The Dominant Presence: Drawing Bear 856 in Pencil | Drawn to Explore | Live Events | Explore.org
The Dominant Presence: Drawing Bear 856 in Pencil | Drawn to Explore
Published on: Jul. 21 2025
Welcome to Drawn to Explore, an artist-naturalist live chat series on explore.org, where art meets observation to deepen our connection to the wild. In this episode, we’ll create a graphite portrait of Bear 856, one of the most iconic and complex brown bears at Brooks River. We’ll explore how to build weight, shadow, and emotion using simple graphite tools, and reflect on 856’s long journey from youthful challenger to resilient elder. Through posture, tone, and anatomical awareness, we’ll learn how to sketch not just the body, but the presence, of a legendary bear. Hosted by Sara Wolman and Mike Fitz
Materials Needed: Drawing paper (smooth or light texture) Graphite pencils: 2H, HB, 4B, 6B Charcoal Pencils White Charcoal (optional) Kneaded eraser Blending stump or tissue Reference image - https://media.explore.org/stillframes/856fat-9-12-20-n-boak-1752764742489-0.jpeg
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