From Photo to Art--Farrah Fawcett

One of the most popular non-nude pieces I have ever created is actually one of my oldest---a portrait of Farrah Fawcett.


This artwork was actually created when I was in college.  We were to create a drawing based on a photo of our choosing at the beginning of the quarter, and then reproduce it at the end.  I have no clue what happened to the first one, but I was pleased with the second.  So was my wife---this hangs in our rec room, and we have had several people ask for prints..


The drawing was based on Farrah's iconic Playboy cover from December 1978.  At the time, she was one of the most popular celebrities in the US, but had not yet posed nude (that came in the 1990's, also in Playboy).


I was really attracted to the tease pose used on the cover, and the way she wears the man's shirt very provocatively.  At the time, I was striving more for an artistic recreation of the original image, although later on my wife asked me to change the wine glass to a martini glass with green olive.  


Farrah's hair was all the rage back then, and I really tried to capture that in the artwork.  I also tried to overemphasize the smoothness in her legs, as I thought it looked like she was wearing nylon stockings, which are very sexy.


But, it always comes down to making the drawing look like the subject, especially when it is a celebrity. Everyone knows what the person looks like, and any mistakes or imperfections can ruin the art.  It must be recognizable. Judging by the feedback I've received, I think I achieved that.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, a Happy & Prosperous New Year,  and great health for 2011.


I'm personally looking forward to 2011, as 2010 was very 'challenging,' to say the least.  I realize that most New Year's Resolutions are never kept; however, I've established some personal goals and will work hard to keep them.  And a couple of commissions to start off the new year always help out too!


Please be safe in your celebrations this season.  

Marisol, a Christmas commission from 2008

On An Artist's Self Promotion

With the early, growing commercialism of the Christmas season, is it wrong for an artist like me to market his artwork and/or services?  Usually I'm very busy each holiday season with commissions, until this year, probably because of the economy, the limited appeal of my subject matter---who knows?


I recall when I decided to leave the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in late 1981 to attend Northern Illinois University to purse a commercial art degree, several of my friends called me a 'prostitute,' as I my goal was to have a 9-5 job creating art (remember, this is before PC's, Macs and Illustrator).   I only wanted to have a career in art, to somehow create things. I didn't originally intend to even do female nudes!


Now, working a regular job in marketing, learning art programs on the fly, I still get great satisfaction creating images of female nudes----what I consider the most beautiful of God's creations.  And while it's very nice that people have purchased art from me, I still just enjoy  drawing!


Please forgive my shameless self-promotion.  As it is the holiday season,  I do have some art available for gift giving this year.  I have a couple  13" x 19" photo prints available of Lindsey Vuolo & Carlotta Champagne for only $10 (plus $3 shipping).  Limited supplies available. Contact me www.erotic-pinups.com for information.  Happy Holidays, all!

On Facebook and Censorship...Part 3

UPDATE:  After someone posted on a ModelMayhem.com thread that FB does specifically not allow implied nudes, I checked it out again....I did a more thorough search, and it is here, under General Guidelines, thrown in with excessive skin and cleavage.  So I stand corrected....to a point.


Recently, I have written about Facebook's extremely vague Terms of Service, specifically here  and more recently here.

Yesterday morning, I woke up to find over 20 Facebook Warnings in my email box, advising me that my images 'violated the Terms of Service, "  & were deleted.  (Note: more were removed today).   As I pointed out in the recent blogs, the Facebook Terms of Service are very vague...there are no clear definitions of nudity, & while all but one of my images had little white boxes on the naughty bits, down they came.


As a member of ModelMayhem.com, an industry social site, there are specific methods to contact site moderators with questions, complain about another member or an uploaded image.  There are very specific guidelines on what constitutes a nude (18+) image, and what will not be allowed.  Unfortunately, Facebook doesn't have such definitions.  Since Facebook is almost completely member-regulated, there is no 'due process.'  Any image can be reported by a member, and they will take it down.  No questions asked, no chance for the offender to appeal.  Done.

One of the basic tenants of the US Constitution is the right to face your accusers.  That is not possible at Facebook, unfortunately, and perhaps that is by design-----they can claim ignorance in such cases, especially with their vague Terms of Service.


As for me, I have decided not to fight Facebook, as there is obviously someone on my Fan Page that doesn't like my censored art nudes (ironic that he/she would join in the first place).  I have learned the hard way that Facebook is close-minded to the arts, so I instead will invite people to visit my art website at www.erotic-pinups.com.  It features most of my nude art with no censorship; I hope to have it revamped by early next year.

From Photo to Art--Carlotta Champagne

This popular feature was actually started in my old email newsletters with this image of the wonderfully talented and beautiful Playboy model, Carlotta Champagne.  Since I use photos exclusively as reference for my artwork, I'm often asked how many changes I make to the original photo in the final drawing. 

There is no one answer; it really depends on what I want the final drawing or painting to look like.  Sometimes, except for some minor changes, the reference photo is very close to finished piece.  Very often, however, I make major changes from the original photo to create the illustration.  


Here is an example of how I made some major changes to a photo for a portrait of Carlotta.  The reference pic was taken by my good friend, photographer Rob Domaschuk, in my rec room.  On some of the shots, we set up Carlotta by my bar, posing with a fedora and one of my ties, to capture some whimsical nudes.

I fell in love with Carlotta's pose and expression, but I did not like the tie in this particular image.  Also, I didn't want a drawing of her next to a bar stool with that hat, as it just didn't fit the scene.  The hat reminded me of Indiana Jones' fedora, and it gave me the idea of what to do with the hand that was leaning on the chair.  The photo reference eventually turned into the art to the right.

To complete the drawing, I found some reference photos online of whips, and used my own hand to approximate the one holding the whip.  Then, the fun part--getting this drawing to look like the beautiful Carlotta!

I recently ordered some 13" x 19" photo prints of this piece, and they came out really well!  I still have the original drawing, too, and take to any shows where I happen to exhibit.

I enjoy posting these examples, and your feedback is always welcome, so feel free to drop me a line at vince@erotic-pinups.com, or on my Facebook Fan Page.

On Nude Art and Prints

A short time ago, we posed this question on the Facebook Fan page: Will You Hang Nudes In your Home?  We had several people write back that yes, they would do so, which is encouraging news, to be sure.  All artists like to be recognized, and there seems to be a bigger hurdle for nude figure artists like me to jump over because of the subject matter.


My good friend Unbearable Lightness has been touching on the subject of fine art nudes in her blogs recently,  about the connections between fashion photography and fine art, and the eroticism therein.  So much art today is deemed not acceptable to be displayed, yet we see constant images in the media of an overtly sexual nature.  Why the double standard?

This image of Alicia Burley hangs in our home

My wife has several of my pieces hanging in our home, one of which is a nude.  So far, there have been no issues.....our 12 year old nieces are wonderfully bemused by "Uncle Vince's" art, and our seven year old nephew is too young to notice.  And our assorted friends have not menitoned being uncomfortable at all.


Besides, we must understand that fine art nudes are just that---fine art.  Just because an image depicts a woman in the nude does NOT make that image sexual in nature (do you hear that, Facebook?).


So, it was nice to hear back from some people on my discussion thread that, yes, they would hang nudes, as long as they are tasteful.  


Let me hear from you---would YOU hang nude art in your home?  What kind of art would you hang?  This is intended to be a discussion opener, as so many people would like to, but may not be able to do so because of circumstances.  Please comment below.