Friday, March 03, 2006

Insect

Denial
I've done lots of insect illustrations, but this is one of my favorites because of the statement it makes. It was the cover art for a book titled "Denial"; it's one of those rare instances when the title and the image work perfectly together to bring forth the essence of the story.

Fireant
Another, slightly more menacing, insect.

15 comments:

The Unknown said...

Great illo but kind of creepy with the pins sticking in the poor thing.
love

phlegmfatale said...

Exquisite. Interesting, too, as the pin usually goes through the abdomen, doesn't it? I like the pins, actually.

Rick Lovell said...

Phlegmfatale-
You win the conceptual jackpot! This butterfly is not dead, only denied the ability to fly, reproduce, etc...a fate much worse than death. Thus the title of the book!

carla said...

This is very arresting, so to speak! The colors are so strong, and as always, the detail is amazing. It reminds me of John Fowles' novel The Collector - a very disturbing story which I often have my film students read in conjunction with viewing The Silence of the Lambs. Of course, now I'm intriqued about the book that this belong to...

Roz Foster said...

Gorgeous, haunting illustration. So precise, technical and deliberate--like a butterfly collector, I suppose. A denial of flight, indeed.

Unknown said...

WOW! Wonderfully rich color in this! I thyink it would be perfect without the pins, but it is still just so eye-catching. Beautiful!!

Twisselman said...

Cheated and read the comments above, but I was thinking the same thing as phlegmfatale regarding the pins. Wonderful works here. Yep, those red ants can be scary. The butterfly reminds me of my daughter's biology project... collecting fifty different insects for an end-of-the-year project. They are caught live and put in the freezer (in little containers), which delights my wife no end.

melinda beavers said...

As usual both insect images are technically superior. But as you mentioned, the 'Denial' concept of the illustration and the novel seem so perfectly in sync, wonderful piece. Beautiful in it's misery.

phlegmfatale said...

Wow! I've always wanted to win a conceptual jackpot - that's never happened before!

I love the ant. My foot was beset by fire ants whilst gardening Monday, and the menace of the illustration is appropriate, I assure.

Cecilia's Art said...

wauu! it´s so pretty!, ilove the ant, i remamber that post of u when u explained the different step u made to do the other ant , it was great, really.
take care and kisses!!

Dan Murphy said...

wow your photoshop illustration is some of the best I've ever seen - awesome! Thanks for sharing some of your techniques - I paint in photoshop too and will be bookmarking your site for sure!

TheTart said...

I love the denial one... actually works with my REAL life drama right now...

Stop by and throw out your 2 cents... it's a blind date thingy!

Smooch,
The Tart

Ps... Your style is so cool, always enjoy stoppin here!

Jaimie said...

stunning as usual! god, I adore the scary looking one.

Rick Lovell said...

Thanks for all the feedback, folks.
Kaptainkartoon mentioned my Photoshop skills...well, I'm no stranger to a Wacom tablet, but both of these pieces are traditional; acrylics on illustration board. The digital stuff I do looks pretty much like the airbrush stuff, because the tools behave in such similar ways, just without all the frisket cutting, toxic fumes, rainbow colored dust scattered about the studio, and x-acto blade nicks all over my fingers.

Janet said...

' like these a lot...especially the butterfly!