This digital painting – and it is hard to believe this one’s not on canvas – was created back in 2011 by nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist and illustrator Patrick LaMontagne
(Twitter @CartoonInk).
Titled “Rocky Balboa”, the piece captures Sylvester Stallone in a thoughtful moment from the 2006 film. You’ll remember this moment in the movie when Rocky returns to the Lucky 7 Bar and first encounters Little Marie, all grown up.
LaMontagne was inspired to create his version of the older Balboa because of his love of the sixth film in the series. “I think the reason I like it is because it’s not so much about Rocky’s battle with an opponent, it’s his struggle with getting older, but still feeling he has left something undone.”
“Rather than paint him as the fighter in the ring, I wanted to paint the real character,” the artist says. “His wife has passed on, his son is now a young man living on his own, and Rocky spends his evenings at his restaurant telling people old ‘war stories’ from his glory days. But there’s still that hunger. The movie reminds me that one of my own biggest fears is becoming an old man and regretting the things left undone.”
Click here to read LaMontagne’s blog post which explains in detail how the painting was created. Can you believe it actually began its life on an iPad and finished in Photoshop?
Visit his website here to see more of his beautiful artwork and illustrations.
