"Chaga Beaver"

As a sort of update to a post made over seven years ago, I grabbed a bottle of Sennelier India ink for this panel, and fell back in love with its luxurious line all over again. Even on the fairly recent inclusion of Stathmore Mixed Media paper (combining the best of both Bristol for the pen + ink and watercolor paper for the wash) instead of the usual (smooth) Bristol Board it skimmed across the surface and held a wonderful, richly organic line with a dip-pen. It was in-between Winsor & Newton (slow) and Dr. Ph. Martin's (quick) as far as drying speed. Here's a bonus shot of the watercolored original after scanning the pen + ink piece (see here for more on that process).

I also noticed after the fact that the beaver has the same exact expression as a stoned moose I drew for another feature for a new magazine about the Alaskan marijuana industry (more about "Baked Alaska" in a an upcoming post). What can I say, rendering all the different ways animals can look under the influence of drugs is not yet in my expanded repertoire.

On a more serious note, this fungus is now the latest "superfood" that promises to cure everything under the sun, not unlike traditional snake-oil sales which spread like, well, a fungus across the internet. See the Sagan standard.

One of the more interesting Alaskan applications of the purported powers of chaga is a spirited libation I recently sampled at a local watering hole: Denali Brewing Co’s Chaga Stout. Except, when paying $7.50 for a pint of microbrew - maybe step up the glassware?

It’s like a MAGA cap on a hippie