Gilles Rainville illustration

"Mother Nature is the  personification  of  nature  that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by embodying it, in the form of the  mother .", Wikipedia. Mother Nature, Earth-Mother, Gaia, Mama Pacha were all symbols of the connection human culture has had with nature. As a reminder of this connection, I wanted to show human anatomy made of our natural world. Mother's Anatomy is meant to remind us of how much we must also care and nurture nature to reciprocate everything it gives us. Finding reference material of every element in the composition is an important step. Without reference, I could not possibly know every small realistic detail that I wish to include to give each piece the quality it deserves. Here are the images I used for reference. Looking at these photos, I decided to draw some rough sketches to plan out my composition. I am sorry to say that I do not ha...

Cycle is a creative exploration of connections within nature and how our choices affect them. Through three themes, Life and Death, Respect and Responsibility, and, Cause and Effect, this series examines the fragile balance that creates and sustains the environment we are part of. Cycle Pastel drawings by artist Gilles Rainville Exhibition April 2019 Vernissage on Sunday April 7th, 2019  2:30 pm to  5:00 pm Good Eats 473 Albert st Ottawa, ON Original art and limited series signed archival prints for sale during exhibition. (version française) Cycle est une exploration créative des liens au sein de la nature et de la façon dont nos choix les affectent. À travers trois thèmes: Vie et Mort, Respect et Responsabilité, et Cause et Effet, cette série examine l’équilibre fragile qui crée et soutient l’environnement dans lequel nous faisons partie. Cycle Dessins au pastel de l'artiste Gilles Rainville Exposition avril 2019 Vernissage le dimanche 7 avril 2019...

Last summer, a local artist was collecting artwork to send to her daughter in the USA. She wanted pieces that would remind her of home in Aylmer. After seeing some of my illustrations, she hired me to create a piece that includes a local breed of rabbit and some of the wild flowers on her property. The contract did have a restriction though. I was not allowed to spend more than 9 hours an the piece. (I actually spent 10... shhhhh.) I started by researching photos of the bunny breed as well as burdock and queen anne's lace.   I sketched out the look of the drawing. This also helped me figure out how to structure the flowers. I found this dark grey piece of board left behind from years ago. I thought this was a great opportunity to challenge myself to draw on a dark surface instead of the usual white. I sketched the composition using a white chalk pencil. I payed extra attention to the growth patterns of the wild flowers. Adding colour was de...

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...