I suppose the title of the post should really be  ” Giraffe’s friend is WIP” ( but then aren’t we all?), or perhaps Project 3 of 48, but this isn’t done yet so that may be breaking the rule?

After I finished the giraffe, I took I took a while to decide which animal to feature in this painting. At first I thought about doing a cheetah or leopard or some other animal with a patterned hide, but ultimately decided it would be too similar to the giraffe. A zebra crossed (teehee) my mind, but I finally decided that a chunkier animal would be a good contrast to my giraffe.

I’m really pleased with the progress of this, especially the velvet texture of his garments. The man in the inspiration photo had ribbons on this knees and shoes, but I don’t think Rhino is the kind of dude that has ribboned knees?  He may have some lace on his cuffs, and some sort of elegant brocade or bejewelled belt, but I’m leaving that until I get the background done.  He definitely needs buttons on his tunic, and perhaps some braid on the front. I’m not sure yet as he’s not a frivolous man, but he is a wealthy intellectual and I think I’ve caught him in a contemplative mood.

I had 2 plans for the background – either a rich rug or carpet on a wood floor with fairly plain but cool walls, or a plain wood floor with a fleur-de-lys wallpaper. Stay tuned to see which won