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Friday, February 3, 2012

"Suspense"

I’m slanted against “suspense” today because I stayed up late last night reading a suspense novel about twins, one good and one evil. People were killed, a mad race to the bank, betrayals -- the standard recipe for suspense novels. The book was slightly better than usual, but really wasn’t worth the sleep deprivation, and maybe I’m feeling a little cranky. Maybe I’ll talk about a different kind of suspense…

Last month I talked (here) about discovering a previously undiscovered fossil when I was a child. My friend Phil liked that post, and it dawned on me that since Phil is a scientist at a university, maybe he could get someone to identify an odd little skull I found by the river. I sent him photos, and he obligingly forwarded them to the biology department. I was in a happy state of anticipation until sometime later, Professor of Biology Don sent me this:

“Much of the skull is missing but a colleague and I agree that it is the skull of a raccoon.”

What?!! I had it firmly in my mind that I had discovered a prehistoric mutant rodent. Well, at least I would’ve been thrilled if it was a prehistoric mutant rodent. Raccoon?!! Professor of Biology Don must be seriously mistaken. I quickly Googled raccoon skulls to prove him wrong. Em. Hmmm. Oh all right. It’s a raccoon skull. Drat. That’s seriously disappointing. Who cares about raccoon skulls? Probably the only interesting thing about it at this point is the fact that the mice hadn’t eaten it. I thought I’d throw the skull away, but somehow my hand just wouldn’t do it. I wrapped it back up and put it tenderly in its box. Never let it be said that I’m unwilling to accept new knowledge. I thanked Don and Phil, and I am thankful to have one mystery set aside. Would’ve liked it more if wasn’t a varmint skull, but I bow to facts.

Even our disappointments can lead to new inspirations. I doodled raccoons while watching tv, and doodles turned into this Charley Harper-inspired critter. I admire Charley’s work, but it’s rather tough for me to pare things down to absolute essentials most of the time.

The suspense of discovering what the identity of the little skull is over, but I’m thinking maybe that anticipation was pleasant enough to look for something else to identify. There has to be more rock and skeleton oddities lying around in the woods…

34 comments:

  1. What a great raccoon story and illustration Linda, shame it's not a mutant rodent/alien..keep hunting ;0)..somewhere out in those rocks...
    Have a good weekend, we are forecast snow here!
    Jane x

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  2. Thanks Jane! I actually have a blue sky for once. Woo hoo!! Stay warm :)

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  3. Great post! I found a small skull when I was a kid and hung it in the locker of a mean rival at school. Happy times.

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  4. Is it wrong for me to laugh about that Sharon? :D

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  5. I think it's good to see the greatness in the ordinary. I think as illustrators that's what we are about. How fascinating to think that this is what it looks like under the fur of a raccoon.
    Fun image.

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  6. Well, I have never encountered a raccoon skull before -- or any other skull for that matter -- except in museums. I think that's a pretty nifty find.

    And your raccoon illustration is wonderful! Those geometric shapes and lines really work well together, and I love the bright colors. It's nice that this little raccoon can live on in your art. :)

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  7. Ooooooooh, I love the raccoon illustration Linda. He is so cute. My son would love your find.

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  8. Well, even if it's not a mysterious alien skull, it's a beautiful specimen-- & it inspired artistic exploration, & that's always good! I like the way the racoon is both seen & unseen in both of your drawings, befitting the nature of the beast & the suspense of identification...

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  9. A raccoon? Well, what's NOT mysterious about raccoon - only coming out at night, and even then, always wearing a mask! I think it's a very intriguing find, despite the suspense being over. AND, makes for a nice illustration too!

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  10. This is great! I really like the graphic style and the combination of all those great shapes and details and colors. It has such a neat effect.

    I caught a huge raccoon in a humane trap meant for feral cats, once. I had a huge freak out (as did he) before I managed to let it loose back into the forest. :)

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  11. I think you make a very good point about still being able to draw inspiration from disappointment or negativity.

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  12. Interesting post, Linda. And I like your little raccoon drawing at the bottom.

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    1. Delightful illustration and post Linda! I once thought I'd discovered a new shell (it was alive) only to find that it was an immature version of a cowrie shell that I gathered up by the hundred in their long dead state!

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  13. Thanks everybody! I love comments :)

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  14. Greetings Linda :) Hey, Raccoons are cool. Having never seen one I can say that. Varmits/? :) I'll swap you one Australian Possum for one Raccoon - they make good stew :) Actually Possums wee on you from high places - so I'm sure that would be a reason not to make stew from them... :)

    Skulls are wonderful, I collect them whenever I can. To think some little creature had a whole life of neaural synapses housed in that bony box keeps me in awe.

    The design is so well designed :) Everything in harmony with just the right amount of dissonnance from the Raccoon. You really know your stuff and apply it elegantly.

    See you!

    still summer here :)

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  15. I have possums around here. Can I have a duck billed platypus? Koalas look pretty cute too, but I don't have any eucalyptus trees. Thanks for the comment! I have to admit I'm pretty pleased with my coon :)

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  16. And so you should be!!!
    Okay I will send the DBP by courier :)
    (Plus a recipe) ;)

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  17. LOL Maybe I'll let it play in the pond for a while before stewing it up for supper :D

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  18. Such a beautiful and graphic piece!

    You and my husband can go skull hunting sometime. We always have the skeletal remains of some poor creature or another. His most interesting find was the skull of a large snapping turtle! Now that was cool!

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  19. This is one of your best in terms of design, stylization, and surprise. I would love to see you do more in this vein...
    nice dance of textures as well.


    .

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  20. Should I admit that I also have a snapping turtle skull? I feel like that might go against the "sugar and spice and everything nice" part of being a girl :) Either that or my brother really understands what kinds of gifts to give me!

    Thanks Richard! I have to admit I'm quite pleased with this piece, but this style is hit or miss for me. Sometimes it feels like a breeze, and sometimes it's tough to keep things simple.

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  21. A good detective story is always full of suspense. Thanks for the update on the skull...you sure had me wondering. Nice graphic image, too!

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  22. I do that too--staying up way too late reading, sometimes books that aren't really worth it, but that is the evil of fiction. It sucks me in and won't let me out again.

    I LOVE the piece here--it's so simple and formal, but rich and beautiful, with the leaves and raccoon and tree.

    That skull looks an awful lot like one that we encountered along the river this weekend (but we didn't take it home and try to figure out what it was).

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  23. Enjoyed the illustration, the skull images, the story, but the rough drawing best of all. Suggested the way raccoons are only half-seen, shadows and moonsheen waddling through backyards. The racket and scattered mess they leave behind are the biggest indicators of their presence.

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  24. Thanks everybody! I like your description of raccoons Ainu :)

    Thanks for the follow Claire!!!

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  25. Ah, I can so relate-- it's sooooo hard to keep things simple! I think I like to hide behind details. But in simplicity, every line has to have character! This is perfect!

    Thanks for the link to Charley Harper-- very inspiring!

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  26. What is wrong with a raccoon skull? I think it looks plenty fun, even if it wasn't a prehistoric rodent. but it's a great story you share with us and it ended up being a lovely drawing. So graphic and formal, and yet very alive. It has something Gauguin-ish about it.

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  27. Wonderful illustration and story. So happy to see that disappointment can turn into something beautiful. Thanks for sharing your process.

    My daughter recently found a tiny skull with huge teeth while out on a hike here in Phoenix. Neither of us could figure out what it was, looked it up and found out it was a kitten...we were so surprised and sad.

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  28. I may have to go back and study Gauguin again. Maybe he inspired Harper?

    Ooooh, sad kitty story! I don't think I've ever found one of those, and hope not to.

    Thanks for the comments!

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  29. I love raccoons! Your designy illustration is so very cool! Love your archeological find and story too! Your discovery led to our visual enjoyment and cranial stimulation. Thanks Linda!

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  30. When I think that the skull once housed the raccoon's little brain, it seems an incredibly precious thing to me. I've always been fascinated with racoons. We don't have any here in Japan, except in zoos--at least as far as I know. But we have an animal called tanuki, that has some similarities to a raccoon, but is not nearly so cute.

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  31. Glad your mystery-solving resulted in such a great illo!! :)

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  32. LOL Jack! Cranial stimulation :)

    Debbie, it is such a little skull to hold so much mischief. I may think of that next time I have a run-in with a coon.

    Thanks for all the comments!

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