h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

FWR:


Lovely highlights on the ears, emphasising the softness against the drywalling. Details in the rock and grass fill in the blanks of the fleece, clever trick to make the eyes and brain complete the image.

DG:

Really lovely textures. I love the facial expression on the sheep. It's the picture of innocent contentment.

Thanks both

Yes, I was very pleased with this image, with the variety of textures. The dry stone wall has come out particularly well, with the dark shadows and subtle highlights, made all the better with the contrast to the blades of grass and the sheep's soft fleece

The size of the rocks in the drystone wall correspond nicely to the size of the sheep, while contrasting in texture and colour.

Just wondering what it was thinking...

If I eat this old grass, new grass will grow which is more tasty. So let's eat lots of old grass.

Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to take a picture of the flying sheep incident.

This sheep has an expression of innocent contentment indeed, but I can imagine the expression on the face of a flying sheep would be somewhat more alarmed What was the 'flying sheep incident'?

The flying sheep incident:

We were walking along a hollow road, I think somewhere in Wales, and there was a sheep on the embankment. For some reason the sheep had Gandalf issues and had decided it should not be passed. Lacking the vocal and magical abilities of the wizard, the only option was to stay ahead of us. This went well for some time, up to the point where there was a cut in the embankment for a side road into a field. It was about three metres wide… Instead of descending / crossing / ascending, the sheep took the "run, you fools!" strategy by accelerating and clearing the whole gap through the air at eye level.

That would have made a great picture.

Maybe it had a dream of being a gazelle.

P.S. I am not a Balrog (as far as I know)

Oh wow, that is amazing! Yes, sheep may look mostly harmless, sitting there with happy faces listening to rock A87948184 but there is more to them... Maybe it dreamed of being a gazelle indeed!

I didn't encounter any Gandalf sheep that should not be passed, but I did get the sensation I was being watched - I went down the cycle path and passed a few sheep but when I turned round to go back again, there were 5 times more, all looking at me They moved away when I got closer, though, so I wasn't afraid of being headbutted or anything.

"P.S. I am not a Balrog (as far as I know)"

Eery…

That reminds me of once having to cross a field with about 20 on-year-old cows. They were standing side by side in a single line, equally spaced, nearly spanning across the width of the field, all facing me. When I started going right to pass them at the side of the field, they turned into a single file in one fluid movement to follow me to the gate on the other side. All this without making a sound. (very weird)

They probably mistook me for the farmer.

That would have creeped me out!

It did for me.