Huge Mammoth steppe painting

This is the largest painting so far that I have made. It is all together 36 square meters! This painting tells of East Siberian mammoth steppe. Museum did not have any mammoths so they had to be painted.


First I red some books to get better idea what kind of place mammothsteppe was. Soon I found out that in different parts of Eurasia they were different looking.

Huge animals would take most of the space in the painting so we decided that the painted space should be as open as possible.

Sky

Taivaan ja pilvien maalausta

Sky and clouds

It is supposed to be late august. Continental climate is dry and the dust coming from glaciers makes the air hazy. Sky was painted mostly with painters mitten. It is made of lambskin and it is exelent tool for blending paint.

Mountains and ground

In the center of the painting is platau made of sand and dust that melting waters have brought from glacier. Old eroded volcano is closest mountain and in horizon higher mountains are visible.

vuoria ja aroa

Mountains and steppe

Maalia kului ainakin 15 litraa.

15 liters of paint was used.

How to make illusion

The difference of painting and real foreground should be ass small as possible in lowest part. From vievers angle the line between painted and real ground could be in visible.

Ruohosta olisi tarkoitus tehdä mahdollisimman aidon väristä.

Matching grass colour

Animals

Mammutit matkalla tasangolle

Mammoths

Villihevosia

Wild horses

Diorama is getting ready

Konservaattorit rakensivat eläimille luonnollisen ympäristön

Foreground is being build by conservators

Saiga antilooppeja

Saiga antilopes