Blue Collar

It’s been a while since I posted anything, not to mention the last time I posted some artwork.  So, I thought I would show the most recent hybrid piece.  Everyone remembers what I mean when I say hybrid, right?  The artwork was created traditionally in the mid 1990’s, but updated recently using Photoshop.  “Blue Collar” is a piece that was conceptualized for the December 1993 photography session with the model.  When I say it was conceptualized for the photography session, I meant I actually put thought into the poses, clothing and props I wanted the model to wear and use.  While he supplied the baseball cap and shirt, I supplied the chain.  I really wanted to use chain in some of the poses.  To me it’s a very industrial and masculine element and I thought it would be a great prop to use.  The fact that it additionally symbolizes bondage didn’t hurt either. 

The photos that inspired this illustration are probably my favorites from the session.  As part of my contract with the model, I cannot publish any of his photos.  Sorry, that was part of our agreement.  But trust me, when he put on that baseball cap and barely-there shirt, he was adorable beyond description.  He was very handsome, possessing (what I like to call), all American good looks.  I guess the best way to describe that look is the male models from Abercrombie and Fitch.  There is a boyish charm to them, but there is also a sense of collegiate sophistication.  They are not only text-book handsome but they also look intelligent, collegiate and prep-school-like.  I really lucked out when he posed for me.  He got a few hundred bucks for a few hours work and I got some amazing photos to inspire my creativity. 

He was in his mid thirties when these photos were taken and he still looks just as good today.  Almost 20 years have passed since December of 1993, but I checked out his facebook page, and he is still just as handsome.  Time has been very kind to him.    

As I mentioned, this is another hybrid piece.  The black line work was painted with a fine sable hair brush and India ink.  I would paint the ink onto hot press bristol paper or illustration board.  The design would be drawn and painted double the size of the final presentation (in my portfolio).  If the finished work was shown in my portfolio at 8.5” x 11”, I would paint the original at 17” x 22”.  It was easier for me to paint larger than actual size.  I also loved how “tight” the finished work looked when it was reduced.  The imperfections were less noticeable and the line work became thinner and more delicate.  I would then take the original black and white painting to a graphics photographer where he would use a stat camera to photograph the art at half scale onto a sheet of clear acetate.  I would head back to my studio and mix the colors needed to finish the piece.  Once the paints were mixed, I would lay a sheet of semi-transparent waxed rice paper (artist’s paper called waxed masa) on top of the black and clear acetate and carefully paint in-between-the-lines to add the color.  The type of paint I used was gouache.  When finished carefully painting between the black lines onto the waxed paper, I would then switch the positions of the paper and acetate, placing the acetate on top of the painted waxed paper.  After lining up the black line work with the under lying painting, I would then securely tape the sides of the two together creating the finished piece.  The hybrid part comes in with Photoshop.  How I use Photoshop varies from one work to another.  But at the very least, Photoshop is used to smooth out the paint, making the colors flat and even.  During this process, I usually re-color the piece, changing the colors some.  I may also go in and rework some of the black line work.  On “Blue Collar” I reworked his facial structure as well as giving his ear more detail.  I added the tattoos on his arm as well as the facial and body hair.  I also reworked his nipples from the original artwork. 

There were a lot of steps to this traditional process, but I truly loved the end results.  I very much enjoyed painting the precise, even line work.  I know this might sound odd, but it was somehow relaxing.  I’m sure it would drive other artists insane to paint such precise and even line work, but I’m part German and very much an Aries, so that might be part of the answer.  Every artist has their own techniques used to create their distinctive style.  This is what makes art so interesting and different.  It would be very boring if all artists produced the same style of work.  

International Male

Simply titled “Man #2” back in 1991 for the United States Copyright Office’s Visual Arts Form, I decided to call this painting “International Male” for the blog.  Since the inspiration for this artwork came directly from the pages of the International Male clothing catalog, it seemed fitting to somehow acknowledge the original reference.   

With many of my creations in these first posts, there are aspects of the paintings that I like and aspects that I don’t like.  When coming to terms with a creative style, there is always a period of time when the artist must “work out the bugs”.  It’s an experimental time.  It’s a time for trial and error.  In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, my main concentration was to solidify my creative style.  Being raised watching cartoons from the 1960’s & 1970’s and aspiring to be a comic book illustrator, I was heavily influenced by flat color that was defined by solid black line work.  Coloring books, animation, comic books, they all had one thing in common: the flat graphic color was defined by the black line work that surrounded it.    

With the exception of “Princess” I have relied on published photos for my inspiration.  “Princess” was inspired by a co-worker at the time that was both statuesque and beautiful.  I simply had to paint her.  “Tex”, “Nagel Boy” and “International Male” were all inspired by published photos of some kind.  But I was quickly getting to the point where I wanted to own the inspiration as well.  I wanted to be able to select and mold my inspiration and not be limited to what was already out there. 

The definition for the word muse is a source of one’s inspiration.  In Greek Mythology, the Muses were the goddesses who inspired the creation of literature and the arts.  I needed a muse.  I needed someone who was so idyllic, his beauty would inspire me to produce greater work.  I needed a model.          

Tex

 

Created back in 1990, this piece much like the painting in the previous post, also uses a recognizable geographic shape as a backdrop and main design element.   

"Tex" is painted on illustration board using a combination of gouache and India ink.  This painting measures approximately 20" x 22".