The Tenderness of Giants

A Wee Polar Bear Cub Sketch

I came across a reference photo for the lesson I wanted to create this week, that brought tears straight to my eyes. That happens more often than you might think (or maybe you are like me and utterly enraptured by the beauty of the wild world - you are in the right place then!). I had to check it was legitimate first, which is a whole other thing I am needing to do more of lately. That is a conversation for another time. And it was, generously shared for free by a photographer who also loves the wild.

Can I just take a moment to celebrate the photographers who share with us? We might laugh at medieval and renaissance depictions of wild beings, but they simply did not have access to reference like we do. They couldn’t see what we see, delve deep and be full of curiosity and have our questions answered at the hit of a few keys. Again, a longer conversation for another day - but also? Wildlife photographers, you are awesome.

I am aligning the free lessons I am doing for you here and on YouTube with some international recognition days. International Polar Bear Day is February 27th, so after finding the reference I wanted to use, I began watching videos of them going about their days, and something which I absolutely knew (because ALL animals do these things), but which struck me deeply seeing it happen - these enormous, powerful beings, who can take down a seal with one swipe of their massive paw, who swim through icy arctic waters as if they were made of them (which, in a way, they are), who traverse vast frozen landscapes with such strength and determination... they also play. And they snuggle. And they love. Fiercely.

Have you ever seen a mother polar bear roll in the snow with their cub? Or gently nudge their little one's? Or lap up them climbing all over their mum? Or snuggle up for a nap together? It's utterly heart-expanding. They are the epitome of fierce and gentle, ferocious and loving. I fall more in love with them every day.

I want to share a simple practice with you today that celebrates the full embodied nature of these beings (and of yourself) - one that you can do in just 15 minutes with a single graphite pencil and any paper you have on hand.

The Two-Minute Connection Practice

1. Find a comfortable spot and take three deep breaths

2. Close your eyes and imagine being a polar bear mother - feel your strength, your size, your protective instincts

3. Now imagine being a tiny cub - feel that complete trust, that playful spirit, that desire to learn, the awe at how large and expansive everything is!

4. Open your eyes and pick up your pencil

5. For two minutes, make loose marks on your paper that capture the feeling of that bond - don't worry about realism, just let your hand move with the emotion. Maybe move your body a little at the same time

Observing, embodying, sketching feelings can all transform how we approach wildlife art. When we take time to really embody our subjects, to feel what they might feel, our marks become more than just lines on paper - they become a bridge between our world and theirs. Our marks are part of us as we are part of our subject - it is polar bear + you on that page.

The full tutorial for creating this sketch of a wee Polar Bear cub between mum’s feet is up on my YouTube channel, and an even more in-depth version lives inside Hedgerow. But this little practice? This is just for you, right now. A moment to connect with these remarkable beings who have so much to teach us about strength, tenderness, and the profound beauty of wild relationships.

Keep sketching, wild heart. Your art brings more beauty and connection into this world than you know. (And if you need reminding how important your creativity is right now, among all this human chaos, I wrote about it on my other publication The Wild Forgotten, here)

P.S. Another incredible fact about polar bears? Their fur isn't actually white! It is transparent! And that their skin? It is black! I've also written a longer piece about drawing these remarkable beings on my blog.

• More about International Polar Bear Day