Swamp Man

I have a book of cajun folk tales, most of which seem to have been invented in order to scare kids into obedience. As you'd expect, a lot of them are swamp-based. One of my favourites is a character called Half-Man, who is a man cut in half length-ways, therefore having only one leg and one arm. He gets about by bending backwards and holding his leg to make himself into a wheel (a lot like the yoga position of the same name, only with less limbs). In the version I read he accompanied this by the words 'Ooga booga, I'm gonna gitcha!' which adds a bit of comedy to what is actually a pretty horrific image. Anyway, this isn't half man, this is just some kind of swamp-dwelling aberration with which I wouldn't dream of scaring any kids. Not that it would. Kids today are tough.

Horse

I took this about as far as I wanted to. Always a bit difficult to know when to stop. I usually regret making something that looks too smooth; I like to see the brush marks (even if they are digital). So, my initial intention was to do a horse and rider. I lived in America for a year and I was impressed and awed -even a little cowed- by the magnitude of the land. I visited Joshua Tree and Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks, and I thought a lot about the settlers. I'm also a big Cormac McCarthy fan and I enjoyed the Lonesome Dove books by Larry McMurphy. I wanted to do a character dwarfed by a vast hostile environment, who might be surviving or might be fading.
I've included that version here... But I actually prefer the one with just the horse. I could probably have done a better job painting the man, but I also think the picture is more interesting without him- I prefer the horse as the protagonist! But I think its interesting to see both.

Riderless

With Rider

 

 

New Digital Portrait