[Sketch Story] Tranquility

I told myself that by the end of this month, I’d finish a piece of art that was laying around unfinished, and in this case I chose a piece I’d started way back in 2003 and then revisited once in 2011 and again this month in 2014! Originally, I was trying to combine three things I loved: tigers, hawks, and the woods.

Some things never change!

I tried to stay true to the spirit of the original and push it forward. I honestly never intended to do the tiger, forest setting, and all those feathers without any solid references.  As such, it was a very, very messy process, which you can check out below. But on the whole, I’m really pleased with how it all came together, and I've written a tiny Sketch Story to go along with it.

This piece is dedicated to the late Caroline Muchmore, who continues to inspire me, even now.

I hope you enjoy it!

"Tranquility" - Completed on August 25th, 2014

"Tranquility" - by K. LeCrone

Tranquility's home was among the far-off bluffs and canyons that cradled the edge of wide western sea. Her great feathered wings took her high above the stony outcrops and towering precipices, but they also carried her inland to the lush forests that grew along their many winding tributaries.

Here, it was green as far as her eyes could see. From the wide throngs of moss and finger-like ferns that nestled themselves among the cool grass, through to the endless expanses of trees that held hands and whispered among themselves, this was a foreign place to her familiar rocky views and wide open skies. This was a sacred place. And as Tranquility laid down on a bright patch of sunlight, she let the warmth of the moment flow through her. She cast away her cares and worries, and bid the forest into her heart.

There, in the shimmering dappled light, the towering woods offered up their many secrets to she with the gentle grace.

Close-Ups:

One could say I went a bit overboard with painting this piece. I never really intended to render individual feathers, but, well, sometimes it just happens.

Above: I also hid my little mechanical hummingbird in the background. I wonder what he's up to?

I played around with my palette a lot for the front part of the tiger. I really wanted to contrast a lot of saturated colors against one another to create the illusion of fur catching the light. 

Process:

This piece has evolved quite a bit since its early inception, and I thought you might enjoy seeing how it progressed.

 

 

  

(Above) On the left was where I left off in 2003, and on the right is where I first revisited the piece in 2011. At the time, I was only intending to tighten it up a bit and block in the hint of a background, but that quickly evolved from there... ;)

  

 

(Above) This was my progress I made in 2011 before I retired the piece again, and picked it up earlier this month (below). Initially I thought its main pain-points were the tiger's posture and the ways I had been rendering the lighting, but soon enough, I ended up enlarging the composition multiple times to help give the piece a better sense of setting and mood. 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this piece! It's a weight off my shoulders to know that over 11 years later, it's finally done!