Cycle - Humpback Whale

Seeing a humpback whale swim passed our boat was a humbling experience. Such a massive beast carefully passing beneath us ensuring that we are not troubled by his presence. When I discovered that there are albino humpback whales, I wanted to make this the subject of the next piece in the Cycle series.

For this drawing, I started with some research photos found on the internet.

I chose to draw a few practice studies to help me understand the structure of the subject and how to create some of the more difficult textures in this piece.

Once I felt comfortable with the subject, I drew the rough to visualize the layout of the drawing.

At the bottom, the cycle begins with a dead whale trapped by a fisherman's net caught on his tail. I really wanted to show the dark depths of the ocean with blues and browns. Afterwards, I used an eraser to create some highlights.

I wanted the ocean flora and fauna to give birth to the new whales this time.
 

I wanted the whales to look happy and playful so I exaggerated there curves and gave them a pose more akin to dolphins than whales. I also added my symbol for the cycle of life, the mother and child.
 

Looking at the beautiful black and white photo in my research, I loved the texture of the water's surface from beneath it. I wanted to reproduce it in colour for this piece.

I wanted the albino whales to look like they were bursting through the surface of their reality. The whites and oranges served as a strong contrast to the ocean beneath.

Here is the finished piece. Enjoy!