Hunting Time

Another illustration I did for my poetry anthology -- this time for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "A Hunting Morning." I drew a shotgun, a fern kinda plant, and the face of a fox. I figure all have to do with hunting even though I don't hunt myself. The fern and the fox are mentioned in the poem as well. Here's the poem and my explication...

 

***********

 

A Hunting Morning

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 

Put the saddle on the mare,

For the wet winds blow;

There's winter in the air,

And autumn all below.

For the red leaves are flying

And the red bracken dying,

And the red fox lying

Where the oziers grow.

 

Put the bridle on the mare,

For my blood runs chill;

And my heart, it is there,

On the heather-tufted hill,

With the gray skies o'er us,

And the long-drawn chorus

Of a running pack before us

From the find to the kill.

 

Then lead round the mare,

For it's time that we began,

And away with thought and care,

Save to live and be a man,

While the keen air is blowing,

And the huntsman holloing,

And the black mare going

As the black mare can.

 

Explication: In “A Hunting Morning,” Doyle talks about hunting as if he actually did it. It is suggested that he is talking about an experience from his point of view. The author uses imagery in a way that I could imagine him being outside and actually hunting in the morning. The poem captures a feeling of fun and patience in terms of hunting. Those that are into hunting could relate to this, I’m sure, because they’ve probably had similar experiences to that of Doyle’s.

 

***********

 

And I know part of what I typed -- the end of the explication -- is on the upper left hand corner of the drawing, which I didn't think about until I scanned the illustration. I hope it's OK, though, and I tried erasing it Paint, but it would've looked ugly if I did, so I'm just leaving it like it is. All's it really is is Doyle's last name, which isn't a big deal.

 

***********

Mechanical pencil, black pen, and colored pencils.

Done