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.

Meet the Fans!

I recently returned from a  trip to Indianapolis with the family, and while down there, I had the opportunity to meet a fan who asked me to personally sign a drawing he had purchased of Playboy model Carlotta Champagne. 

Richard McCullogh won a 13" x 19" print at the Chicago Glamourcon show in June, and he was very excited that the original art was available.  Richard asked me to sign it in person while I was in Indianapolis, and he also wanted a picture of me doing so. We enlisted the help of one of the hotel staff, and I happily personalized both for him.  

I love meeting fans of my art, and , while I do sign every illustration, I am more than happy to personalize any of them for the buyer.  Got a piece of art of mine you want signed?  Let me know, I'll be more than happy to make arrangements to do so.
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Do You Nude?

As I've said in previous posts, I love doing nude wife commissions.  I think that any woman who wants to pose in a glamourous nude or provocative piece of art for her spouse is very special, as it is a very personal kind of gift.

The lady to the left was a model who hired me to use a photo of herself that she supplied me to create some art for her husband as a gift.  She is incredibly beautiful, but has asked to remain anonymous since   she has a career.  But she was a pleasure to draw, lovely to work with.  And while she did model, this was a private, personal gift for her husband.

I pose this question to you--do you nude?  Ladies, do you pose nude for your spouse or significant other?  Guys, do you enjoy taking or viewing nude pictures of your wife or girlfriend?  I've been learning about many people who, while fairly conservative in public, are very willing to have this type of art in their home, if privately.  Let me know by messaging me here at my art website.

The Hair Down There......

Playboy's Miss June 1984 Liz Stewart

An interesting debate that I've run across on Model Mayhem and other sites is the definitions of fine art nude modeling and glamour nude modeling.  One of the many criteria is the presence of pubic hair on the model; some fine art purists (not all) insist that a fine art model must not complete shave her pubic hair.

Playboy Model Carlotta Champagne

Being a male of a certain age, I grew up admiring and loving pubic hair.  Playboy magazine set the trend for pubic hair fashion, and my favorite Playmates of the late 1970's and the 1980's all sported full bush.

As an artist, I've found that I rarely draw full frontal nudes anymore; however, I am still drawn to those women who prefer to grow some hair in their pubic area.  As noted by the examples  listed here, these are some favorite pieces of art that feature the models with some form of pubic hair.  Is it less than fine art?  Is it pornographic?  Our cultures definitions of beauty have changed immensely in the past generation, from the full hourglass figure personified by Marilyn Monroe to the slim, but full busted and shaved models of today.

Client Commission of "Amber"

However, I've received commissions such as this one of "Amber" who are full shaven (I was directed by her husband,; she wore a bikini in the original reference photo).  She is a very fit woman, and I see absolutely nothing wrong with her lack of pubic hair.  It would have made no difference to me if she did have hair, but what I've discovered over the years that, like breast enhancement, some women look good with pubes and some don't--it all depends on her shape, and a lot of times, how she wears it, which is confidence.

Pubic hair in art has been come and gone, according to this article in Wikipedia.   Perhaps the fact that it hasn't been shown in early Western art is like early animators creating only 4 fingers instead of five--it was just easier. 

What are your thoughts?  Do you like to see art of nude females with or without pubic hair?

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 

On An Art Client's ...Naughty Bits

Recently I was emailing my process of creating nude art for client's with a potential client, and he asked me, what do you do when you don't have a nude photo for reference?  I told him, I have to rely on the spouse for 'intimate' knowledge of her private parts.

This is actually a common occurrence for me in my job.  When I am commissioned to do a nude portrait for a private party, they normally have no nude photos that they can share with me.  So, I have to ask the client, what shape are her nipples?  how big are her aureola?  does she shave her pubic hair?

These all very delicate subjects, especially with complete strangers.  But I pride myself on my discretion and professionalism.  In the creative process of a nude wife commission, I have to know everything I can about her anatomy so that I can draw the most accurate image possible, one that they will enjoy for years to come.

Visit more samples of Nude Wives at my website.