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

 

 

Observational Drawings Part02

Observational drawings done over two visits to the National Gallery. The image is called Perseus Turning Phineao and his Followers to Stone, and the artist is Luca Giordano. During one, a tour came past, and explained that this image was displayed in the dining room of the man who comissioned it as a warning to people not to mess with him. Gotta love art with a message. I tried hard, but not everybody is in exactly the right place! The guys on the left have got into a bit of confusion with their hands and spears. Will try harder next time!

Observational Drawings

Some sketches of the Barbican in London