A Nose for Discovery

Finished hand-drawn pastel editorial illustration, landscape 5:4. One pet rat stands upright on its hind feet in left-facing profile, positioned in the left third, stretching its pointed nose upward to sniff. Exaggerated tall oval torso, two oversized round ears, tiny forepaws loosely tucked against its chest, small grounded hind feet. Its long pink tail rests on the ground in a broad curve sweeping toward the lower right. Smoky warm-grey body, dusty rose ears and tail, cream paper background. Broad confident pastel strokes with the economy of a simple marker sketch; translucent overlapping colour, visible paper tooth, minimal contours. One dot eye and two short whiskers, no detailed fur or hatching. Bright diffuse daylight suggested by a pale belly and a soft grounding shadow. Keep the rat legible at thumbnail size, with generous empty space in the upper right. No props, no people, no text, no logos or watermarks.