How did you create your drawing?
First, I sketched the cow’s entire face, using pencil on a big piece of paper. Next, I filled in the detail of the cow’s face with my color pencils. Once I was done drawing, I cut the cow out with an X-Acto knife. I placed it on top of the map then cropped it to achieve balance between the cow’s head and the map background. Finally, I glued the cow onto the map with rubber cement.
What did you want the viewer to walk away with?
I wanted viewers to think about how land isn’t just for people. In Western states like Montana, most land is for animals. We need to share our land and protect and care for animals.
Do you have advice for aspiring artists like yourself?
If you have an idea, go for it. As an artist, I doubted some of my ideas were good enough for my portfolio. Despite my doubts, some of my ideas turned out really well, and I surprised myself. You might surprise yourself too. But you won’t know unless you try.