That would scare the hell out of anybody. Wow! These 'coons are very cute, very typical of the species, and exceptionally well done... but y'know... I'd really like to see you do an illustration of that hot mama in the pink muumuu, chasin' the bear... I like horror stories. ;oP

-Nik

What an experience! Once the raccoons were there they will come always. Good shot of the raccoons and thanks for the hilarious narrative Lisa. No wonder the bear took off . Even the breasts must have looked like weapons to the bear :)

---an extremely large woman, in an even larger hot pink muumuu, running full tilt towards us, mammoth breasts a-bouncing, waving a rolling pin, with her hair done up in curlers, and screeching at the top of her lungs---

Lisa, think the bear is still in a shock situation and is dealing now with nightmares. Only a mental treatment will heal it, ☺ ☺ ☺ .

An incredible and priceless illustration however. You've made my day, my friend!

S+F! Thanks!

What a great tale!...The sight of that large woman would have creased me up with laughter.....I can well understand the bears 'legging it'

A great piece of work Lisa

First of all this a fave, I love this well done, work of art. Now for the story line, what an experience that had to have been. Maybe it scared the bear enough that he never came into town again. Lol! That is one priceless memory. tigs=^..^=

The Bin Bandits are delightful !

The story of he bear and the woman is terrifying. Reading your description of the woman no wonder the bear skeddadled :)

If you shout and run at an animal it sometimes works as you found out. It's worked for me on several occasions when a big fierce dog has run at me. BTW I hope you thanked the fine lady!

Great upload Lisa btw, I love those cheeky scamps. (o:

That was close encounters of the wild kind. I'm glad wonderwomen was there to save the day. Cute critters and I like what you did with this image Lisa. They mostly like the cat food at our house.

Lyn - "Bin Bandits"! Laughs ... That is a much better title! (High-5s Lyn)

Phil - Yes, of course I thanked her and hugged her. Neighbors look out for each other. And yes, yelling and making yourself look big and intimidating is exactly what you do with bears.

Honestly, I never felt that I was in any real danger. I gauged the bear to be a 2-3 year old, what I think of as a "teenager". These teenager bears are newly kicked out by their mom and are facing the world for the first time on their own. Still learning the boundaries and often lazily looking for an easy meal, they frequently get themselves into trouble that a more experienced bear would avoid.

He was already spooked and wasn't acting threatening. My first move would have scared him off. But my neighbor was in motion before I was and she had the comically dramatic element of surprise. :)

Well.. I never!

I've been told that 'pink' brings out the natural red colour of my eyes!

... ...

Sleep can be elusive at times, yes. Why do you ask?

... ...

I could have sworn that this was a photo-manipulation, Lisa.

Was so entranced with the expressions you detailed on the racoon's face.. it was easy to suspend my disbelief.


Really nioe work.

And..

But, of course..

Thank you for sharing your talents.

And..

+favs for me.

Geez, Les ... someone has awarded you 10 creds before I've even gotten here! By the time that I award you creds, people are going to think that I'm sweet on you. lol

This is not a photo manip. I used a billion photographs for reference, but used no actual photography as a basis within the artwork itself. This is all hand drawn and it took me a long time to complete.

I created ridiculously complex, highly detailed realism in spots that mattered to me (like the right raccoon's face and the left raccoon's forearm) and softer, more heavily blended and washed layers elsewhere. I literally worked pixel by pixel in many spots. I made some happy accidents along the way and liked the effect. And I got a rush when I created something, sat back, and thought, "Ooo, that's good. It looks real!"

And sometimes I worry when things come out looking too real, for fear that people won't realize that it's artwork.

I tend to leave in flaws. I like flaws. And I tend to leave in edge lines, rather than blending them out, because they provide definition, demonstrate that it's artwork, and because I like the way that they look.

This is how I do art. I'm not trained. I don't have a definitive style. I like to experiment. I have been doing it for my entire life and it is as necessary to my being as breathing.

Post work and narrative triple A work.

Rob

Very nice.

Great story Lisa, but what if the rolling pin was actually meant for you? That bear could have been there to warn you. Only now it's had to flee for it's life, leaving you to face the flesh mountain alone and defenseless. Obviously the encounter has traumatized you to the point of overcompensating with drawings of cute little bear cousins, the ones you expected to find, rather than the jello horror on two legs that attacked. This will clearly take years of therapy and barrels of cash to even approach a cure.

Roars with laughter ... Russ, you made my day!

No therapist. No cash. I am doomed to getting a silly grin on my face at the sight of boisterous, big women in muumuus and curlers for the rest of my days. :)

My daughter has an apartment where these little guys often visit the trash bins...they can be a nuisance but so cute so I can relate to this wonderfully done illustration...you are very talented.

Thank you, SAW, for taking the time to leave such a very nice comment!

LOL!!! That is one fantastic and hilarious story Lori!!! Thanks for sharing, at first it seemed "un-bearable" but I was able to get to the ending which was good for us as we would have never have seen this, just your obituary:):)

~>Lisa<~