A bright and sunshine-infused gryphon from the spring! This 12” x 16” oil painting was a lot of technique and process building, but I could feel my experiences from the past several months of painting helping me along as I went.

Gryphons used to be one of my very favorite creatures to draw, right next to dragons. If you've followed my work for a while, you may have heard me mention artistic inspirations such as Nambroth from when I was growing up as a teenager. I don't do gryphons as much these days, but I still enjoy indulging every now and then.

There's an interesting added connotation to illustrating a fantasy creature such as a gryphon as opposed to just an eagle-- what does slapping some feathered ears on there accomplish, apart from giving you different shapes to work with and a potential outlet for added body language? Well, once you frame a subject in a way that suggests it isn't strictly a naturalistic portrait, then the level of intelligence and awareness of the subject becomes a factor we have to gauge. Fantasy creatures as unreal beings are portrayed along a wide range from story to story, represented as anything from dumb beasts to having the wisdom of the ages and the cosmos. Similarly, they could be anything from purely animals that eat and sleep and poop, to existing as purely spiritual or magical beings.

I have my own preferences along those spectrums, but playing with the impression you give the viewer has always been interesting to me. What particular vibes do you get from this fellow?

The original painting has sold, but regular luster prints as well as my white aluminum prints are available. (Be aware the canvas texture is slightly present on both for this painting.) If you missed out on the original, be sure to join my Patreon to be first in line for future originals!