Rocky the Rockhopper penguin diving beneath the waves. I adore penguins and for this painting I really wanted to get a feeling of the water itself, the space he’s flying through with such ease. When you watch penguins under water they move so amazingly well, like bird shaped torpedoes.

So the idea started with trying to capture him ‘in flight’  under water. Once Rocky was painted I wanted to add some extra dimensions to the painting. I started by adding drops of acrylic paint to form bubbles. I let them set fully as nice distinct drops and then I added several layers of clear acrylic gels so that Rocky really appears to be under water.

I also used some photo luminescent crystals in the paint so that Rocky would glow in the dark. As light levels fall they glow blue. It’s very hard to photograph though.

I loved painting this one and I loved rocky so much I would happily have kept him. But he’s already gone to his new home.