Cavetown

A town built in a dark caveAt the confluence of the great subterranean rivers, beneath the green glaciers and sheltered from the blinding snowfields lies the isolated settlement of Cavetown.

Many generations ago the nomadic tribes of the frozen tundra took shelter in this cave and have remained there ever since- their small band growing into the prosperous settlement you see today.

In the middle, towards the top- you can clearly see the temple garden where the high priests congregate. This is one of only three places in the cave where sunlight reaches, and where plants can grow, giving it great significance to the people. Only during festivals or ceremonies are citizens permitted to enter the garden, and fallen leaves from the holy red tree are worth a half-dozen catfish to the average villager.

To the left of the garden is the temple itself- its many lanterns burning fiercely. A typical example of Cavetown architecture- it uses a strong stalagmite as a central pillar on which the roof is supported- the roofs are thatched with long reeds that grow at the rivers edge in summer.

Towards the bottom right you can see one of the eel pools, where catfish and eels are farmed for food. They are also hunted from the lake far below and from the many rivers and lakes that extend deep beneath the mountains. High above some sacred finches fly. The local people believe the glowing birds are spirits of their ancestors, and tend to spoil them rotten. In return, the birds hang around, and their bioluminescent feathers provide a valuable light source to the villagers.

Light is a big deal to the people of Cavetown- so they adorn their houses with torches blazing with catfish oil, to show off their wealth and status. Light is also a necessity for navigating the precarious terraces and pathways that jut from the cave walls, so acolytes from the temple are tasked with keeping the pathway lamps lighted day and night.

The Most Beautiful Girl in the Tribe

I recently discovered the amazing work of photographer Jimmy Nelson and was inspired by his intense and beautiful portraits of tribal cultures around the globe. I heartily recommend seeing his work: http://www.beforethey.com/

Regrettably- I could only approach this new inspiration in my usual manner. So here’s a picture of someone in silly glasses.

A tribal beauty in silly glasses
The most Beautiful Girl in the Tribe

 

Guests at the time traveller’s tea party

The annual time traveller’s tea party was held this weekend (in 1862) I was lucky enough to attend – since I knew someone going I was able to snag a lift. I got the guests to line up and then we froze time while I painted them from life. It saves time you see, plus it’s impossible to get a dodo to stay still.

This illustration was done for Advocate Art agency’s annual “Head’s Up” calendar.

New painting- Are we nearly there yet?

I’ve just added a new image to my gallery which I’m rather pleased with. As so often happens with me this image started off as nothing more than a quick sketch for fun and has grown into something much bigger and more time consuming.

You can see the image here: www.spikedmcgrath.com/gallery/are_we_nearly_there_yet.html

Here’s a rough overview of the evolution of the image:

1. The initial sketch
1. The initial sketch
2. The rough painting
2. The rough painting
3. A little more painting
3. A little more painting
4. A change of composition
4. A change of composition
5. Detailing
5. Detailing
Two wizards
6. Are we nearly there yet?

Face training 2: Dimitri

Bored Clownv6

Here we see the delightful Dimitri the clown on a quick coffee break behind the big top. lovely chap, great sense of humour.

This picture is a another attempt by me to further practice my grasp of facial anatomy.
No refs were used for the face- but I did use a few to help me understand the lighting for the hair. I also checked the lighting for the nose made sense using a quick 3d render in Blender. Honestly, Blender is such a good tool for artists. And it’s free!

I had such good fun painting this, I’m planning the next one already. Hopefully in the end I’ll have a gallery of fictional faces getting progressively better. We shall see.

ClownAnimation

Above you can see the process this picture took from start to finish.

As you can see- I’m quite indecisive about this one- it takes a few major twists and turns. I like the painterly look of the second image, but I decided to really push myself to do something different that would really test my understanding of light and form- so I went for a more mock photographic look instead. I also changed the composition so it less resembled a passport photo.

Miserable Cow

Miserable Cow small

A little something I did for a friend who’s been under the weather lately- I wanted to do something sensitive and understanding.

She hasn’t seen it yet (I’m going to give it to her as a print tomorrow so she can put it on her wall and whenever she feels down she can look at it and wonder why she even talks to me) but I’m sure it won’t spoil the surprise if I post it here as there’s noooo danger at all of it being seen.