Dongyan Xu elephant sketches

Proposal

Children's book illustration of an Asian elephant walking alone in the forest.
"Let one walk alone, committing no sin, with few wishes, like elephants in the forest." This quote in the animation film Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is based on a Buddhist poem Elephant from Dhammapada. The quote describes being solitary; however, rather regarding it as something undesirable, it tells that being solitary is not always happy, but can be free and peaceful, like how an elephant lives in the forest.
While female Asian elephants usually live in a small group, male Asian elephant usually stay alone after they grow up. Actually, even female elephants would leave the group for several days sometimes. They can communicate with other individuals far away with scent and sound.
I want to portray elephants as someone who are not afraid and enjoy their time of being alone. It does not mean they hate socialization. I want to show they are independent and self-sustained. I want to show the peaceful and happy moments in their life.
I'm going to draw with ink with limited light color.

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