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While he is an American black bear, Victor had reddish brown coat. This is common for bears in the Sierras, and they are known as "cinnamon bears"
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gaze into those beady little eyes...
Graduates
Isaac Capp
BFA in Illustration - Illustration Design — IllustrationCourse:
Sierra Summer
Faculty:
Andrea Welton
Term:
2025 Summer
Uncle Victor
A life-sized bear created with colored pencil as a tribute to the story of Victor the bear, killed by CDFW at Mammoth Lakes, California.
Process:
I started by making a digital clean line sketch of the bear. Then I rented a projector from EMEC and traced the projection of my sketch onto a giant sheet of washi paper. After selecting a colored pencil palette of browns, grays, oranges and yellows, I got to work rendering the whole bear over the course of several days.
Learning Outcomes:
While visiting the Easter Sierras the 2025 Sierra Summer class, I learned the story of Victor the bear. Victor was a resident American black bear in Mammoth Lakes who was killed by CDFW in 2024 after a video went viral showing him swiping at the legs of an irresponsible camper who got too close to him. His body was found at a dump in Bishop, California, and he was given a ceremonial burial on tribal land by the local Paiute Tribe. I created this piece to honor Victor, to bring awareness to his story, and to challenge myself in a large scale with one of my favorite mediums to work with.
Project Website: