Front to Back
Last week I finished my Octopus Bonsai Gardener mural at the Des Moines Social Club. The project was an absolute joy to work on and I’m a little sad now that it’s completed. Getting started I tossed around several different ideas before I landed on the octopus concept. I’ll spare you those sketches, but I was dead set on using the size of the wall as a factor in the viewer experience whether for intimidation, a sense of awe or… I really wasn’t sure at that point. One afternoon while attempting to work on other projects the octopus popped into my head and I couldn’t get him out (tentacles…. suckers… you get it). I haven’t done a lot of strictly illustrative work… Especially not anything this whimsical, but they said,”Pick and wall and do anything you want”, so I figured why not have a little fun?
So here’s the process from the initial ballpoint pen doodles to the finished piece in order.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Stop by the DMSC sometime and see it in person. It’s a sight to behold.
Cheers,
R




























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