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A Tall Trio


This ‘Long Neck Buds’ piece has been a lot of fun so far. With the left (and final) giraffe finished, I’d love to print this image right now as a double-width layout on metal, maybe  20”x40” or even 30”x60” and hang it in my office. It’s refreshing to do something different, especially with so many available options from this painting.

While I can print anything for a custom order, I wouldn’t stock the above painting layout as a poster print. The wider format makes for a larger framing investment for my customers, and keeping unique dimension prints in inventory would be difficult.

With the characters done, I still have several hours of work to build the trees and sky for the rest of the scene.

The leaves will be a challenge because acacia trees are their preferred food, and those have a specific look to them with long thorns among the leaves.

I have a few ideas on how best to do it, including creating a new brush for the task, but with no deadline, I have time to experiment.

Cheers,
Patrick

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Another Long Neck Bud


No, this is not déjà giraffe, but another addition to the ‘Long Neck Buds’ work in progress. From the original mock-up sketch, the first one I painted was the middle giraffe. This is the one on the right of the image.The challenge with this piece is to make each character different from the others but with the same level of detail and colour palette.

Each giraffe is an individual painting, and both are pretty much finished pieces. I could print them individually as they are. But I also know that once they’re placed in the scene, after painting the sky, clouds and treetops, I will add more on each giraffe to make them blend into the environment.

So, after the whole painted scene is finished, each giraffe will look a little different than their individual paintings.

I’m enjoying this piece because each stage of the painting brings a new challenge, and I’m in no rush.

Cheers,
Patrick