Heat from Within
Acrylic on stretched canvas • 91 x 122cm
The ferocious heat of the burning sun emanates from deep within. A brave guardian to the pharaohs and honoured healer of the ill, the lion symbolises the most powerful of all Egyptian deities to roam the ancient land. The golden mane burns bright with passion, reflecting the scars of battle. The intense struggle does not surpass, nor dull its powerful presence.
This piece had to be intense to display the emotion it needed. The most important element were the eyes - I needed to get them right. I already had a pretty good idea of the colours so it was just a matter of sketching out the face and getting the expression perfected. As you can see below, some are a bit too whimpy and others are just plain scary, but it was necessary to explore different options to find what I wanted.
After I had a good idea of the facial expressions, I scanned the sketches and digitally painted them to further refine the eyes and work on the mane. I needed this mane intensified and knew from the start that having splatter running through it would capture this perfectly.
Concept done! Now to start painting. I projected it onto the canvas and got to work. I always lay down the background first then once that's dry I'll splatter it. This way it keeps the painting neat and all I have to do is paint over any messy parts! I then worked on the face to make sure all the structures were right. It's coming together now...
That was a journey! A few weeks later it's all done. You can buy it too :)
Like this piece? You can purchase the original here.
