Friday, February 27, 2009

Different Strokes Challenge

Last night I was floating around the internet and came upon this blog: http://www.differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/. I was instantly fascinated by all this and the process. Every 2 weeks the blog curator (sounds so important, huh? ;) uploads a photo for the artists who participate in the challenge to paint. At the end of the 2 weeks all the photos are submitted and posted to the blog. Challenges can collect anywhere up to 90-100 artists in one session. It is fascinating to see all the different methods and styles of painting one photo.

I decided now was the perfect time for me to give it a try. The photo at the time is a photo of a bunch of mannequins and wigs in a shop window. Perfect for my style of recent girlie paintings. Here is the original:
I would like to take a moment to say: this photo is the property of Different Strokes From Different Folks and does in no part belong to me. Nor have I altered it in any way.

At first it seemed daunting to me. So much going on all in one photo. Then I started to simplify it to fit my style. I decided I was only going to use the main grouping on the right side of the photo. Here is my rough paint sketch and out line work I came up with after staring at the photo for a bit:


Not too bad. You can see the general idea of the photo. Next, I decided I was going to turn this into a gathering or crowd of women instead of a window display. So on went the colour:

Looking quite good in my opinion. On I went and this is the final product:

"Gathering" - 5 x 7 canvas board. Mixed media - acrylics and papers. Sealed in Krylon finish.

I am thrilled with the results and loved how my vision turned out. Could I have made it more in depth and comlicated? Yes, but that isn't what my aim was. I aimed for simplicity in the chaos of the photo. I think I acheived it in my own way. :)

9 comments:

ReneeBuchananArt said...

I love the finished product! The colors POP and it totally captures the theme :)

Renee

Kari Tirrell said...

This is so fun! I like your style. :)

Edward Burton said...

WONDERFUL take of the challenge! I love your style - very fun!

Unknown said...

Just came by to say I love your unique and colorful interpretation of the challenge! Bravo!

dominique eichi said...

Great piece for DSFDF your colors are so vibrant and beautiful.

christine said...

I love what you've done with this challenge! Very bright and fun. I especially like the polka dots on the aqua dress.

r garriott said...

A very fun approach! I like what you came up with, all three stages. Maybe #1 is my favorite; I like seeing the phone book page behind the faces.

James Parker said...

You did do it fun!!! I really like that...kinda reminds me of a Peter Max approach. And your WIP demo is very neat. I did a WIP on my blog about this challenging project that you might find amusing. I invite you to drop by.

joanieART said...

Very cool....love your models. And your fun style!