Here are some more of my photo-illustration wildlife artworks.
To create these I always start with macro photographs of weathered urban surfaces such as cracked paintwork and rusty metal. I find them by wandering around just about any town or city with my head down and my eyes turned towards the neglected corners. Even in quite new areas there are always surfaces where time and the elements have begun to nibble away and started to produce something that, to my eyes, is more interesting than when it was shiny and new.
Taking pictures of urban decay does mean you get stared at a lot. It feels like a mixture of suspicion and puzzlement. I have been doing it for years and I still can't get used to the comments I overhear, usually along the lines of, "What the hell is he doing?".
Then back home with the help of both Photoshop and Illustrator I add some wildlife. This part of the process starts by looking at the background photo until a more clear image of a natural scene comes to mind. I then make silhouettes of whatever wildlife suits the scene and carefully try to blend them into the background. I will go into this stage in more detail in a later post.
The process of weathering always produces natural patterns so I think this urban decay is a great baseline for wildlife art. See what you think.
Cormorant Rock - I have no idea why somebody had daubed this wall with black and white paint but as it weathered over time it had gained some more subtle tones that caught my eye. Adding a flock of resting cormorants makes it into an energetic yet peaceful little coastal scene.
Mountain Contest - the rough wear and scratches on this paintwork on metal jumped out at me as a steep mountain slope with lichen-covered fractured rock. Just the kind place two ibex rams would test each other and where any slip could be fatal. This one is a good example of catching the moment just before something happens to allow the viewer's imagination to fill in the outcome.
Stray Pack - the rough textures and dull colouring of this old wall seemed to fit the lives of the stray dogs that were roaming nearby. They are not exactly wildlife but I do like the way they revert to their instincts in building their own social groups once beyond our direct influence. The animal's nature coming to the fore.
Winter Panther - a different wall with a different feel became another rocky mountain slope but this time with a wintry touch and a solitary cougar looking for an opportunity.
Wolf Flock - taking this photograph of flaky paint on a wall coincided with me reading about the age-old relationship between wolves and ravens where one will follow the other and they are an integral part of each other's lives.
