FLiP Magazine Pinup Published

Finally, the long awaited FLiP Magazine featuring my art of beautiful model/actress Jax Turyna is available to view online here.

The original photo by Ralph Haseltine was changed quite a bit, as you can see.  I also tried to create this artwork in the style of Gil Elvgren and Alberto Vargas, as well as the famous pinups that decorated our bombers in World War II.  I'm very happy with this piece, and I hope you are too.

For a limited time, we are offering 25 canvas printsof Jax' Pinup art. $10 from every one sold will be donated to send pinup books to our troops in VA hospitals. You get a quality canvas print of the beautiful Jax Turyna  for your wall.  Plus, we have a limited supply of 13 x 19 photo prints of this art for only $10, and each will signed byJax, photographer Ralph Haseltine and me. All proceeds will be donated to help the VA troops (except shipping of $5).

This is a great cause. Contact me for more information. Ends December 9!

Please watch FLiP Magazine for details on the upcoming auction for this original.  Also, you can buy a print right now, and ALL net proceeds will be donated as well.  Click here to view it on my website.

The Angst of the Artist

For me, being an artist also means dealing with a ton of insecurities.  Creation of my artwork is fraught with highs and lows,  moments of grandeur that can suddenly turn into despair.  I've dealt with feelings like this as long as I can remember.

This illustration of Marilyn Monroe is the first artwork I've ever done that I can truly say did not cause me to not panic when I made a mistake.  I have to credit my wife, who guided me through her vision of how this piece should look.  She played art director, and assisted me through every step of the creation process, including some major, major changes in the hair, face and more.

Now, I don't want to make it seem like she doesn't help with my other work; she always gives some input when art is on the drawing board.  But since this was a birthday gift for our son, she was very invested in how it looked.  So she kept me on track, kept me focused for 4 months until we completed it. And not once did I feel like I wanted to give up on this piece (which would have been tough, since it's 30" x 40").

Come see the large version at my site at Fine Art America.

Marilyn Monroe...A Work in Progress.

Selected images of the latest art of Marilyn Monroe, from the original Bert Stern reference photo, to the final image.  It really does change quite a bit in the face, as you'll see.

See my Marilyn Monroe prints at my page on Fine Art America.com 

Marilyn Monroe, Part 2

New Art

A brand new piece, a new version of my Marilyn Monroe Reclining Nude drawing.  Based on the  photo by Bert Stern, this art is completely updated.

This drawing is actually a very special birthday gift from my wife and me to our son.  He always like the original version, but circumstances prevented us from getting a good print.  So, we decided to just recreate it, only better.

My wife played creative director, and this is truly her vision of how she wanted it to look.  Using graphite pencil, colored pencil and acrylic pen, we varied greatly from Mr. Stern's original photo, and tried to create a more alluring and softer look than what he wonderfully captured on film. From changing the face to the vibrant folds and colors in the blanket, she directed me and pushed me to create a piece that we can say our son truly loves.

I would love to hear your comments on this piece, so please email me any comments. And see my Marilyn Monroe prints at my page on Fine Art America.com 

From Photo to Art--Marilyn Monroe

While watching television on Sunday, I noticed that Turner Classic Movies was featuring screen goddess Marilyn Monroe, in some of her best roles, like "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," How To Marry a Millionaire," "Bus Stop," and others.

I wrote a blog about her in June,  in recognition of what would have been Marilyn's 85th birthday.  I included images of the two drawings I've done of her.  However, I have never featured her in a "From Photo to Art" entry, and since that blog was posted, I have updated the jpeg of the original drawing.

This artwork is based on a photo taken by photographer Bert Stern in 1962, from a series now known as "The Last Sitting."  Shot 6 weeks before her untimely death, Mr. Stern shot her over 3 days in LA, capturing a flirty, sexy, playful sex goddess (Bert Stern recreated the Last Sitting with actress Lindsey Lohan for New York Magazine a few years ago).  The results

I was greatly inspired by this photograph, as I believe it one of the sexiest, most erotic I've seen of Marilyn.   Who couldn't gaze upon a beautiful screen icon, laying nude on her bed, with just the sheets to partially cover her, and a 'come-hither' look on her face, which is almost post-coital.

Of my two Marilyn Monroe portraits, this was actually the first image chosen, although it was the second one drawn (they were both gifts for family members).  I opted to create this on a buff colored illustration board, instead of my customary white board, and, along with graphite pencil, I also added some colored pencil in a few places to highlight it.

There are some differences between the original reference photo and my art---I added dark tones behind her head because the back light Mr. Stern wonderfully incorporated into the shot, unfortunately took away some of the definition of Marilyn's hair.  I also changed the sheets to make them more rumpled, as if they were "well-used."  I also showed more of the side of her right breast, as a bit of a glamour tease.

I am hoping to create another Marilyn Monroe illustration in the near future. She is the epitome of the Hollywood sex symbol, and her untimely death only made her legend grow.

To see more of my artwork, please visit Fine Art America.