AWW, NUTS!
My friend Karen posted a photo of a squirrel in her backyard on Facebook and I immediately reached out to her and asked if I could use it for an Artist piece. In the Artist competition, you can use reference images from anywhere - they do not have to be taken by yourself.
I had no idea what I wanted to do with it but it spoke to me in a Gollum/Precious sort of way. I pondered on it for a few months before deciding to start working on it. I was trying to figure what other animal would be as obsessed with peanuts as a squirrel. End the end, I decided an elephant would be an unexpected counterpoint.
I mocked up the image with the reference photos of the squirrel and small elephant statuette until I got them where I wanted and then painted it. And then spent three months playing with the lighting and color, changing the shape of the trunk, and learning how to draw eyes that provide the right expression!
The final part was finding a title. The working title was “Peanut Thief” but thankfully I have creative friends who provided me with a better alternative - “Aww, Nuts!”