Ravens and Wolves and Bears - Oh my!

image from Google

In a new suburb I went a walking, as I do...with both feet and a swinging of the arms...

and I found a delightful little antique store, as I do....with a door bell of brass that announces your entry and a friendly english accent attached to a man behind the counter...

and in that antique store I found my newest little friend - Wade. Wade is a porclain polar bear no bigger than my thumb and totally white with the most charming look on his face.

Now Wade sits on my desk and watches me work, and calmly tells me when I tell him that I've 'never loved bears before' or that I'm 'More a raven fan' that I've actually been a bear fan for a while...I just never noticed. He pokes his nose meaningfully up at the art from Hidden Eloise (here) as proof.
Then his quite british voice (i imagine) tells me I'm also a fan of wolves...that the last two books I've read had wolves in them, as does many of my favorite fairytales...and to top it off?

I looked at the designs for the character of Malik... He's as large as a bear, with canine/wolf like features (and bull-esque horns...etc...he is after all a solo creature who without a pack or such has need of good defences should he be attacked and given his habitat and birth...oh there's a million reasons, all tiny references to a million ideas found and dreampt...I shan't bore you!).

I wonder where else my creatures carry inspirations from? I never really stop and think when I draw outlines...I just think "Oh it eats this - so it needs a mouth like this..."...what other favorites am I missing?


Ravens still however stop me in the street as I watch them...such clever little things. Utterly charming.

Though I imagine if I saw a bear or wolf in the street I'd be stopped in my tracks too!

~ Roslyn