The Dance of Pencil and Wolf Song

and Finding Your Voice Through Art

Wild one, I see you.

I just wanted you to know that.

Ok. Let’s spend a moment chatting about wildlife art. It has been a week, I think we are due, don’t you? Plus, it is a subject that feels light and hopeful, and I think we need that too.

If you have been here a minute or two, you know I am big on embodying our creative practice. Using more than our hands and eyes to create, bringing thought and feeling and touch and sound and imagination and movement into our process in every way that we can, so that our practice becomes necessary and sacred and sustainable and so much deeper than any outcome. The most profound work of creativity is in the doing, not the end result, I promise you.

This week maybe we can dance our bodies, dance our pencils, into song. Wolf song.

In the video, we are going to draw a wolf in an iconic moment of expression, and we are going to use graphite and just a wash of coloured pencil to bring the piece to life.

Draw along with me, let's create wolf art as a pack!

As always, we are going for connection, not perfection.

Have you ever heard a wolf howl? Even through a video or in your imagination, there's something that stirs deep in our animal bodies when we hear that sound. That ancient call speaks to something primal in us, reminding us of our own wild nature. It is a sound that brings me to tears of hope and happiness and a whole-ness long forgotten. I long to throw my head back and join in, something inside me, a cellular memory says it is possible. I have just forgotten, many generations before me, I forgot. But I can practice again. Maybe you would like to practice with me too.

Making art can be such a profound way to connect with that wildness. Not just through observation, but through truly embodying the beings we honour with our pencils and paint.

Here's a simple practice I'd love to share with you:

The Wolf Voice Exercise

1. Find a quiet moment and comfortable space

2. Stand tall, feet grounded, shoulders loose

3. Imagine you're about to join a wolf's song

4. Notice how your body naturally responds - does your back arch? Do your shoulder blades slide down?

5. Make noise if that feels good, or move your face and throat muscles still, even if howling silently

6. That feeling? Really feel it, deep in your bones, and then access it as you begin to sketch

This physical understanding transforms how we approach our art. We're not just drawing shapes anymore - we're capturing living, breathing essence. Each mark becomes part of an ancient dialogue between humans and wolves.

I find it fascinating that when we really tune in this way, our art naturally becomes more expressive. We start to see beyond the surface to the vibrant spirit beneath. It's not about perfect anatomy (though that comes with practice!) - it's about catching that spark of wild life that makes each being unique. Move your body as you move your pencil. Sing, laugh, howl. Imagine what it might be like to run with wolves as a human animal. Imagine what it might be like to be a wolf, running.

I talk about all of this in much more detail on my latest blog post [link] - I invite you to come have a read and let me know your thoughts there, too.

Remember, your unique way of seeing and connecting to these wild beings is a gift. Let your hand dance across the paper, let your heart guide your marks, and most importantly, let your own wild voice emerge through your art.

Happy sketching, wild-hearted one. I am howling right beside you!

PS: Want to get even deeper into this embodied practice of at making? Come get curious, courageous, connected clarity in Hedgerow, a place for wild-hearted creative women!