The Elk is finished!

I have made such great time that I have managed to finish my elk painting before my trip to South Africa... with just 2 days to spare!! I hope you all enjoy it and especially the new owners; John & Theresa Barr!

I arrive back from South Africa on October 30th, so please check back in November!

Here is a quick snapshot of the final result ... the painting will be professionally photographed and once it has, I will try remember to post it (much more impressive) ...

9/8 update

The days are flying by as I prepare for my trip to South Africa and work on my painting. I am making excellent time, with very long hour days, but it's so motivating in this last stretch to complete the elk in time, that despite being tired, I am enjoying myself.

Today I will continue on the antlers, which are of course quite difficult, you could imagine them to be similar to some tree types where you have to capture the texture and 'grain'. Once these are finished I will power on through for the rest of the week while working on the foreground. The bulk of the elk's legs will be hidden behind tall grass which will also pull the painting together and build the perspective I want.

Here's an update from yesterday:

9/2 update

I am happy to say I have now begun the Elk himself, and will continue to paint him while the first layer of grass dries...  I still need to do the grass foreground of course which might be a little painstaking but very rewarding once completed  :-)

The background has been interesting to paint as I have combined a number of various photographs to create it. I went so far as to photograph a nearby meadow to help with the detail, so we'll see what the finished result will be in a couple of weeks.

15 September I am off to visit South Africa for 6 weeks, so I am doing my best to finish this painting in good time!

Here's the latest sneak-peak: