Noah's Reckoning (Process)

I painted a well-known Bible hero named Noah for my fourth illustration. "It was by faith Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith" (Hebrews 11:7 NLT). I decided to paint Noah sitting by a great big tree, pondering the complications of building the ark while working with some rope. Beside him are tools of his trade and two doves and in the background are some goats looking towards the half-built ark up on the hill.

Research

I found a lot of paintings of Noah and the Ark but many were told with lots of African animals and a triumphant boat on a hill. I knew I wanted to paint Noah's story as he struggled with the calculations for the boat's construction and how to practically go about it. I also watched some clips of the movie "Evan Almighty" for inspiration.

Thumbnails

Kazu (www.kazusano.com) mentioned going to a costume shop for resources for the photo shoot. I was also inspired to look at the surroundings more; birds, weather, string, how Noah was interacting with the wood, and what the construction of the Ark would be.

Photo Shoot

For the photo shoot I used my friend Michael Penland who dressed up in robes I purchased again at Ross. We shot on location at a park in San Francisco which had lots of big trees for inspiration. His modelling helped as he got into character and tried to figure out how to chop down trees to build the ark.

Comps

Some questions were asked about the instruments Noah might have used to make calculations and build the ark. Would there be crude instruments, ropes, and how did Noah use them? Also, would there be something visual that signifies that rain is coming?

Final

Kazu mentioned that my final painting was my best thus far, but there were various critiques about the size of the face, the shape of the boat and the background that I addressed in subsequent revisions.

Noah's Reckoning

"It was by faith Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith." Hebrews 11:7 NLT

Sarah Laughs (Process)

The third illustration I completed is based on the text: "It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead - a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them" (Hebrews 11:11 NLT). Sarah is depicted in her tent in the wilderness, laughingly pondering the promise of God as she dips her hand in a bowl of water. At the entrance to the tent is her husband Abraham's other wife, Hagar with her baby, Ishmael.

Research

For this painting I looked at references of other paintings of Sarah and read passages of the Bible that referenced the same situation. I found tassels that would work well for her head dress as well as a bowl and vase for her surroundings.

Thumbnails

In the thumbnails I was encouraged to look at the surroundings and think about the symbolism of the baby that Sarah wanted. Would she hold a piece of fruit, an egg, some sand, the stars? How did she feel about it?

Photo Shoot

I used a pastor at my church, Catherine Avenel, for my model. The photo shoot went well on location in my apartment as Catherine helped me by getting into character quite easily and working with the props I had on hand like pouring sand from a vase and dipping her hands in a bowl of water.



Comps

For these studies Kazu (www.kazusano.com) encouraged me to look at details, lilke the age of Sarah, and Hagar in the tent opening.

Final

At the time of the final painting I was asked to make Sarah look older but not like a witch at a seance. Also, to study candle light to make it more believable. I also developed the sky value and color temperature to enhance the mood.