this occasion though, leading to the photo I used here. I did, however, want to use the power of pencils to give them a home. To that end, I researched their natural habitat and flora, finding many different photos in the process from Unsplash and other sources, then embarked on pencil feng shui to arrange and combine the elements and create a place just like home.

The colour scientists at Derwent have captured some of the most gorgeous colours in their Lightfast range, and I very much wanted to use them to help create a scene of dramatic conditions and contrast. As they lay under a stormy, blue sky, I named this pair of brothers Jake and Elwood and had a very musical, enjoyable time drawing them.

So there you have it! Hopefully I have succeeded in capturing a sense of these magnificent creatures resting in the simmering heat of their natural habitat, and raised awareness of their conservation along the way. 😊