Show Some Skin!

Lindsey Vuolo, Miss November 2001

In my line of artwork, I draw everything from clothed pin-ups to full blown nude images.  I have fans of just about every image I've ever created, but, as the title of this blog suggests, the biggest responses are from those that show the most skin; i.e., the full nudes.  

This is especially evident on my Facebook Fan Page.  I have a large contingent of fans from the Middle East, India---places that normally do not allow a lot of nude images.  But while a lot of fans are from Asia, most are still from the USA.  I have tested placing non-nude pinups, and nude drawings, and the largest number of 'likes" is always for the "nakey." 

Farrah Fawcett

Well, duh, you might say, and I guess I would agree. But I guess I'm a little confused at all of the attention for the full nudes, as opposed to the very sexy, very demure pin-ups.  Pinups, also know as "cheesecake," are the SFW way to view sexy images of women (or men, for that matter), covering up the essentials, yet showing a LOT of skin somewhere.

Pinups are not always fully clothed, mind you; there are plenty of semi nude and implied nude pinup examples.  I'm speaking of the contrast in responses to MY art, and the differences in the likes on Facebook.  Thoughts on this? 

The "Abandoned Commission

 Several years ago, I was contacted on MySpace (remember that name?) by a local lady, who wanted a nude 20" x 30" portrait of herself, based upon a clothed picture she provided. We negotiated the price of several hundred dollars, and I proceeded to get to work.

I have to 'disrobe' women a lot in my work, and this one proved to be fairly easy, since the dress was pretty from fitting.  The rest is just my understanding of female anatomy, and filling in the nude 'blanks,' so to speak.




The due date was before Christmas. I got it done in about 4 weeks, and emailed the client that it was done.  She said she would get back to me to schedule a time to meet and give me the full payment.  And that was the last I heard from her.  I emailed, I messaged, I did everything I could to get a hold of her.  No response.  She literally dropped out of sight, and eventually  abandoned the commission. I mentioned this to a famous Playboy model friend of mine, who said, don't you take deposits?  Well, I started to do so from that point on.

About a year later, I did a search on the so-called client online, and discovered that she was arrested for prostitution in the north suburbs of Chicago.  Interesting side development, I thought.  The piece wound up being sold for a lot less on eBay to a collector.   

What do you think of this piece?  Contact me and let me know your thoughts, or if you have interest in this kind of piece.  Thanks

Get a Free Magazine

Get a FREE subscription to Flip magazine, and see some brand new artwork from me in a future issue!

I am creating a military themed pinup of the beautiful Jax Turyna, shot by the talented Ralph E. Haseltine, which will be published in Flip along with other photos from her sexy military pinup shoot.  Everyone has donated his or her time, and the original art and prints will be available for sale, with the proceeds to benefit a military charity or organization.

FliP is two magazines in one; a Maxim-like magazine for guys and Cosmo-like magazine for women…all wrapped up in one print and online magazine that literally ‘flips’ from the FLiPm side to the FLiPw side. Guys can enjoy their half of the magazine and be able to peek at the women’s side, and vice-versa, all your guilty pleasures in one magazine!

Interested? Then click through to College Subscription Services, and sign up for your FREE subscription to Flip today!

I'm Published (Again)!

Rocket Science Productions, the publisher of Flip Magazine, (a title that has published my art in the past) has just released a new book called For the Boys: Pin-ups for the Troops, a collection of photos inspired by the pin-up art of Gil Elvgren. Elvgren is a personal hero of mine, as I loved his flirty and exaggerated, yet realistic depiction of beautiful women.

According to the company website, "...this is the 2nd Edition of full color book of Gil Elvgren re-creations from photographers and models across the nation...specifically created to entertain our troops overseas and those wounded in VA Hospitals all over the world!"

The nice thing about this is that. for every book that is sold, Rocket Science Productions will send one to the troops!  An outstanding deal, and an outstanding cause.

The art that is published is to the left, a commission piece I did for a client several years ago, titled  An Ode to

Elvgren.

I'm excited to be included in this book, and this great cause.  Please purchase a copy if you can.  Thanks.

Ride 'Em Cowgirl!

Several years ago, I was commissioned to do some preliminary artwork for the owners of the license of the World Famous Mustang Ranch in Sparks, NV.  Having just purchased the license, the client wanted me to create some art for various pieces of merchandise to be sold under the Mustang Ranch name.  The art was to be sexy, with a cowgirl theme. 

I first had to create a preliminary sample sketch, something sexy and provocative, to see if I had the skills for the project.  (Drawing on left)

 
The art was based on  a beautiful Playmate, Jennifer Allen, who portrayed a Western theme in her pictorial.  I liked how she held the gun, her pose, and her expression.  This is a flipped version of one of her photos. (Photo to left)

After the initial sketch above was approved, the client asked for a full color version, but in a more 1950's style stylized garb and feel (think Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future III.  This was the art that was to be used for the merchandise.

Like with many projects, I don't know what happened to the art.  It was fun to work on, and I think I got a couple of good pieces out of it (a copy of the top sketch hangs in our bar).  Comments are always welcome, please email me.

The Naked Wives

Over the past few years, it seems that I have received more and more commissions for "The Naked Wives;" i.e, women who very happily want nude or semi-nude art of themselves for their spouses, or husbands looking to give their wives the same. 

I recall how I got started drawing nude wives.  The first commission was a depiction of a husband's wife for tattoo art; she didn't pose nude, we took a number of reference photos and 'pieced' them together to create the artwork.  Since then I have received numerous requests to create this type of nude art.

Personally, I love working with women over the age of say 30 or 35.  I find that it takes a lot of confidence for them to pose or be depicted in the nude, and they are always so pleasant to work with.  Some of my most challenging, yet rewarding, artwork has come from these commissions.  I hope you enjoy them

Why Draw Nudes?

I recently had someone come up to me and ask me, why do you only draw nude women?  The tone of the question threw me off quite a bit, as if I was being judged because of my choice of art.

I have been a figure artist since I was a youngster, drawing my own versions of Spider-Man, The Hulk, and other Marvel heroes.  When I got to college, I naturally gravitated to figure art. I excelled at life drawing class, and found that drawing female curves and muscle tone was challenging, yet rewarding. 

I cannot tell people enough how much I love my choice of subject matter.  I consider the female form God's most beautiful creation, and I am not alone.  Artists throughout history have constantly depicted the female nude in many different media and forms.

I especially love creating art of nude women, especially commissions of wives for their husbands.  I've had the pleasure to work with so many couples, and I realize what a special gift a nude portrait is for a loved one. 

So, to answer the original question, I draw nude portraits because I like it, I'm good at it, and it gives enjoyment to people.  It celebrates one of nature's most beautiful forms.  I hope you enjoy it too.