Rock Bottom Digital Painting

Have you ever felt like you were at “rock bottom?”

I recall when I was serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints my companion and I were speaking with a young lady who felt like she had hit rock bottom. She told us that she felt she had done too many bad things that couldn’t be forgiven. My companion, after a pause, said, “Well it’s a good thing that Jesus is the rock.”

Many of us have felt like this young lady we were talking with that day. I certainly have. That’s why in 2017, I felt like painting this design. However, I was not in a position to paint it the way I would like, and it ended up looking like this

The phrase in this original picture is referencing the scripture story where Peter walks on the water. When he starts to sink, Christ asks him, “‘Wherefore didst thou doubt?” This was the feeling I wanted in this painting.

While the intent was there, Apple Notes was not the right means to create this image. So I gave up on the idea for a long time, and I figured I’d return to it later on.

Later, with more experience and confidence in my abilities, and the tools I could use to execute my design, I tried again. I got reference photos that I could draw over, and I was able to use the Procreate app to compose my vision. I was originally expecting this to follow a more painterly look, but the style it ended with resonated with me, and represents my full intent.

Here is the final design.

I used myself as the model because I’m cheap haha More seriously though, I also loved being the subject of this painting because I am the person in this painting frequently. I grew up in a religious community and although I was relatively liked, I often felt alone and stuck in darkness. Even now, I sometimes feel like I’m isolated and alone surrounded by fog. But when I turn around, I realize that God is always closer than I thought He was. The same can be said for you. He is there for you, and if you turn to Him, you’ll also find Him there.

As a look behind the scenes, here are my reference images.

Here is the process video of me painting this picture.