A center detail shot of the finished painting. Each sardines eye shimmers in the light as you walk across the image.
A new group of little swimmers is born and on the march. In this close-up, you can see the texture of the prepared surface, as well as the initial silhouettes in the upper right, which are drawn in with pencil erasers. This technique is implemented to establish the initial composition in a way that can easily be edited.
Drawing in the sardines. A time consuming process that is truly a labor of love.
Drawing in the last sardine.
The completed drawing phase.
The next step in the process: Painting in the background.
A shot of the painting with the background painted in.
Painting in the scales with a Q-tip. Each individual scale is carefully painted in with a Q-tip, using four or five different shades of silver and pewter. The details of the heads and scales are then sharpened by drawing back into them with charcoal.
A detail of the finished product. After years of people asking me how long it takes me to make a painting, I finally documented this one. Apparently, the answer is 303 hours. ..And of course, 43 years.
