Cold Sheep

This afternoon I drove the back way home to check on the sheep, which I hadn't seen in a week or so.  I'm happy to report they're getting a small amount of wool back after their recent shearing, and they look a little less naked and vulnerable to the icy winds that whip around their pasture.  I sat in my warm car on the edge of the road and drew as fast as I could since they moved constantly.  At one point they all took off running like a big deal was happening, and they vanished down the back side of a hill.  I moved the car to catch up with them and to see what was luring them to the new spot.  I couldn't see anything at all different about the new spot, but they apparently could!

I added some green and some white gouache to the first page after I got home.  The second page is the raw sketches, quick, exploratory, inaccurate.  I look forward to some warmer days when I can get out of the car and settle down  and spend some time watching sheep.  The guard donkey was far back in the field ignoring the sheep.  We have coyotes around here, so I'm sure her job is to protect the sheep from them.