When I was taking reference photos of my models, I told these two to tickle each other. That way I could capture some really natural looking playfulness for my paintings.

This was right before the tickle fight began. The guy in the back said he was ticklish, so the guy in front cracked his knuckles and said “this is gonna be a one sided fight.”

I’m so glad I captured that moment, because it completely embodied that playfulness I was looking for.

When I started painting it, I decided to place them in a cave under a water fall to add to the mood of innocent adventure and exploration that I saw in the pose.