Angry Artists!!!!!
dyk...@bvu.edu
students. They always suggest that I might make it a "class project." I
must exersize about all the self control I have to mention that we already
have a syllabus for the course. I usually go on to say that I'll be happy
to post a notice of their need on the bulletin board if they'll send me a
description of that with their phone number. They almost never respond.
Oddly this is usually some project which requires tracing of an image from
a magazine.
But then maybe I should do what they ask, especially if it will aquaint my
students with one more way that artists get screwed........
Dennis L. Dykema
Barbie Kew
>Oddly this is usually some project which requires tracing of an image from
>a magazine.
You reminded me of something that has happened to me over the
years, time and again. I frequently have someone ask me to create
a painting from a photograph they are fond of. I have usually accomodated
them, but with the business of compensation foremost in my agreement
with them. I never do one of these projects without 50% up front of the
agreed upon price for my doing the work. Later, if they are dissatisfied,
I cover my expenses at least with the 50% fee, though it may leave no
margin of profit. Luckily, I have never yet failed to collect the entire fee.
What is peculiar to me is the wish to convert a good color photo to
a painting. Most people who have a quality photo can just as easily,
and a for a lot less money, have professional enlargements made.
--
888888888888888888
Barbie Kew
Smoke'n 'em.
888888888888888888
Matthew Carey
Bar...@smoke.com (Barbie Kew) wrote:
I suppose they are after the romantic quality afforded by a painted
reproduction. Personally I can't bear to work from photographs unless
either I take them or someone else does but following my express
instructions.
For example I could not have physically taken the photographs that I worked
from to paint my series of paintings in the installation "Blemishes"
currently viewable at http://www.compulink.co.uk/~peckham/Blemishes.html as
some of the varicose veins and scars are round the back on me.
Talk about trying to make unsalable art!
Matthew
Matthew Carey
http://www.compulink.co.uk/~peckham/
Barbie Kew
says...
>For example I could not have physically taken the photographs that I worked
>from to paint my series of paintings in the installation "Blemishes"
>currently viewable at http://www.compulink.co.uk/~peckham/Blemishes.html as
>some of the varicose veins and scars are round the back on me.
Why NOT ?? Have you never heard of time-delays on cameras? You simply
set camera up in a tripod, set the timer, trip it, and turn yourself around so
that lens captures your BEST side when the shutter trips.
R Blanchard
>
> I'm also besought by people who call me to ask for some free work by my
> students. They always suggest that I might make it a "class project." I
> must exersize about all the self control I have to mention that we already
> have a syllabus for the course. I usually go on to say that I'll be happy
> to post a notice of their need on the bulletin board if they'll send me a
> description of that with their phone number. They almost never respond.
>
> a magazine.
>
> students with one more way that artists get screwed........
There is a software company in my building that went the other way. They went to a local
college and offered to use the results of the classwork as the design for their
packaging. They left the coursework to the instructor, to work into their syllabus (what
a strange word!) as they wished. The result was a 'competition' within the class. The
'winner' was published on the software package, and was paid for their work - at a fair
rate, not el cheapo rates. The software company gets fresh packaging ideas, and the
students get a glimpse of the real world. Win-Win.
--
Rick Blanchard z¬
rb Art -- http://members.aol.com/rbArtzo/web/
Matthew Carey
In article <4lgjqs$g...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>,
Bar...@smoke.com (Barbie Kew) wrote:
>In article <ADA0342C9...@peckham.compulink.co.uk>,
>mat...@peckham.compulink.co.uk
>says...
>
>>For example I could not have physically taken the photographs that I worked
>>from to paint my series of paintings in the installation "Blemishes"
>>currently viewable at http://www.compulink.co.uk/~peckham/Blemishes.html as
>>some of the varicose veins and scars are round the back on me.
>
>Why NOT ?? Have you never heard of time-delays on cameras? You simply
>set camera up in a tripod, set the timer, trip it, and turn yourself around so
>that lens captures your BEST side when the shutter trips.
Your probably right (twice) though I think I would have used twice as much
film not being in the right place etc. Though I did use small sections of
the results to make the paintings so me be I could have taken them myself I
might have not felt so ridiculous doing it, and it probably is my BEST
side.
Matthew Carey
http://www.compulink.co.uk/~peckham/
Barbie Kew
In article <ADA70D9A...@peckham.compulink.co.uk>, mat...@peckham.compulink.co.uk
says...
>Your probably right (twice) though I think I would have used twice as much
>film not being in the right place etc.
The secret to taking self-portraits with a time-delay camera is to use
a surrogate (ball, balloon, object) to focus and set depth of field, adjust
lighting, etc. Then mark the backdrop using pieces of tape, or something,
so you will know the limits of the "frame" once you have the focus correct.
Now, place yourself, or your body part(s) within the limits of the marked
off area of the frame when you "expose" yourself.
--
888888888888888888
Barbie Kew I am NOT Emailable.
Smoke'n 'em.
888888888888888888
R Blanchard
Matthew Carey wrote:
>
> In article <4lgjqs$g...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>,
> Bar...@smoke.com (Barbie Kew) wrote:
>
> >In article <ADA0342C9...@peckham.compulink.co.uk>,
> >mat...@peckham.compulink.co.uk
> >says...
> >
> >>For example I could not have physically taken the photographs that I worked
> >>from to paint my series of paintings in the installation "Blemishes"
> >>currently viewable at http://www.compulink.co.uk/~peckham/Blemishes.html as
> >>some of the varicose veins and scars are round the back on me.
Uh, there is an amazing invention called a "Mirror". I think you can find
one at a furniture store or a hardware store. You may have to paint on
the back of the canvas to reverse the image though.
--
Rick Blanchard z¬
WWW pages:
'da trains!' -- http://members.aol.com/Ntrainszo/web/
SLIM RAILS -- http:members.aol.com/izoi/slim-rails/slim.html
home page - http://members.aol.com/izoi/web/
blanchard design -- http://members.aol.com/rkdatazo/web/
rb Art -- http://members.aol.com/rbArtzo/web/
Urban Eagle Designs -- http://members.aol.com/urbaneagle/web/
Barbie Kew
In article <31833C...@sd.znet.com>, bde...@sd.znet.com says...
>Uh, there is an amazing invention called a "Mirror". I think you can find
>one at a furniture store or a hardware store. You may have to paint on
>the back of the canvas to reverse the image though.
This is a very real problem that most people do not realize -- the reversal
of image when an artist does a self-portrait using a mirror. What happens
is the painting ends up being more like the mirror image (assuming the
artist is able to capture a good likeness) than the actual image of the
artist as others see them.
It is therefore more accurate, if a self-portrait is wanted, to work from a
photograph. Then you at least have the moles, scars, and other odd
features on the correct side of the head.
A mirror provides an excellent means of getting a correct idea of the
size of the head though. Take any marker that will mark glass -- wax
crayon -- and outline your features on the glass. If you've never done
this you might be amazed at how small your head is in comparison
to the canvas you are preparing to work on. For example, a common
canvas size is 18 X 24 inches. My head measures only about 6 1/2
by 9 inches. But when I painted the self-portrait on the 18 X 24
canvas, the head ended up much enlarged to 9 X 14 inches.
Matthew Carey
In article <4m02kg$d...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>,
Bar...@smoke.com (Barbie Kew) wrote:
>In article <31833C...@sd.znet.com>, bde...@sd.znet.com says...
>
>>Uh, there is an amazing invention called a "Mirror". I think you can find
>>one at a furniture store or a hardware store. You may have to paint on
>>the back of the canvas to reverse the image though.
>
>This is a very real problem that most people do not realize -- the reversal
>of image when an artist does a self-portrait using a mirror. What happens
>is the painting ends up being more like the mirror image (assuming the
>artist is able to capture a good likeness) than the actual image of the
>artist as others see them.
>
>It is therefore more accurate, if a self-portrait is wanted, to work from a
>photograph. Then you at least have the moles, scars, and other odd
>features on the correct side of the head.
>
I used two mirrors at right angles to one another to correct this. I did
mean that I painted myself not looking out at the viewer, (my brief
flirtation with a large socialist realist scale self portraiture (eg self
portrait as worker-hero)) this can be quite handy.
Matthew Carey
In article <31833C...@sd.znet.com>,
R Blanchard <bde...@sd.znet.com> wrote:
>Matthew Carey wrote:
>>
>> In article <4lgjqs$g...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>,
>> Bar...@smoke.com (Barbie Kew) wrote:
>>
>> >In article <ADA0342C9...@peckham.compulink.co.uk>,
>> >mat...@peckham.compulink.co.uk
>> >says...
>> >
>> >>For example I could not have physically taken the photographs that I worked
>> >>from to paint my series of paintings in the installation "Blemishes"
>> >>currently viewable at http://www.compulink.co.uk/~peckham/Blemishes.html as
>> >>some of the varicose veins and scars are round the back on me.
>...etc...
>
>Uh, there is an amazing invention called a "Mirror". I think you can find
>one at a furniture store or a hardware store. You may have to paint on
>the back of the canvas to reverse the image though.
>
Yes mirrors, periscopes etc. etc. even classes in yoga and contortionism.
These are all tools and techniques and I and every other artist uses the
tool that seems most appropriate to the idea of the art work.
If one was a certain sort of artist it might be important that someone else
actually painted the picture in totality.
Matthew Carey
http://www.compulink.co.uk/~peckham/
Charles Eicher
In article <ADAB0185...@peckham.compulink.co.uk>,
mat...@peckham.compulink.co.uk (Matthew Carey) wrote:
> I used two mirrors at right angles to one another to correct this. I did
> mean that I painted myself not looking out at the viewer, (my brief
> flirtation with a large socialist realist scale self portraiture (eg self
> portrait as worker-hero)) this can be quite handy.
There was an artist who made mirrors like that, except that it was a
clever arrangement of semi-transparent mirrors. It was just like looking
into a regular mirror, except you see your image non-mirror reversed. I
saw a little video segment on TV about his mirrors, it was really funny
watching people trying to comb their hair or put on makeup in these
'backwards' mirrors..
--
----------------
Charles Eicher
cei...@inav.net
----------------
Barbie Kew
In article <ceicher-2904...@dip47.inav.net>, cei...@inav.net says...
>There was an artist who made mirrors like that, except that it was a
>clever arrangement of semi-transparent mirrors. It was just like looking
>into a regular mirror, except you see your image non-mirror reversed. I
>saw a little video segment on TV about his mirrors, it was really funny
>watching people trying to comb their hair or put on makeup in these
>'backwards' mirrors..
I saw something similar. I had forgotten all about it. I wonder if those
mirrors were ever actually manufactured and marketed. Rear-view
mirrors on autos work somewhat similar -- those that you can turn
down to prevent headlight glare at night. They have two reflecting
elements, the front one being transparent.
On the same subject, I know an artist who made his early name
by painting himself and others as reflected in one of those fun-house
mirrors that distorts the reflection. All of his figures were stretched
(elongated) vertically, including a series of self portraits. You can
see this effect by bending a mirrored piece of plexiglass, if you
can find one. Or use any highly reflective chromed surface.