Native to North America, the pronghorn resembles, but is not closely related to, the African antelope.
Constant alertness and telescopic vision allow them to spot coyotes or wolves several miles away. Then with bursts of speed up to 60 mph (100 km/h), the pronghorns easily outrun these marauders. Large hearts and lungs, along with sturdy legs, enable them to maintain a rapid pace, leaping 25 feet (8 m) in a single bound.
Pronghorns are herbivores. They can even eat desert scrub and prickly cactus, and can survive droughts solely from the plants they eat.
Both the male and female grow horns, but it’s only the male that develops prongs with which he battles rivals.
You will need:
- Sketch paper
- Bristol paper
- Prismacolors
- On your paper, begin with a 4½” x 6½” rectangle to aid with proportions. Place this on the page so there is room for the background outside this box. Next draw two circles of equal size for the back and front quarters. Place the smaller circle for the head. Sketch in simple lines to indicate the body, nose, and neck. Then build details.
- Now, using a light box or window, lightly trace your sketch onto Bristol paper. Start adding darkest details with your black Prismacolor. Note that some areas should have hard edges, while others will need to blend smoothly into other colors. Then add lighter colors, beginning with yellow ochre.
- As indicated in the third example, next add a light reddish brown, alternated with dark brown, and more yellow ochre. By using an underhand grip and applying a bit of pressure, you can burnish with yellow ochre or white to blend the colors. Use the side of the lead to do this.
- Begin shading the yucca plant with black and yellow. Color the mountain light gray, and then add areas of blue and darker gray.
On the pronghorn, continue filling in light brown alternated with layers of yellow ochre. Shade the underside with light gray with touches of light brown and ochre.
Finish the plants with strokes of blue, green, and yellow. Use a little dark brown to accent the distant landscape.
Anchor the pronghorn to the landscape with a cloud of yellow ochre dust around his back hooves. Then add a few swirls of brown.
