Wildebeest

"Wildebeest"
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It's rare for me to watch any sort of television, but when I'm not feeling well, I will watch Netflix.  Last night, I saw a documentary on wildebeest, which Wikipedia tells me are also called gnu (a quick check on Dictionary.com confirmed this).  I've always been somewhat biased against wildebeest, since they are the cause of Mufasa's death in the Lion King.  As a six year old, that particular scene was quite scarring.  However, two decades later, I can identify that it wasn't the fault of the wildebeest, and I curiously clicked on the Netflix documentary.  I was impressed by this hardy animal, which undergoes the longest land migration of any mammal and faces a multitude of threats in order to survive.  Their flowing locks reminded me of the barbaric splendor of Khal Drogo's hair.  It was in fact their mane which I most wanted to draw.

While not as aesthetically pleasing as their zebra compatriots, there is a certain beauty in the lanky gnu.  They are expressive and when not escaping from lions and cheetahs and hyenas (oh my), engage in playful behavior- a young calf displayed a lovely passage that any high level dressage horse would be proud to achieve.  The gnu embodies the will to live despite the dangers of its everyday life, and that inspired me to create this sketch. And, you know, they kind of remind me of horses, and I really like horses.