Well I can finally call this mammoth project complete. Nearly seventy five hours of work and I can finally post a complete step by step to completion of The Elephants Graveyard!This commission is based on the mythical place that elephants go to die. There are many arguments for and against the fact of whether it is true or not. The eeiry trees are based on a fact that years ago a dam was built and flooded an area of The Zamvezi valley where people and animals had called home for age upon age. As the flooded water was dammed up the trees still exist albeit dead. They make for a seriously beautiful place to draw inspiration from especially at those times of day when the sun is rising or setting with the water reflecting light and the back drop of ghostly trees. The elephant heards are a common site among these bleached white trees and the contrast between the animals and trees on the water are to die for if you live to see the ultimate scenery in life. This picture is based from the dam mentioned above... KARIBA DAM on the Zimbabwe side. To give you an idea of the size of these crocodile infested waters it takes about 20 hours to take a ferry along the length of it from near the narrower parts just after Victoria falls fed by the mighty Zamvezi River up in the national park to the main town of Kariba
I hope you enjoy the final piece and thank you for all the up votes as I posted the progression of the picture.
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What a spectacular artwork, @jakeknee. All that work really paid off! Beautifully done! 🙋
Thank you
Wow...that is a huge amount of time. But totally worth it! You're so talented and pay a lot of attention to the details. I really like the whole story behind the drawing, even when it gives me such a sad vibes.
But still...beautiful work.
Thank you
Very beautiful and well worth all the effort you have put into this spectacular piece. I was at an Elephant sanctuary recently and the reason behind the elephant graveyards is that they basically run out of teeth and have no choice but to go to swampy ground where the vegetation is softer. They basically die of starvation in the end and why it becomes a graveyard for these majestic animals.
Thank you for the info. Great to know.
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Brilliant thank you
Thats, nice piece of fine art. Love the details of elephants. It must have been a lot of work!
Tanks yeah it was
Wow, Jake! You've finished it :D A really wonderful drawing <3 <3 <3 WELL DONE !
I've been following your previous steps and I am pleased to say that it has been a very lovely experience to see this come together :) Your detailing and shading skills are amazing, specially on the elephants, but now that it is finished, I am also marveling at the way you did the surface of the water and that swimming crocodile/alligator...
Gorgeous picture <3 I love it!
Congrats for curie, too :)
Thank you so very much. I feel so humbled by your comments. I am truly privalaged to have such kind people commenting on my work. Thanks so very much once again.
Very fantastic project in image.
Elephant graveyard represent on paper feel so real.
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks
Hey, @jakeknee.
Seventy-five hours! Wow. What a lot of patience and drive. It turned out wonderfully. I usually ask how long art pieces take, so thanks for that. I also ask about the medium, especially if it's digital, but this appears to be pencil shaded to give it kind of a sepia tint.
Amazing work. I'm glad it's a commission, too, and not just for us to enjoy.
Congratulations on the curie. Very much deserved.
Thank you so mych
Hey there @jakeknee!!
First of all WOOOOOOOOOOW!
That is quite a beautiful drawing of the elephants. Really, you are quite talented in this craft! I have zoom in on your drawing, from a far it looks like a painting and up close its more a vintage picture.
Likewise, thank you for inputting a side story of what was your drawing all about. Its great to know where dead elephants go, its always a wonder. All i know they are in heaven. Hehe
Continue sharing your master pieces to us. It is always wonderful to witness great works of our fellow steemians.
Cheers! ❤
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Thank you I will. Your very kind
Ähm what about : WOOOOOW?
That picture is amazing :)
I think i have nothing else to say to this.
Buddy, Looking for the next one !
Thank you will be back as soon as I can
Art they say is life and without art there is no life. Such an amazing drawing. I really love everything about your art. The balance, rhythm, toning and proportion in there.
Your concept on the other hand is awesome. I really love your art work. Great piece and keep the artist spirit up always
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Nice imagination and well executed @jakeknee.
75 hours is a lot of effort :) Therefore respect! The end result looks very awesome!
Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much
Okay, so like HEYO, FELLOW ANON!!!!~ <<<<3333!!!!~ \ (^O^ ) /
With hellos out of the way, the post's thumbnail and the tile drew me in but I stayed for the history behind this drawing. Because I got to really say, that is really disheartening but very uplifting at the same time as well. To paint on a morbid subject in a somewhat clearly unsafe place but to also immortalize them of which we all may never know or get to see personally with our own two eyes due to natural disasters. Otherwise, I do agree that Nature really is a lovely thing to just take in - even more to immortalize it in some aspect.
Unto the drawing process itself, I must give many thanks to the compilation of the process... but in reverse~ It still gives perspective that paintings, drawings, sketches and the what nots aren't pushed by a pencil, ink stick (sorry, pen), brush or digital pen and they magically appear. But a clear Dialectical process of the labour inserted by the artist and the careful redrawings of what comes to mind at any a second upon seeing the imagination worked out. A feedback loop which thankfully produced a great drawing that we are all blessed with today. From the fact that this feels more like a black-and-white photo due to its heavy photgraphic realism instead of just being a mere drawing! Also the shadow-depth at work really gives the elephants a lively and timely space in this Æther/Heaven/Graveyard of sorts for them, paired up with the dead trees being all the contingently existent upon actual dead trees in the area. Also the very nice capture of the elephants in this drawing form just makes me want to gush out and gush out more!!!!~ MOAR DAMN YOU BECAUSE THIS IS AN ART PIECE THAT IS MASTERFUL!!!! <<<<3333!!!!~ :D :D :D :D
Thank you very much.
Proszę bardzo!!!! <<<<3333!!!!~
Wow, looks so real, it's fantastic! You did an excellent job on the details ans special thank you for posting work-in-progress photos. That is how we can see the evolution better. When I look at how detailed the drawing is, i can see where those 72 hours went. What size is the paper?
Thank you