From Photo to Art--Carlotta Champagne, Part Deux

My most popular blog is about how I transformed a photo of Playboy Special Editions model & Cyber Girl Carlotta Champagne into a drawing, and the changes I made to create it.  I thought I'd show another example from the same photo shoot.

As I wrote in the other blog,  my friend Rob Domaschuk, who is a fine art nude photographer, shot Carlotta in my rec room.  We had her pose by my bar in a variety of nude poses, wearing a tie & a fedora hat.  Being the consummate professional, Carlotta struck a variety of wonderful poses--sexy, whimsical, & erotic--and Rob was able to take some great reference pics.My wife suggested this photo for my next drawing of Carlotta, as she really liked her playful pose and dazzling smile.  Unlike the previous image from this set, I didn't want to deviate from the original photo too much.  Carlotta has an extraordinarily ability as a model to evoke so may different facial expressions, and this one really captures her personality.  I thought Rob's original photo was almost perfect as it was.

I started this drawing at Glamourcon 2007 in Chicago, so that people could see how I work while at the show.  Carlotta and I had our tables set up next to each other, and she graciously offered to sign it for a prospective buyer at no charge.  While she and I were off the show floor getting a bite to eat on the first day, my wife came to tell me that someone was, indeed, interested in discussing the drawing.  The gentleman bought it even before it was completed, and he has it signed and hanging in his home.

I get great inspiration from the beautiful women that I am privileged to draw, and Carlotta is definitely pure inspiration.  She has beautiful facial features, a great smile, and a tremendous, hourglass figure.  I have started a 3rd drawing from this set, and will post it when it is completed.

See more great images of Carlotta here at Fine Art America.

On Chasing Art Commissions

Michelangelo did it, da Vinci did it, even guys like Raphael and Titian did it----they worked on paid commissions.   Now , the circumstances are a bit different today than during the Renaissance era---these artists would operate a studio, and have apprentices help them on art commissions while they learned the business of art (it was a guild back then, a trade).  But they still were contracted to create art, and were paid when they did it.

It was always my intention to become a commercial artist, i.e, an illustrator for hire.  When I attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I was called a 'prostitute' by some friends when I told them just that.  We were expected to live for our art: to take a some time of job (anything), and paint, draw, or sculpt; get our work in a gallery, and provide for ourselves that way.   Not for me.   My dream was to be published in magazines like Playboy, Esquire--anything that featured art as editorial or in advertisements. I always found more value being viewed by the masses.

Fast forward, and I now work as a marketing director at a magazine agency, which hasn't really helped me become published as one might think.  I also work at a major home improvement chain as a certified nursery consultant.  No help there, either.  So, I chase down commissions on the side, which normally consists of men wanting sexy images of their wives or significant others.  Or the wife having me create an illustration of her for the husband.  Either way,  it's an eventual payday, and I'm not complaining.


Commissions are a nice balance to the work I do for me, my own personal "Michael Jordan" art  (Jordan allegedly had a clause in his Chicago Bulls contract that he was allowed to play pick-up basketball games anytime, for "the love of the game").  There are rewards from both kinds of artwork.  Doing commission work like these helps to pay the bills, but when I do a "me" project, it is always of someone that really inspires me.  Unfortunately, they may sit for quite a while until I complete them.

I have been lucky so far this year---I am completing a commission of a lovely wife in the next week or so, have had a couple of serious inquiries on new art, and agreed in principle with a former client to produce a new one of his wife.  I am lucky that people entrust me with this type of art, and I take it seriously.

From Photo To Art --Playmate Liz Stewart

While going through some art to upload on my Fine Art America site, I reshot some old artwork with the digital camera, so I could have larger, clearer photos.  One of them is this drawing of Playboy Playmate Liz Stewart, Miss July 1984.


This was very early on in my career as a pinup artist; in fact, I didn't even categorize myself as such at the time.  I drew this piece in the summer of 1984, during a week long solo vacation (my wife had to work that week).  My days were spent at the drawing board and watching Chicago Cubs baseball (1984 was the year of their first championship since 1945).
I fell in love with Liz Stewart---her exotic beauty and beautiful curves were a source of great inspiration. and this photo really presented me with a challenge



























The illustration board used is a cold press surface, very toothy, which gives it the 'rough' texture that I wanted for the drawing.  Cold press and hot press boards require completely different approaches---hot press is extremely smooth, which will give a very nuanced look to shading, and clear, jet black darks.  Cold press is like canvas, with it's rough surface, it gives the artwork almost a stipple effect.  It can create a lot of dynamic interest, and is my preferred surface on which to work.


Early on in my career, I was mostly concerned mostly with getting the drawing to look like the subject, so that she was recognizable.  A great college course on black & white illustration taught me to really emphasize darks and lots for dynamic contrast.  This drawing is represents some of what I learned in that class.  


Looking at it now, I can see SO many errors I made in this drawing.  Yet I am still happy with it overall.  It's always good to look back on older work, to see your progression as an artist, to compare where you came from to where you are now.

On Full Frontal Nudity

Recent blogs by my friend Unbearable Lightness, as well as threads at Model Mayhem, have touched on the differences between of fine art nudes and glamour nudes.

Playboy Cyber Girl Dana Dicillo

Fine art nude is usually determined to be free of any sexual references whatsoever; the human figure is shown in a complete naturalism, warts and all.  Models normally do not gaze back to the camera or viewer.

Glamour nude, however, tries to elicit a sexual response from the viewer.  The model will often look back to the camera or viewer, usually suggestively, and almost always in full make-up and wearing high heels (heels make the legs look even longer).

These are not hard and fast rules, of course, and there is some blurring of the lines.  And the definition really depends on the viewer.   But, when you show full frontal nudity (genitalia), does that become offensive to more people than hiding the pubic area?  Is it okay to do so when it is 'strictly' a fine art piece, rather than glamour?

The image to the left of Playboy Special Editions model Dan Dicillo is a typical glamour nude, of course; I wouldn't pretend that she is a fine art piece.  But, being that it is a completely full frontal nude, is this something that you, as a viewer, prefer not to look upon, much less display in your home?  If she looked away, would this suddenly transform into a fine art piece?

I ask questions like this because, in my growth as an artist, I wonder sometimes if I create too many 'glamour' nudes, and not enough 'fine art' nudes.  Listen, I love women....I think they are God's greatest creation, and I love to illustrate them.  Do I objectify my models with my art.  More importantly, is it wrong to objectify women in art?  I have my views, but I'd like to hear from others about this.

NOTE:  While I rebuild my website at www.erotic-pinups.com, I've uploaded most of my art on Deviant Art.  Please check it out.  Also, you may sign up for my emails at Fine Art America.  they are less frequent than my posts here, and always of a different subject.  

More Nude Wives for Valentine's Day

Thanks to my wonderful client, I have the the other images for which I was commissioned in 2009 of his wife (the first one was published in Tuesday's blog.  Since I had a really poor scanner at the time, it was great to receive these from him (as I mentioned, he is a photographer).  
I love so much creating glamour images of 'regular' women, who are non-professionals.  I've written several times of the many clients by whom I've been commissioned to draw either themselves (ladies), or their wives (men).  


This commission was a 3 part series of color illustrations; all were drawn with colored pencil on Bristol board, one of my preferred surfaces.  It was a fun challenge to get each to look like the client's spouse, using only the reference photos.    That ultimately is the greatest challenge in any portrait---getting the final art to look like the person, even if it is an idealized version. 


Just another reason why they make such great gifts for Valentine's Day.  It's a wonderful way to be immortalized.


With my website down temporarily, I am trying to upload as many images as I can on other sites where I maintain a profile.  You can see my artwork at the following websites:


DeviantArt
ModelMayhem
Model Insider
One Model Place

On Nudes and Non Models, Part 2

One of my great pleasures, as I said in last week's blog, is that I have the pleasure of illustrating many women who are not professional models, but still look great.  


I recently received this image from a former client. one of 3 colored pencil images I did for him of his wife.  My original scans when the job was completed were crap, and he was nice enough to send me new ones.  He's a part-time photographer, so he found some classic pinup images, and we recreated them with his wife as the subject.   


I have always had a desire to do more color pieces, and I find colored pencil extremely challenging.   I like graphite drawing pencils  because I like to create shadows by rubbing the graphite with my fingers, which helps me to achieve the nuances of the light and dark.  Can't do that with colored pencil--it's a gradual build-up of colors that can be very time consuming, very boring, but always rewarding in the end.  


NOTE:  My figure art website, www.erotic-pinups.com, will be temporarily disabled while I search for a new host and build a new site.  For now, please visit my Model Mayhem profile, or look for me on Facebook.  I will let everyone know when the new site is uploaded.  Thanks

On Nudes and Non Models

I've been very fortunate in my art career to have the privilege to illustrate some very beautiful, professional models.  Carlotta Champagne, Lindsey Vuolo, Erica Campbell, Heather Bauer---the list is pretty long and impressive.


But I have also had the great pleasure to draw some non-professional models as well.  Many clients have submitted images of themselves or their wives, to be drawn in the nude or as glamour/pinup.   These usually are gifts for the loved one, and it seems to fall into basically two categories---men who adore their wives and like to show them off as glamorous and beautiful, and women who want  to give their husbands or loved ones something a little more special.


I've written in this blog before that I think that it takes a really special person, as a non-professional, to pose nude or semi nude in a photo, or as the subject of art.  To the right is commissioned art of Briana,  a 50 year old lady who ordered two drawings of herself for her husband to hang on their bedroom wall.  Besides Briana, I've had the pleasure of illustrating Kim, another 50+ lady, and others.


As my friend Unbearable Lightness proves at the age of 66, women can still be sexy and beautiful over the 'traditional' modeling ages.  And why not?  Women are more beautiful because of how they carry and project themselves.  As a client once told me about his wife, "it's all about confidence."


With Valentine's Day approaching, a lot of people look for something special for their loved one as a gift.  Though unconventional, a 'boudoir' piece of art can be a lasting gift.