went on like a photo hunt today and figured out why I like certain things, like Winona Ryder for example. So, there's three parts to my personality, each shows through in my art in different fashions. There is a goofy side, a red blooded American southerner, and a very serious intellectual metalhead. I realized I dislike the extremes of these things, but really love a blend of them, especially when the goth/metal stuff is in tact.
And, the reason I like Winona Ryder over most other women is her versatility. She can be a book store beauty, a tomboy, a goth, can look like a farm girl or your average high school sweetheart, or your typical hollywood actress. Aside from hollywood actress, those are all things I like. And you can't beat that husky voice too ;)
Now the reason my choices can be chaotic is because I'm always trying to express one of these over the other, instead of blending them. So, I know it sounds corny and dumb, but I really resonate with these simple moody photos (that tend to be taken by pouty young women) For example:
http://marinahell.deviantart.com/favouri...75/M0THart
http://irinajoanne.deviantart.com/art/Po...-631277022
Most of these kinds of pictures have everything I seem to like the most:
1. An attractive young lady
2. artificially balanced colors and mid range, lower contrast and fuller value ranges
3. A tasteful and mild use of sexuality
4. usually rural or natural locations
5. A gothy, somewhat staged, but somewhat believable atmosphere.
6. Some sort of emotion being expressed even if it's contrived or phony.
7. Simple and often iconic compositions that often feel spontaneous
The only thing I dislike about them is they tend to be completely devoid of a sense of humor. Serge Birault on the other hand, a favorite artist of mine, combines goth with humor; Making serious goth clothing and style feel relatable and fun. Quite tough.
So, that explains it really. And the more I look at these photos the more I realize I could never study (as in paint a copy of) each one of them. There's too many good things to paint a study of. So, just use it as a jump off point and pull things from it. Copying a photo or painting isn't the ONLY way to absorb information. This should be obvious and I know this, but I feel I truly understand it now.
Alas, the last sketch is an idea I had for a painting, like two girls, one sitting higher on a stair than the other. The duo have a somber expression, but the girl on the bottom left is very distraught. They are both in black dresses that are tailored to be very well fitted and tight, mildly lowcut and subtly sexy, but one could perceive the photo as not being sexy at all, more gloomy and striking. Also behind the sad girl is a bouquet of dark flowers that contrast against the empty bleak overcast sky behind them. The girl on top is reaching her hand to the other girls back to console her and is about to weep with her. Again, it's got all those things I like in it.
I think the closest I ever came to getting "all the things I like" in a picture was Menage A Quatre, and that piece with the goth girl with the spiky arm band I got a bunch of crits on. La Pari de Pascal I think. Interestingly, I tend to give the pieces I really enjoyed doing French titles. The problems with those pieces are more fundamental with me, that and Pari De Pascal, despite the pleasure it was to paint, I know people think she is ugly and the armpit throws it off big time.
Today I also did a lot of studies of these very lean sexy ladies, and I think I'm getting a better sense of structure, but man pen really highlights how terrible you are lol. Especially cheap drippy ones ;) I love it though, that greasy cheap feeling of pen against copy paper, can't beat it. Then when you come back to digital, things just slide into place so fast, can't wait!
http://www.kindgirls.com/gallery/hegre/a...inda/2175/
Color Quiz continues to accurately describe my mindset, which seems very bleak in writing! But don't worry Fedo is on his way up!
http://colorquiz.com/results.php?code=m,...4,4&p=full