12fp(s) - outtake 1

This painting is related to Film but it isn't a film still. For this reason I've decided that the painting will get posted on the blog under the 12fp(s) name, but once the series is complete it won't be included.


I admired the original photograph that this painting is based on because it was quite stylish (reminding me of my first painting in the series), and I also saw this as a chance to experiment with the style of classic 50s Pin-up paintings like those by Gil Elvgren.

I originally drew this in pencil with more expressive lines than my usual work, and although I wanted to paint those lines back into the final image I decided against it for fear that the painted lines would distract from the rest of the image. I think I made the right decision...

The only thing I don't like about this image is what she is sitting on. The original photograph has her at the beach sitting on what looks like a cut-down tree trunk, but I chose to leave the background out of my painting so that the character is the only point of interest in the final image... I think I was right to leave out the background, however having a plain background has now made the seat much more noticeable - which in this simplified style is not good.
Apart from that though, I'm really happy with this painting.


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Related websites:
A large collection of Elvgren's Pin-up paintings
ThePinUpFiles.com

12fp(s) - painting 4 [SOLD]

I don't have much new to say about these paintings now. They all seem to be getting influenced by my first painting in the series, so I'm unsure whether they are nicely maintaining the original style or if I'm just over-doing it now...

12fp(s) - painting 3

I'm feeling positively indifferent about this one. I like the overall image, but it doesn't really stand out or say anything exciting - so it kind of just sits there...
I suppose it's good that the painting isn't shouting for attention it doesn't deserve, and likewise it's good that the painting looks pleasant enough to appreciate if it does manage to grab the viewers attention.

After doing this painting, I decided to test what a bit of Animation post-production work does to the overall image [below], so that I can discover whether my concepts for the second painting series may work...
For this painting the post-production work simply involved adding a depth of field to the overall image by manually blurring the background in Photoshop while keeping the foreground characters in focus. The final effect hasn't made a great deal of difference to the overall aesthetic, but I think it does add that little bit more of an Filmic feel to the painting because the depth of field now more closely resembles the view one may get through a camera lens.
I had utilised this depth of field technique in several of my Animation projects during my time at college, and because this painting series is a hybrid of my work in both Painting and Animation, I think it was an acceptable thing to try. Another cultural issue that I think justifies this digitally-manipulated technique within the field of traditional painting is that many people now view the majority of traditional artworks on computers instead of gallery visits and books - therefore if digital files are the most common way of consuming traditionally-made artworks then Painting as a medium should be able to recognise the computer as another tool in this digital age. The only problem with such digital techniques is if an artist tries to sell physical versions of digitally manipulated work as originals (rather than prints), because it is only ever going to be a copy/print when the artwork was created in the digital domain.
Below is the digitally altered version of my original painting:

The digital alteration is not blatantly obvious (at least not without it being pointed out like in the text above), but comparing the right hand side of the backgrounds will make it most noticeable because that is where the alterations are strongest.

If anyone has comments or opinions regarding the digital modification of traditional paintings I'd appreciate hearing them (ie: has this technique worked/improved the original? Is the computer an acceptable artistic tool? Should such techniques be 'allowed' when the work is sold commercially in any format?)

12fp(s) - painting 2

I watched this film (by one of my favourite directors) for the first time last week, and noticed quite a few shots that would be suitable for this series. The image that I eventually chose [below] was perhaps not the best choice that I could have made, but I haven't lost anything by doing it, so I can't really complain.


This finished painting doesn't have the visual impact that I originally wanted to achieve (perhaps the watercolours look too calm, and the overall image is too patchy as well), so I am tempted to do a second painting of this film (with acrylics) to compensate or replace this one. I don't really want to have two paintings from one film in this series, but on the other hand this image doesn't look like a film still so it may need excluded once more of the series is complete...

Why then did I pick this still over all the others?
I was intrigued by this shot because it feels like the two characters are staring right into the audience and thoroughly scrutinizing us. I had imagined the finished image looking really effective painted on a large scale and hanging in an enclosed space from which the viewer cannot escape their stare. I've never done anything like that before, so it would be interesting to see if I could pull it off. Another reason for not going with one of the other film stills is that they were all much darker than this one and better suited to acrylic paints, however I'm really enjoying the watercolours, and at the present time I cannot help but do Impressionistic finger painting whenever I go near acrylics - which would not fit with my plans for those other stills.
I've said that I originally imagined this being really effective on a large scale, however I ended up painting it on A4 cropped to a widescreen format. As a result of this the finished painting has lost a lot of the potential impact that a larger version would have had, yet the painted characters do maintain a sense of that uncomfortable scrutiny that attracted me to the film still in the first place.