Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Safari-8x6-Sold



a commissioned piece for a friend. this was an exercise in changing the photo reference for the betterment of the painting. the ground was way too light in the photo so i darkened it down and gave it more saturated color. the sky was also very light in the reference so i took it down a little too. i enjoyed using warm and cool grays to model the form of the giant beast. wouldve loved to have seen a figure in the photo so i could judge this guys size relative to a human being.

2 comments:

Justin Holdren said...

Mike, great painting! I was on safari in Africa in 1998, when my inlaws were missionaries in Kenya. African Elephants are HUGE compared to the Indian elephants you see at the circus. Africa is an awesome place to visit for a painter. I am just now working on a series from that trip because I think I can actually pull it off in paint now. Awesome, awesome painting!

mike rooney studios said...

thanks justin. would love to see this beast up close!