Something Completely Different
Last night I posted an image of a painting that has always been my favorite of the few “wall-hanging” canvases I’ve done. This illustration was the first digital image I did that I felt was the equal of my better brush and pigment work. It was the “centerfold” of the April-June 2002 issue of Bay Nature magazine (hello David and Dan) and shows the native frogs and toads of the San Francisco Bay Area.
On the left hand (water) side is the California Red-legged Frog (Rana aurora draytonii) above the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog (Rana boylii). On the right (land) side, top to bottom, there’s the Pacific Treefrog (Hyla regilla), the Western Toad (Bufo boreas), and the Spadefoot Toad (Spea hammondii). Along the bottom are shown the stages of development of the Pacific Treefrog. (The Photoshop PSD file, had 31 layers and was over 110 megabytes in size – the “flattened” single layer TIFF file on disc for the printer was still 49 megabytes)
Note: I’ve decided that the first big Olduvai post will be in 2 weeks and will feature a visual history of proboscideans in North America. I’ll start with the most recent, the mammoths and American mastodon and work my way deeper into time. It will be all new art, and since I want to do the subjects justice, it may take more than one post to go all the way back to the first gomphotheres. There, I’ve said it…now all I have to do is make it happen.
December 8th, 2005 at 12:05 pm
I am curious as to what hardware and software you are using to create your digital art?
December 8th, 2005 at 7:45 pm
Looks like you need to make an FAQ page, Carl!
December 8th, 2005 at 11:38 pm
What can I say but “RIBBIT!”?
December 9th, 2005 at 3:32 am
I want to buy one to frame and hang up = where’s your store?
December 9th, 2005 at 9:28 am
Glad I found you through Ontario Wanderer’s blog. Your images are so fun! I love the frogs and the weasel, and I’m glad you linked to the bay area magazine. I lived in Santa Cruz for a while, but somehow I missed it. If there is one place as close to my heart as Vermont, it’s that area of California.
December 9th, 2005 at 7:33 pm
Bits and pieces
Stuff from all over, ‘cos my mind is a bit scatty at the moment.New blog, (discovered via TMP) Olduvai George, dreadful paleontological pun but wonderful artwork of ancient mammals. And some les ancient ones, like weasels.Ever since I started working …
December 10th, 2005 at 12:13 am
What I’m wondering about is that very small brown six-legged toad in the middle.
December 10th, 2005 at 12:20 am
The about to gobble up the bug looks so happy! (Who wouldn’t?)
December 10th, 2005 at 1:38 am
What I’m wondering about is that very small brown six-legged toad in the middle.
Heh heh heh.
Verrrry nice painting. This native Nebraskan looks forward to the proboscidean post!
December 10th, 2005 at 2:27 am
Epsilon33 has the right idea — where’s the Olduvai George store?
December 10th, 2005 at 9:18 pm
I should probably say something meaningful and artistically insightful, but I’m just gonna point and say “Ooo! Ooo! Froggies!” I love that pudgy little monochrome guy in the lower right.
December 13th, 2005 at 7:44 am
That spadefoot toad looks cool. Its it really that grey/white? I’d like to meet one of them.
January 4th, 2006 at 9:20 pm
This image reminded me of a story told on my own weblog at: http://tinyurl.com/7rd2z. Thanks for the memory!