I've always been fascinated by mantises and I wanted to paint one in an old master kind of way. I've been doing portrait practices of Sargent's work and then try to apply the lighting ideas I learn onto something new and from the mind. For this portrait I thought it would be a cool way to show off the eyes of the Mantis and some of their other buggy textures. I might do an iguana next because of their bumpy skin, that would look cool!
Thank you for looking!