Moses towards Midian (Process)

The second illustration I completed was about Moses. The text that accompanies is: "It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king's anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27 NLT). The character of Moses is depicted in the desert outside of Egypt, looking not toward the country of his youth, but out towards the wilderness of Midian, his new home.

Research

I looked at many photos of Ancient Egypt, including the Pyramids at Giza, the Sphinx and was greatly inspired by the visuals of the film "The Prince of Egypt" (based on the same character of Moses).

Thumbnails

I looked at the details of the character and his surroundings: What was he thinking exactly? What is he carrying? Does he stand out or blend in? Is he put together well or a little disheveled?

Photo Shoot

I bought a pussy willow branch to use as his staff and again utilized cheap fabrics from Ross for the costume. My model was a friend named Enrique Rosales who has a atypical look for the character of Moses. We shot on location on the roof of my church.



Rejected Value Studies

I struggled with finding the perfect photo to work from for this painting. I shot many photos but went through two scenes before I came up with the final composition. I also missed a class as I went on a trip for Spring Break 2009 and had to make it up with Kazu (www.kazusano.com) on a different day. Kazu mentioned how Moses looked sad and not determined or heroic enough.

Comps

I addressed surrounding details like the color and shape of the pyramids, the historicity of the costuming details and kept working on drawing refinement.



Final

I struggled with the final painting of Moses. I had little reference for the surrounding desert and the lighting for the pyramids was weak in my mind. I repainted the pyramids at least three times to get the correct shade and Kazu urged me to work on creating distance and depth within this work. Also, my reference photo for this painting had covered up the characters feet so I had to add them in order to solidify Moses on the landscape.