Olympic Alpine Ski Racers

Olympic Alpine Ski Racer

The above drawing is of an Alpine Ski Racer or Downhill Skier who just finished his race.  Notice he has a slight smile because he just had a good run.  He is starting to come out of his crouch and starting to stand and his poles are no longer parallel with the slope.

Alpine Ski Racing is a very fast and dangerous sport.  In honor of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea I drew skiers today.  We live in a state with a lot of skiing.  In fact, in 2002 the Winter Olympics came to Utah.  Myself, my wife, and my daughters were volunteer entertainers or cast members during those Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.  We were playing percussion in a "Venue Band."  We played outside the venues as fans were entering or exiting.

Now, back to skiing:  Alpine skiing is also called downhill skiing.  .  .  as opposed to cross country skiing.  I have done both and I actually prefer the cross country skiing.  However, due to my health, skiing for me is now what I watch on TV. . . . ESPECIALLY Winter Olympic Skiing!! 

By the way, the different types of winter sports seen in the Winter Olympics is quite extensive.
Here is a list, starting with Skiing:  Alpine or Downhill Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Free Style Skiing, Biathalon, Nordic Combined, and Ski Jumping.   Then there is Snowboarding, Speed
Skating, Figure Skating, Ice Dancing, Curling, Bobsledding, Luge, Ice Hockey, and Skeleton.
There are several different events in many of those sports on my list.  Such as Men's Moguls, Women's Moguls, Short Track Speed Skating, 5,000 meter speed skating etc.

A final word about Alpine or Downhill ski racing.  The top skiers have been clocked at 90 miles per hour on their ski run.  That is REALLY fast!!!

By the way, I did not put any country name on the two ski racers I drew today.  That way you can put your country's name etc. on the racers' uniform.  Also, choose what you want to draw on the "gate" that the slalom racer is skiing around.

Olympic Slalom Skier

Apostle Matthew

Apostle Matthew

The Apostle Matthew was Jewish, like all of the original 12 Apostles of of Jesus Christ.  But Matthew was probably hated by many of the people because he worked for the Romans as a tax collector.    Matthew was educated and probably knew Greek and of course quite a bit of math.  He was a publican or tax collector.  Many publicans were crooked in that they would overcharge people on their taxes and then skim off the top. . . or steal the overcharge amount. Jesus saw Matthew at work and asked him to "Follow me." 

Later Matthew invited Jesus to come to a gathering at his house with his friends.   Jesus was criticized for eating with Matthew and his fellow publican friends.   The religious leaders at the time even had a phrase, "Publicans and Sinners."  They felt like all publicans were sinners.  Jesus responded by saying something like:  "The well need no physician, but the sick."   At one point some publicans asked Jesus what they should do since they were universally despised and Jesus basically said for them to only collect the due taxes and be fair.  By the way, Jesus was asked a similar question by the soldiers and he said for them to do no violence to any man and to be content with their wages.  So I am sure Jesus recognized that there are times, as a soldier, that you have to do violence. .  . like when soldiers are attacked in battle or assaulted in the soldiers' duty as the Roman police force.  But I think Jesus was saying that the soldiers should not do needless violence.

I think that Jesus recognized that some professions were not popular with the people, but people have to do those jobs.  But that in whatever our employment, be honest and as kind as you can be to others. 

Fairy with a Crystal Ball on a Unicorn

Fairy holding Crystal Ball while riding Unicorn

(This is the only new drawing in today's post.)

Both fairies and unicorns are considered magical creatures.  The idea of a fairy riding a unicorn made sense to me.  I can picture that some fairies are not tiny.  I also remember from the Fablehaven book series that fairies called to war become human sized.  

This unicorn has traditional cloven hooves, although it has a non-traditional tail.  The fairy and unicorn are on the edge of a cliff with a beautiful view of a river valley.  The idea for this drawing comes from a figurine I bought at a Christmas Market near Germany, but in Strasbourg, France.
Somehow the fiary lost one of her wings in transport from Europe to Utah.

Fairy and Unicorn Figurine

Below are some of my drawings of fairies and unicorns from previous posts.  To find these older drawings you need to click on either "All Printables" or "Fantasy, Myths, and Circus" and scroll down through the list.  Remember that older posts are higher up on the list.  New drawings are at the bottom of the lists.  

Auburn Fairy

 Fairy sitting under a Tree

Fairy of the River

Fairy with a Wasp

Elegant Fairy Sorceress and her Dragon

Unicorn in the Hills

Unicorn with Butterfly Fairy

Unicorn at Sunrise

NOTE:  New drawings like this first drawing...are at the end of the lists.  To get to the lists click on the correct button above.  Unicorns and Fairies are under "Fantasy Myths and Circus" button. 

The Greatest Showman Circus Coloring Pages 2

Ringmaster and Circus Performers from The Greatest Showman

This drawing is some of the characters from P. T. Barnum's Circus.  I said this before, but although he had his faults, his employees and cast were grateful to him.  When Barnum lost his fortune it was the little man, Charles Stratton AKA The Little General, who contacted Barnum and offered to have him go on tour of Europe with him.  The result was P. T. Barnum's fortune was restored.  P. T. Barnum made Charles Stratton and his wife Lavinia Warren Stratton very famous and very wealthy.  Small though they both were, they were the biggest of celebrities in their day.  Where other people saw little value in the people with big differences, P. T. Barnum saw a way to make money and those people appreciated their success.

I want to say a bit more about The Greatest Showman's impact on me and society I hope.  I qualify as one of the freaks I guess.  I lived with a trach tube from 8 years old to 16.  I was teased mercilessly.  I did not understand why I was teased so bad.  In fact, I was even teased after I got the trach out.  In the year I got the trach tube out my family moved.  In the new town I was put in a class with all the athletes (jocks) of the school.  I had been pulled out of Little League Baseball when the first tracheotomy was put in when I was 8 years old.  I had not been allowed to participate in sports for 8 years for fear of getting hit in the trach.  In this new school the jocks started to tease me right away.  I was in PE with them and I did not have the normal ball handling skills etc. that they all had.  I did not have the trach anymore, but I was living with the aftermath.  I had a flaming red scar on my neck and no physical education skills or skills in sports.  The memory of their bullying stuck with me so that when I was teaching I always tried to do my best to act if I saw any bullying going on.  To this day I can remember every name I was called when I was bullied as a kid.

I hope that in today's world that people will be kinder.  If you are a victim of bullying then speak out.  In the USA you can probably get relief immediately.  If you are teased know that you are not the problem and you are not inferior to the bully or bullies.  You have a right to be safe and no one has the right to tease or bully you.  If you see bullying then do something about it.  Don't be weak and join in because you are afraid of being the next victim.  Another example:  My Junior year of High School we moved back to my home town where my friend Kurt made sure that no one bullied me.  He never did it in front of me, but he let people know that they better not try.   Thank you Kurt, for standing up for me.  (I drew Kurt and his cat Pipes in a previous post.)

In the movie The Greatest Showman the people with differences are persecuted.  Even so, they learn to celebrate who and what they are.  To this day I consider myself a survivor.  I am proud of that title.  11 years ago my birth defect led to me having to get another trach tube in.  As an adult and in a different environment than 1977 I have been treated with great respect and even admiration.  My school staff and my students were great!  They got used to my wheezy voice and cough and never treated me any differently than before I had the trach tube.  I taught school for 7 years with the trach until heart failure hit.  I taught another 2 years with both problems until it became impossible to continue.  Even doing this blog is painful but I want to contribute in some way and I hope many people are enjoying coloring my drawings.

So Kudos to the movie The Greatest Showman!  It teaches us that we all can contribute in our own way.  .  . and we all have our limitations.  Some of us are classified as "Disabled" but it does not mean we can't do anything.   Our challenge, all of us, is to do our best.  Use whatever talents we have, and share them with others.  I know, for example, that there are clearly better artists out there.  I have two nieces, a grand-nephew, a grand-niece and many former students that have much more talent than I, but I do what I can.  .  . AND I think kids and even some adults enjoy coloring my drawings. 

In my opinion the song:  This Is Me is so inspiring is because pretty much ALL of us have felt, at one time or another, like we were not as good as someone else or we felt we were not part of the group...or we felt like we just did not fit in.  But, as I said before, we all can contribute something.   Another example was my intellectually disabled sister.  She had Down Syndrome.  Her IQ was only about 40.  Yet she contributed.  She went to work for years cleaning theaters.  She had friends in the residential group home where she lived.  She was a sweet, beautiful and lovely person of great value.   She has since passed on and in my opinion she will have in made in the next life.

So recognize that you ARE a person of value.  We ALL have our limitations and times when we don't fit in...but we all have something to contribute! 

Jumbo with Fans

I have also added another drawing of Jumbo.  This is from an old circus poster.  Jumbo was orphaned by poachers and taken to England, where P. T. Barnum purchased him.  In a previous post I told about Jumbo's life and passing.  I should add that if they are treated humanely, animal acts and zoos are one way we, the general public, can appreciate the glorious diversity in our world.  This can lead to us wanting to support programs and etc. to help preserve the lives and habitat for our wild animals on our planet.   By the way, Jumbo was not in the movie.

Jaguar, Caiman, Quetzal Bird and a Cougar,

Printable versions are found by clicking the above buttons for "All Printables" or "Animals".  Older posts are further up the lists and new posts are on the bottom of the lists.

Caiman by a River

(New Drawing)

The caiman is a smallish type of crocodilian.  Crocodilians include crocodiles, alligators, and caiman.  Although the caiman is actually a crocodillian... it is more closely related to alligators.  They live in rivers and swamps in Central and South America.  It is not extinct.  It is a modern animal.  Most species of caimans are around 8.5 feet or 2.2 meters long.  They weigh from 13-88 lbs...or 6-40 kg.  They are not all this size.  The Black Caiman of the Amazon Rain Forest can grow to be up to 16 feet or 5 meters long.  Although caiman are predators, often they are not the top predator of where they live in the Central and South American rain forest (jungle). . .they are often NOT the top predator...if Jaguars are in the area.

A Jaguar is a New World cat.  They are the biggest New World cat.  They grow to be up to be 211 lbs or 96 kg.  They are related to Lions, Tigers...(no not bears), Leopards, Snow Leopards, and Clouded Leopards.  They are in the Genus: Pathera.  Their full scientific name is:  Panthera onca.  Jaguars have an incredibly powerful bite.  They can and do stalk caiman and pounce on their head.  The Jaguar will then bite the caiman's head and crush its skull.  Some Jaguars in South America will kill and carry off a caiman that is heavier than they are.  The Jaguar is an incredibly strong cat.

Jaguar attacking a Caiman

(New Drawing...although this is the same drawing of a Jaguar I did for yesterday's post.)

Did you notice the bird flying in the first drawing and then landed in a tree in the second drawing?  This bird is a Quetzal Bird, native of Central America.  Quetzal birds are very colorful with a long red-orange tail.  So we know that these drawings are from Central America.  I lived in Guatemala when I was a child.  I found it a beautiful country with kind, friendly people.  The "Quetzal" is their unit of money in Guatemala.

Jaguars are stronger than the other large American cat, the cougar, but they weigh about the same.   As members of Genus: Panthera the Jaguar can roar like a lion or tiger.  (Cougars can't roar, just kind of scream.)  Note that the cougar can still be very athletic, but they are just not as powerfully built as a jaguar.

Cougar on a Mountain Top
(This is the only old drawing posted today.)

The Three Nephites

John the Beloved Vision of a Fiery Mountain Hitting the Ocean

You may recall that I drew John the Beloved on the Isle of Patmos a few days ago.  John the Beloved was one of Jesus' original 12 Disciples.  He was banished to the Isle of Patmos, where he saw great visions of the Last Days.

Today I drew the Three Nephites.  In our religion we believe that both John the Beloved and the Three Nephite Disciples are still alive on the Earth.  They never did nor ever will taste of death. This is from the Book of Mormon.  We believe that Jesus appeared, after his death and resurrection, to the people who lived in the Americas.  He chose 12 disciples here in the Americas and taught His Gospel of Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins.  We members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are Christians.  We just believe in both the Bible (God's dealings with His people in the Old World) AND the Book of Mormon (God's dealings with His people in the New World).

In the Book of Mormon there was peace among the Nephite and Lamanite people for 200 years.  In fact they became one people.  Then gradually some people rejected the teachings of Christ.  This led to eventually the great majority of the people rejecting the truth.  Then the three Nephite Disciples who were permitted to tarry were persecuted.  At one point the wicked people threw the three Nephite Disciples into a den of wild beasts.  The three Nephite Disciples were never to die so the wild beasts were no threat.  In fact, the Book of Mormon tells us that he three Nephite Disciples played with the beasts.  We do not know where the events in the Book of Mormon took place, but some Latter Day Saint scholars believe that it probably took place in Central or South America.  If that is where the events took place then it seemed to me that Jaguars would be an accurate choice for the wild beasts in the story.

Three Nephite Disciples in a Den of Jaguars

By the way, I liked the Jaguar drawing on the right so much that I copied it to use it in another post later.  Maybe later today, but I have a terrible cold so maybe not today.  When I do that post I will tell you all about Jaguars.  They are an awesome big cat.  The drawing is a cut-away of the den...and I should have probably made it deeper.  

Edmontosaurus & Pteranodon

  

Edmontosaurus & Pteranodon

Edmontosaurus was possibly the largest Hadrosaur to ever live.  Hadrosaur means duck-billed dinosaur.  There is some evidence from partial skeleton remains (at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman Montana) that one species of Edmontosaurs may have reached up to 49 feet or 15 meters long. . . and weighing up to 10 tons, or 9.04 metric tons.  To see how big this is you need to compare Edmontosaurus to its primary predator:  Tyrannosaurus rex.  T. rex was up to 40 feet or 12.3 meters long... and most paleontologists place it at a maximum weight of 15.4 tons or 14 metric tons.  So Edmontosaurus was longer but lighter than T. rex.

Edmontosaurus and T. rex Size Comparison
Notice that Edmontosaurus is longer but built much lighter than T. rex

Edmontosaurus was named after Edmonton, a city in southern Alberta Canada.    Paelontologists have found several specimens of Edmontosaurus.  Some included skin or scale impressions, and even some gut contents.  On a side note, in some Hadrosaur coprolite... coprolite is fossilized dung... they have found 5 species of grass seed.  This indicates that there is solid evidence for grass evolving and diversifying much sooner than was previously thought.  Ever since I learned that three years ago I started to include grass in my drawings of dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Period.

I want to point out that there IS a reason I drew the Pteranodon black on the underside...maybe even black on top.  We are quite certain that most if not all Pterosaurs were fish eaters.  What if there was a species of Pteranodon that specialized in fishing at night.  IF that were the case, then a dark underside would be an evolutionary advantage and a natural selection adaptation.  I decided that the top drawing on today's entry is of an Edmontosaurus just getting up after a long night's sleep and a Pternanodon flying home... to that nearby cliff...after a successful night of fishing.

I decided to draw another size comarison drawing of T. rex and Edmontosaurus.  The T. rex is maybe not worried about killing the Edmontosaurus and the Edmontosaurus is not worried about being killed and eaten...because both dinosaurs are more worried about the roaring sound and the bright light from the flaming meteorite that is about to hit the Earth and kill them both off.  The Edmontosaurus is about to make a hard left turn away from both the meteorite and the T. rex.

Edmontosaurus & T. rex running from the Doomsday Meteorite

NOTE:  Remember that all new drawings are located at the bottom of the correct list.  Click on the correct button above.  In this case it is the "Paleontology" button.  

All drawings are found on the "All Printables" button.