Details

I was given full freedom to illustrate a scene of my choice and chose to illustrate a story related to events happening at the time. My dad hunts in the winter during deer season, and although I'm a meat eater and I understand how the circle of life works, I couldn’t help but feel bad for the wild deer that were killed. I would think about their story, maybe the doe was a mother, maybe the doe was only 2 years old, maybe she’d been hearing gunshots for the past month and lived in fear wondering if her time was next.

The deer girl rests as the morning light shines through the trees, perhaps still resting because she’s exhausted from running. Bandages can be seen on her, perhaps due to already being injured in a chase. Deer Girl Sleeping serves as a culmination of my humanized view of what is ultimately prey, illustrating a beautiful species that should be in peace.

The colors are an analogous palette, with hues of green, brown, and yellow. This creates a warm, earthy, and natural scene. A variety of soft brushes were used as well, such as various soft foliage brushes and smooth inking brushes for the forms to create a relaxing atmosphere. The piece took roughly 8 hours, from the first sketch to the final render.

Illustrated in Procreate