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pallanoph — Final Warning
Published: 2011-09-10 03:39:59 +0000 UTC; Views: 18271; Favourites: 876; Downloads: 0
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Kids draw/paint/scribble blood on practically anything imaginable all of the time, so this probably won't be getting a filter on it.Perhaps an explanation for this is necessary? I shall attempt to do so.
Given the fact that pallanophs live in what you could call a parallel universe that shares much in common with our own world, I'd been debating which species on this planet would be living alongside pallanophs in their world. Given the overwhelming popularity of wolves on this site (can anyone explain this phenomenon?) I was forced to wonder if they could feasibly coexist alongside pallanophs. I'd discussed this topic with a few friends and am beginning to think that, no, that would likely get messy, especially if there were to be a sudden shortage in prey. One must acknowledge that pallanophs are opportunists and very capable, so that if a hungry pack of wolves were to foolishly cross into a pallanoph's territory out of desperation, it would end quite badly. Just... run away, you woofs! And if you must stand against some lone pallanoph for whatever illogical reason, do make sure it's something smaller than the Andirg male in this scene.
For the record, since this comes up now and again, pallanophs are not intended to be related to canines of any sort. The concept amuses me, seeing as how I'm hardly capable of canine anatomy and it takes up more of my effort than it should, as you can see here. Ugh. (Then again, we don't ALL need to draw wolves, do we? I think not.) All the same, good practice, I suppose.
I like drawing fight scenes. Even if they don't make much sense.
Experimental piece: Derwent Graphitint pencils, soluble graphite, some sepia ink... in a very unfortunate sketchbook. It didn't like having this done to it at all.
This is a rough study, but if you see things you'd like to tell me about, by all means give a critique. All comments are welcome.
Art and pallanoph species © April Schumacher
Baaawwwwwwwwwwww...
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Comments: 142
lol whoops
You're quite welcome! (and I don't know what I would do without references either O.O )
Take care!
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lol. I love the expression on the wolf that's being hit. I know it's caused by the fact he's being hit, but his eyes totally scream "wtf just happened?!?" to me.
Also: PALLANOPH PAWS. O.M.G. *squishes them*
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Poor beast really does look like he's about to say just that, if he could.
Pallanoph paws really are pretty squishy, squishy and bony and bendy. 
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Seems like much fun if they're going to put up with you messing with their paws.
But still, they could amuse me for hours if I could just sit there and play with them.
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This is great! The anatomy is amazing! I love your characters, they're simple yet strangely nice to look at without my eyes burning from horrid neon colors.
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Thank you! 
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You are very welcome!
I totally agree. There are some great designs out there with dragons and stuff but some are waaaay too complicated and it makes me wonder how the person has the patience to draw it over and over again...I sure wouldn't.
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Must be some pretty stupid wolves to keep attacking like that...
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I thought that a few times while drawing it. But then I was like, "How else would we be able to see an epic showdown like this?"
I'd imagine the situation would be more like this: Wolves smell pallanoph nearby. "OHSHIT" *run away* At least they have their sense of smell to warn them.
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Yeah, that wouldn't make for a very epic scene at all
If you watch wolves attack bears, they usually harangue it and may be able to make it leave. Since pallanophs are more intelligent than bears, I'm sure they wouldn't let the wolves get away with it.
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It really doesn't help the wolves that pallanophs have a tendency towards vindictive behavior, if they feel it justified enough to waste energy on. It's a big flaw of theirs, so to speak.
I somehow imagine undisciplined adolescent pallanophs having a particular problem with this, what with the likely "teen angst" and all. OH DEAR.
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Not a good flaw at all! Those teens better not run into a grumpy old bear...
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And I was also wondering if I could create my own pallanoph character? If not it is fine I understand :3
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I'm afraid I'm going to be keeping them "under wraps" until I have the novel closer to completion... However long that will take. Thanks very much for asking, though!
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Of course! I guess I'll just have to draw a lot of fan art then haha. And well....thanks for getting back to me, and I cannot wait to read the novel! I am so excited!
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It has been a while since I have seen some art
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Wow, great work! I LOVE the fur <3 totally watched! *g*
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It's neat to have a comparison to disprove the misconceptions about pallanophs being canine. They quite clearly aren't.
You CAN draw wolves; and the anatomy, the fur, and the pallanoph in general are all amazing! <3
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Also good to know my canine anatomy isn't as bad as I had initially thought. I did look through a bunch of references for this, so that was a definite help!
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They're not compact enough to be wolves. They may be big fluffy quadrupeds with sharp teeth but that's about all they have in common with canines, which makes them similar to most predatory mammals. Now that I'm sat staring at them, I think pallanophs have more feline features (because of their claws and the way they hunt and fight.). The main resemblance they bear to wolves is their hindquarters, the way their deep chest tucks up into the groin and the set of their hind legs: the way Reivig here is similar to how alsatians are photographed [link] and the leaner pallanophs' torsos look a little like enormous sighthound bodies.
The rest of their structure is more equine/uniquely pallanoph, I think. Your species is amazing, and I'm sorry for over-analysing it here. XD I over-think and ramble a lot. Forgive me!
Generally, I think the people who are comparing pallanophs to canines need to get better at drawing wolves. There is some resemblance to particular dog breeds, but dogs come in many shapes and sizes, so that's negligible.
Once again, somebody shut me up, I'm sorry! XD
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I actually quite appreciate what you call "over-analyzing!" It's really giving me a very clear view of what others see when they study them more closely. And I must say, you've definitely nailed it: Sighthounds (and Alsations, for that matter) are probably my largest canine influences from when I was young, and unconsciously combining that with the better traits of both felines and equines morphed into something that was a creature all its own. They're always changing, so I wonder where they'll be in 5 years... and beyond.
Now I'm thinking again, and I wonder if people confuse them with wolves further because of the general head shape: It's fairly long from a profile view, but I've been striving to give pallanophs a slightly broader skull and jaws. (We'll see how that goes...
So no need to apologize! I enjoyed your insight.
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Definitely more dog than wolf. I'm glad someone doesn't mind me going on and on. I absolutely adore pallanophs, I'm just not creative enough to invent my own species (yet). I like looking at anatomy and taxonomy, it's fun!
I thought their faces were unique enough, the muzzles are much broader and deeper than a wolf's. In fact, their muzzles are convex while wolf noses are straight and angular, almost concave. Admittedly their faces do taper like a wolf's and that might cause confusion.
I wouldn't worry about people getting muddled too much though, people think this can be labelled as a wolf, so that pretty tars any creature vaguely similar to a canine on deviantart with the same brush. And lots of people get real animals mixed up too!
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Very nice, great drama and expression.
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I may not understand much about the species that you created, but I must say that I love this style of art
It looks very traditional eastern
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I think they could make an interesting coexistence. Considering lots of predators compete in the same environments, like bears and wolves, and lions, cheetahs, and leopards. But one is just normally a dominant benefactor in the ecosystem. Maybe if wolves were just scarce in the area because pallanophs were so dominant? But I do agree, pallanophs being the larger and more aggressive species that they are, I don't think wolves would get along very well.
I really like how you captured the ferocity in this pallanoph's expression. I can imagine those wolves are thinking, " Oh...$#!%..."
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It's something I'm surprised I hadn't debated more often: Pallanophs are not limited by diet, and are fast enough to go after choice prey. I imagine pallanophs would do much of the killing, and if wolves and the like did manage to coexist with them, they'd make most of their living on much smaller prey and whatever remains they could scavenge. (Which I guess wouldn't be all that much different from where they are now, lol.) Though a pallanoph would be nigh impossible to scavenge from as they take all they can from a corpse in a short amount of time. In tough times, such as harsh winters where pallanophs couldn't get by on a more omnivorous diet, I could imagine things going very badly for wolves.
Yeah, the wolves here had really better turn tail and run, and hope to hell the pallanoph does not have it in his interests to pursue them.
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I'm glad to see this kind of art here, wolf art that about realism and their real behavior
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I like the chaos and all the open, snarling mouths- really gives you the sense of a frenetic, aggressive encounter! The look on the wolf's face who just got slapped is perfect, almost blank with shock.
No, I can't explain this wolf phenom either. It boggles my mind how uninformed yet rabid people can be about them, too! D:
Wolves co-exist alongside bears, cougars, and wolverines here, along with a raft of smaller mammal predators, avian predators and scavengers, and once upon a time in Europe they lived with most of the same species too. They definitely scrap over food, especially in winter, but they still share their home ranges with other predators larger and/or more dangerous than themselves. I'm curious why you decided they couldn't coexist with the pallanophs?
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Thank you! I had some difficulty with the slapped wolf's expression, and I'm pleased to hear it gets across without me having to describe it.
It's the rabid quality of these wolfaboos that scares me, and the fact that it's easy for them to spread the wolf crazy to all the young folks.
You do raise a valid point regarding predators that coexist fairly well with one another. 
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'...intelligent & aggressive species that needs so much territory.' Heh. You could model their relationship on humans, which would end in the wolves largely being extirpated from pallanoph territory.
Predatory species coexist when they aren't all trying to fill the same niche. Wolves can take larger prey because they're pack hunters. Cougars are in roughly the same weight class as an individual wolf, but they hunt alone using stealth rather than pursuit. Bears are considerably larger and stronger than wolves or cougars, and will eat anything, but have a fairly strict dietary progression throughout the year due to the fact they hibernate. Birds of prey have the advantage of flight, giving them better access to hunting other birds.
Humans disrupt the patterns because they are able to hunt anything, at any time of the year, thanks to our weapons. Because the pallanophs are so big, strong, and intelligent, they'd be likely to fill that niche rather than one similar to any other predator.
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I must admit there's been more than a few times where I find them running parallel to humans in some of their habits. (Often I worry myself silly over it, and try all the harder to redefine their habits.
Pallanophs won't usually take more than they need, and their diet is fortified by various vegetation and fungi, so perhaps they could be worse, haha. Pallanophs also have a tendency to go after only a few types of main prey species, depending on the tribe: Some favor wild boar, some fish and graze, some take varying deer/ungulates, etc. I would suppose they're most likely to manage the populations of larger animals, while canids would have to settle for much smaller prey. (I imagine something fox to coyote sized would do alright, provided they stay away from pallanoph territory as best they can.)
You do make a very valid point! Thank you! (I enjoy hearing everyone's two cents, really gets my brain going.
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Reading a well-written, descriptive paper for Evo Bio and it reminded me of this.
"Linking Top-Down Forces to the Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinctions", by Ripple & Valkanburgh, 2010, in the journal BioScience. If you can't dig it up on Google Scholar, I would be happy to share a digital copy.
Really in-depth, well-supported discussion of the insanely high competition between huge predators, and what happened because of it.
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Daaaayum, this is amazing! <3 The way you drew the fur and expressions is great!
I used to be obsessed with wolves myself, XD but I grew out of it I guess. Although I can't
remember what started that obsession.. I think it might've been movies like Wolf's rain and
balto. XD I think, oh well I'm glad I'm not obsessed anymore. I'm just an average wolf fan now.
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Thanks very much!
I was beginning to wonder which movies/shows/etc may have triggered the "flood of woofs," as I like to call it. And hurray for being past obsession! Liking things is A-Ok, but having one's entire life rotating around a single thing (or species) can get a little out of hand.
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Wow! Somebody speaks out of my soul
Not to be miss understood, I like wolfs and I do draw them for commissions and stuff but in general I like to draw other animals ,like hoofed once, more than wolfes. I also understand that people draw wolfs like hell but at some point I don't. It's like a wolf is the only animal wich is known on this planet and everything else ist just worthless prey or a fucking bad guy. Since I've been very attracted to boars, I get notes from wolf fans, wich are telling me how stupid boars are and how ugly. I mean.... realy?
But back to that wolf thingi. I to don't understand it like most of the people who post comments here. There are way to much canides wich are being drawn.
You know what I like so much about your art? I don't have to worry that you only draw pallanophs. You proofed more than once that there are other animals in life than just one species
This picture, disregarding it's meaning, is very well drawn as your other art. You seem to always know the anatomy of the different animals and it looks correctly. The pose seems like it was difficult to draw but you've done it so well.
I wonder how you get such an awesome dynamic! Because it realy is so freaking dynamic! Also it has a very wonderfull and scary atmosphere.
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It's a pity the more obsessive wolf fans think of animals such as boars (which are incredibly formidable and intelligent to begin with) as stupid prey animals. It shows how obsession can make kids so ignorant, really, and that's sad. D: I guess I just wish people in general understood the creatures they obsess over, including their flaws and their place in the ecosystem, as well as realizing the animals they see as "worthless" are far from it. The animals most consider to be "ugly" are often far more fascinating than the ones we adore without question.
And thank you very much! I'm glad to hear pallanophs can get some appreciation outside of my head.
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Wow, you really drew it! *_* I recently saw your LJ-entry on that and secretly wished you'd draw this. It's amazing, I love the movement and the colors! And I think your canine anatomy really is pretty good, it's far away from "hardly capable of", as far as I can see.
Reading the comments here so far about the wolf obsession and being a wolf fan myself, I think much of it is idolizing. When I look at wolf art and especially wolf comics around here, I see myths everywhere. Mainly there's the alpha 'til omega wolves thing, sometimes even a constant struggle of the pack members to become alpha, lots of aggression and lots of splatter in killing prey. The first three are solely found in captive wolves that don't have the freedom of just moving away. Usually the family life of wild wolves is rather "boring" compared to that. And if you look at wolves killing prey, there's often much less blood involved than many might think. Dogs tend to be much messier.
All in all, wolves are quite similar to humans, which some people wondering about the same thing as you are considering one of the things that draws people to wolves so much. And I think these things I mentioned above maybe are making the wolves even more like humans without making them human (if that makes any sense).
I myself am not sure what draws me to wolves. I always liked dogs, and I think it was through the misunderstandings above I initially felt drawn to them. I mean, it makes them strong, dangerous and fascinating. Over the years I learned much about wolves and other animals, but the wolves remained to fascinate me just a bit more than other animals, even if I tried to lose all the myths that are floating around about them. To me, they're just... more intense. Or something like that. It's really hard to explain.
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It was originally only going to be a very quick sketch, but after I found/bought the Derwent Graphitint pencils, I couldn't resist trying them out.
Ah! You do make some valid points in regards to the wolf craze. 
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I also often think about the issue of popularity of wolves and I can't find an answer. But, I love these animals and don't care what other saying about them. I do not know why, but I really like the artworks, which depicts scenes of hunting or fighting animals. Maybe I'm too bloodthirsty, but I think these scenes is the highest degree of manifestation of unbridled wildlife.
I've always been fascinated by artworks like yours. And I am always very interesting to follow your creativity and your experiments with traditional materials. I'm learning from you a little bit. I really love your pallanoph species, it's really beautiful, powerful and graceful animals. Can I draw them? If you do not mind, of course ^_^
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I like fight scenes in art as well, which is amusing since I'm a pacifist at heart. I like to think of it as my way of passively aggressively letting out my frustrations. It's a pretty decent way of doing it, I think.
If you'd really like to draw a pallanoph, go right ahead!
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Sketchbooks don't like liquids.
Wolves always had a special place in the mind and heart of humans, sometimes negative, sometimes positive, so i'd be more surprised if they suddenly didn't get a truckload of attention. I guess the only explanation why they would seem neutral to a person and then suddenly all over the place, is that said person began using the internet ( = discovered that wolves are hip).
Or because of Hitler, but that's just a wild guess. I assume in his time/after his time people wouldn't have looked at you nicely if you said that you want to be a wolf. It's hard to worship something that the majority opposes or doesn't acknowledge as worship-able. But if the world/internet repeatedly smashes a beautified/glorified image in your face every day at least 20 times (wolves are awesome), it's rather easy to join the herd... for people between 8-18 at least.
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Nope, this sketchbook is really for nothing more than pencil. It even dislikes straight ink and causes bleed spots, but I went ahead with it anyway.
The wolf trend is so absurd.
"GUYS LET'S BOND OVER OUR LOVE OF WOOFS. WE'S COOL. WE'S EDGY." Or something like that.
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I agree with you. The special place in the heart & mind of humans makes sense considering all the folklore, fairytales, etc about them. Also, I didn't know how insanley popular wolves were until I noticed them start popping up at every corner of the internet. x)
I never understood the Wolf/Hitler thing. o_O Yes, Hitler did some terrible, unforgivable things, but that doesn't apply to everything he hid or liked. He bred German Shepherds, does that mean it's a terrible sin to like them? Or to live in Germany? He also liked art, so I guess he could be compared to the majority of this site? XD Whenever someone compares a wolfaboo to Hitler, or a wolfaboo compares wolf hunters to the Nazis, I can't help but laugh ironically and declare the opposite side the winner in that situation (according to Godwin's law) xP
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German shepherds aren't a symbol of Hitler because he didn't make them his symbol, plus not many people knew/know that he bred them. He on the other hand purposely made wolves his symbol and made this fact known. The swastika got the same fate, Germany as a country too.
It's not a sin and wasn't actually a sin to like wolves/Nazis/whatever, but it could have got you into deep shit.
Or let's view it this way. I'm wearing a t-shirt (not really) with red-white lines on it, on the upper left corner a blue square with white stars on it, on the top of these all a bald eagle's head. It doesn't necessarily mean that i like the U.S., it could simply mean i like red and white lines and blue squares and stars and bald eagles. But it more likely means that i like the U.S. The wolf could have stayed a neutral symbol just like bald eagles and german shepherds if Hitler didn't make it his own. It's all about symbols and ownership.
But these are just my thoughts.
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