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ursulav — The Earl of Oregano
Published: 2012-06-27 00:27:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 17529; Favourites: 785; Downloads: 221
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Description
The badger earls of Oregano live in a dry sunny climate, densely planted with the herb from which they take their name. The sixth Earl of Oregano, ruler of the walled town known as Oreganum, successfully stood off the Mongol hordes for over three months, until the Mongols got bored and went looking for easier prey. (Being nomadic horsemen does not make one terribly good at long sieges.) As it is nearly impossible to dig out a badger that doesn't want to come out of its den, Oreganum never fell into the hands of either enemy or ostensibly friendly forces. (Attempts to use the town as a friendly base of operations were met with polite refusal and later boiling oil.)Many of the most beloved cultivars of oregano still emerge from this region, often from striped and surly gardeners.
One of a series of spice labels I've been fooling around with. Digital, Painter 7, prints available (and maybe someday stickers for use as labels!) at Red Wombat Studio: [link]
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Comments: 66
I don't know what to say about this...It's just so good
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Looks like something the late Brian Jacques would write, this looking like a Badger Lord ready to take off his "kiss the cook" apron kick some @$$ after gardening with a bunch of hares. Except for the flying lizard, that told me it wasn't Redwall.
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I was totally sure this was Redwall related!
Looks awesome!
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He looks so disgruntled, it's awesome. (Also, totally agree on the Redwall flashbacks. 
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This is groovy, and I love that it is a spice label. I would label my spices with that.
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Awesome! I love the color palette and the lovely texture feel. And your excellent back story of course
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This is very cool, I really like how it looks. Awesome details here and the tones really give it a great look.
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pretty surly-looking for someone who deals in "oregano"
if you know what i mean
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"How many boards could the Mongols hoard if the Mongol hordes got bored?" -Calvin and Hobbes
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I love all of your work, so much. I just wanted to make that blanket statement.
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Marvelous illustration, but just fyi, the Mongol hordes were actually very good at overcoming sieges. They adapted on the go to all sorts of new conditions and new lands, so three months would have been nothing! They were smart enough to collect the best and brightest--and the engineers!--when they smashed a city so that they'd have someone to build them fancy weapons to defeat the next city. Some of the earliest stories of biological warfare come from tales of the Mongols catapulting the heads of plague victims over the walls of a besieged city (although the effect was probably more psychological than anything). The moar you know! *star*
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I do adore the backstories for your art, they're right up my street. Also, I do like how you rendered the fur on his head.
Is that a dragon fly?
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ooh, Olive dis. ^^ whenever i see a badger wearing clothes i always think of the Redwall books.
...not that i ahem... see badgers wearing clothes wandering the street... no.
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I would LOVE to have a sticker of him! It would look nice on my sketchbook :3c (I usually put identifiers on my sketchbooks)
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Loveeee the botanical spin on this, and the story is cute!
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Somethin special about oregano. Mine is growing like a weed
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Oh, I just love your Animals of Something. Brilliant.
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Just great! It's the most creative way of making spice labels I've ever seen.
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I like it. It makes my hungry.
Now i must go cook something.
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You could give Redwall a run for it's money!
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I love the whimsy of this....I am particular fond of the little flying critter!
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Love it! The story is great!
"Attempts to use the town as a friendly base of operations were met with polite refusal and later boiling oil"
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I love how tough looking he is and all the little critters in the drawing.
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i love this! and not just because its one of my favorite spices!
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Really beautiful! Love the rather happy raven perched upon his shoulder, too!
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Stickers would be awesome!
I'd like to know about his dapper friend with the bowler there.
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A spice label with that much backstory? This is why you're awesome, Ursula.
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lovely work, i want a print so I can put it on my little oregano jar
both characters are so nicely done and I like the mood ^__^
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Mmmm, oregano...
Beautiful drawing! And I love the story that goes with it!
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He's so fantastically surly. I also love all the critters along the sides.
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Not to mention their spirited resistance against the Emperor of Icecream, who had conquered the neighboring principality of Pistachio.... 7@=Q
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The Earls of Oregano suffered from occasional raids by the Dachshundritter, who would lay siege to their castles from time to time, proving to be much more adept at confronting badgers on their own territory. Sadly, inbreeding among the Dachshundritter led them to hereditary back troubles, often complicated by obesity and bowlegs, which meant that extended sieges and raids were rare.
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