Italian artist Roberto Rizzo, who is now based in southern Spain creates these stunning illustration in rocks. He is inspired by animals and nature. He takes up challenges to makes acrylic paintings on animals on stone covering minute details. Scroll down to see his work and leave you comments to paise his artwork.
Roberto Rizzo, completed his degree from the European Institute of Design. He then started to work on such illustrations,. And, his life took an unexpected turn in 2006.
“I first met the magic of rock painting in 1996. Rock painting made me discover and explore the potential of acrylic. Currently, it’s my favorite medium, even when I work on canvas. Since 1996, part of my artistic activity is dedicated to rock painting art and in 2004, I published with Mondadori the book Sassi Dipinti, which achieved remarkable editorial success in Italy. That manual consisted of tutorials and step-by-step instructions on how to paint different pieces,” 
Roberto Rizzo told us about his inspirations: “I’ve always loved the many shapes and objects Mother Nature gives us. A variety of life represents my main source of inspiration while I’m painting.
The animal kingdom has especially fascinated me since I was just a child. I firmly believe artists, in their expressive and emotional journey, are bound to get back to their childish feelings and passions, because art has to be first of all pleasure and amusement.”
Out of the variety of canvases out there, Rizzo chose the challenging painting on rocks.
“Painting rocks gives me the chance to mix the old and the new (it’s no accident that this fascinating technique was born in very ancient times!). Nowadays I can dress stones with very versatile new paints which guarantee great resistance over the years. In the past few years, I created thousands of creatures of all shapes and sizes. All my artworks are unique, and the rocks I use are not processed at all. I always honored every hole or imperfection Nature has carried out over the decades; moreover, I try to exploit it through drawing with nuances and light and shade effects. In the last period, I have been trying to add small details to the rocks with synthetic pastes to explore new possibilities.”
Rizzo invited Hiptoro to the behind-the-scenes of his workshop so you get a better understanding of how he transforms rocks into life.
“The choice of the shape of the rocks is fundamental. I spend a lot of time walking on the beaches and rivers to find inspiration and choose the right stones. Once back in my studio, I clean them and I start choosing a flat base color. Once dried, I start with an accurate drawing of the subject. This is a very important stage of the work. Once I am satisfied with the sketch, I start painting the big areas of the body with medium-sized brushes, slowly going into more and more detail with retouching brushes. To finish a medium-sized piece (5/6 inches) I usually need 2/3 days of work.”
