Costumes
 

I know most here do commissioned portraits rather than figuratives, but this may interest you as well.

I am having an attack of Ebay mania. (My eyes are bleeding from all the surfing).

I was originally doing a search on the web for vintage nightgowns for paintings...moved on to just vintage and ended up on Ebay. I live in an area where there is a National Park with a historic Fort - picture old west and indians. I wanted to find 'prairie' style dresses to do a theme-based figurative. Anyway - I have just now realized that if you can come up with the name of what you want exactly - you can always find it - at a bargain no less.

Some of these vintage outfits are so timeless they could actually be used for a variety of portraits, figuratives, etc.

Not only do I have 3 dresses and 1 nightgown on their way for models- but I have so many ideas running through my head just from viewing the different clothes.

And the really exciting part is I have decided to dress like a 1950's housewife from now on..... (someone stop me).

Ahem - it is a great resource for inspiration. Just dont get carried away and all. I have to go now - my husband is coming to take the credit cards away.....

Hi Kim,

You make me laugh. You DON'T want to dress fifties housewife - PLEASE ! ! ! !

I am looking forward to seeing the figurative paintings you will be creating with this new wardrobe. I so enjoy watching your paintings develop.

Have fun!

ps If I were to dress "period" style I would go back to the old cowboy days when women wore the saddle-girths which made the waist appear small and the bust - busting and who cared about the size of the hips!! That was a look I wish would come back

You got a problem with Donna Reed? ;)

Not if I could have the perfect husband and children and neighborhood she had!!!

It is back, out here in the west. Just check out Cowboys & Indians Magazine.

I have a collection of '50s aprons that are, well, charming in an "Anthropologie" way. The problem is that if I wear one somebody starts thinking that I'm about to start cooking or cleaning, and I hate to raise expectations.

Pino is a big fan of the apron, too.

By the way, Morgan Weistling employs a seamstress to create the clothes his models wear for his paintings.

Linda - those 50's aprons are so sexy sometimes - way too pretty to wear when actually cooking. The ones I keep seeing online are the little ones that tie around the waist and often are made of filmy material and transparent.

I wondered about Weistling and his costumes. Dan Gerhartz shops at flea markets for his at times.

The Costume Queen,
 

Namely moi!

Sargent had costumes made as well as Paxton and Degas.

I have had at least 10 tutus made, Meschantes corsetiere made me about 7 custom corsets, my seamstress made me about 7 puffy sleeved tops and I have bought countless wigs, ballet slippers and other frou-frous. This does not of course neglect the lace camisoles on eBay or the sashes purchased out of New York.

It is a wonderful way to make a picture your own. Of course this means my own wardrobe has taken a severe hit. But as they say if you can't afford to be chic, be outrageous.

Another suggestion, don't try to recreate the past and make ye old pictures, use the costumes to make your own statement.

Oh Sharon would I like to go through your closets!

I just wish one thing - that I was the same size as the girls I get to model - how I would have fun wearing this stuff. It is almost reason enough to go on a diet. (almost).

Just a note - I am not recreating 'olden days' - I wanted flowy, romantic clothing...no particular style. I've fallen in love with Gunne Sax dresses. They sometimes look 'prairie' and sometimes 'renaissance' - very feminine anyways.

Ditto that, Sharon, your closet full of tutus sounds wonderful! A custom corset - I wouldn't have thought of that.

Here's what I have in addition to antique nightgowns:
-Kimonos (not enough of them)
-Capes
-Long evening gloves, including fingerless ones
-Old hats
-Piano shawls, scarves, big bolts of fabric for wrapping things (and people)
-Collection of bird wings in the freezer
-18th century British naval officer white pants (just joking on that one, sorry, couldn't resist)

I also have a network of friends who are authorized to snap up things for me (maximum purchase price, twenty dollars) that they think I might like in their forays into the world of Neat Old Stuff. What I really want right now is a fantastic portrait chair.

Kimonos and capes - those are two things on my list, but havent found in my price range yet.

OK- my question is - why are the bird wings in your freezer? And has anyone ever defrosted one for dinner by accident? Did you pluck these off living birds (I will see you in a different light if the answer is yes!) - and just out of pure curiosity - what are they for exactly?

Here is a funny thing - we just moved to a ranch for perhaps as little as a year for the husbands work - so the kids of course got a 4-wheeler and have bugged me for a horse. That was easy to say no to - since we'd most likely have to get rid of it later...but - my father-n-law almost has me convinced to get chickens (there are tons of corrals and coops here for all types of animals). The only reason I may say yes to the chickens is if I can get a colorful rooster and make it tame so I can get it in a painting! The kids are just shaking their heads at me - I choose pets (and just about everything else) based on whether I can paint them.

This is for my postponed angel project, see: http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...4&page=2&pp=10 (I have received an amazing number of very interesting private emails about this post, by the way.)

I love birds and would never hurt one! I paint with one on my shoulder.

Tastes like chicken!

I was just messing with you - I've seen your bird. A little on the bald side, but many people I love are on that side as well ;)

Kimberly,

If I were ever to wear one of my costumes in public,
I in all likelyhood be chaperoned to the nearest loony-bin.

Linda,

The corsets are fabulous. The make great painting shapes and keep the model from slumping. One of my students in the apparel depatment at RISD turned me on to them. She also knew the best and most reasonable sites. That can make a difference. I bought two corsets on Ebay, both about the same price. One fitted beautifully (the Ms. Antionette), the other was poorly made and fitted poorly (the Kiss Proof Girls).

I have had very good luck with www.meschantes.com. She made some of the corsets for the movie Moulin Rouge. They are made and fit beautifully, plus being quite reasonable.
You can also have one made for yourself for the holidays.
They REALLY give a girl's chest an eye popping lift!

The officers pants. Were they removed from the subject in the imagination?

Halloween, you mean?

As far as the white pants are concerned, don't you think it's time for a male corporate clothing revolution? Haven't we had enough dull navy or gray suits? Women portrait artists, I challenge us to demand more interesting male sartorial choices for our subjects!

Here's one of the paintings I sketched on a recent visit to the National Gallery in London. It's Sir Joshua Reynold's "General Sir Banastre Tarleton." The subject was not nice to Americans during the Revolutionary War ( including an attempt to pick off Thomas Jefferson) but I love Reynold's dramatic painting of him.

Linda,

I was thinking more on the line of making your own holiday wearing one of them.

I cannot count the number of people who have told me, DO CORPORATE PORTRAITS!. THAT IS WHERE THE MONEY IS! You will make a fortune. I would if I could have some suits screen printed on innumerable canvasses and just have to paint the heads in. Two variations would work for most; one in a blue suit with a flag for polititians and one in a grey suit with bookcases for executives and lawyers.

Maybe we can convince our male clients to try something new in the way of costuming. Wearing a corset ourselves during the initial meeting may go a long way in convincing them. If they decide later after a consultation like that they should go elsewhere for their portrait, I say they have no imagination, on to the next!

Oh to do male portraits like the Reynolds!

I appreciate those snazzy pants in Reynolds painting, but does anyone else feel unnerved by the direction of that canon?

You guys....! This thread has given me my full dose of laughs for the day. (Much needed after 10 hours at the easel!)

Actually right now I'm painting a portrait of a man with very muscular thighs in tight white pants. You'll have to wait a couple of weeks to find out more....

Sharon,
Those corsets are gorgeous! Personally I like the ivory and black.

Linda,
Nice sketch.

Michele, Perhaps you have overlooked the "Works in Progress" section?

Michele,

If you are painting the gentleman at any time from life, I would suggest using the hands on approach for measurements to insure accuracy.

Chris,

I had that same corset made (unfortunately not for me) in pale celadon green. Delicious!

Actually girls, I WAS thinking of having one made for me for special occasions. After all Jane Fonda wore one even when she was over 60. Everybody wore them at the turn of the century, even the old croakers. After pricing Prada et. al a custom made corset is a bargain. It would fit better than something off the rack and you could have a skirt made to match at the fraction of the cost of designer duds. Have you seen the runway fashions for the last few years, corsets, corsets, corsets!

Can boys play here too?

Bill Whitaker likes to quip that he has more dresses than his wife does!

I find it interesting that I have a new found interest in clothing for both men and women and am constantly in search of cool drapes, clothes and props for paintings. I have a growing collection of drapes, scarves, dresses, puffy shirts, swords, chairs, vases, etc.

I recently found a lady friend of my wife who had several Kimonos direct from Japan. She loaned them to us and I got a wonderful model to sit for a couple of hours of sketching and photos.

What a gorgeous photo, Michael. Will we be seeing a portrait based on this any time soon, in the unveiling section?

Well, not too soon Michele. I have two big commissions I am working right now and they will take me into next year.

So many paintings, so little time... :)

Can you tell us about those? Do they involve some of your interesting old costumes and props? They must be big and or elaborate paintings, to keep you busy for months.

Let's all get them and wear them at the next PSA convention.

Sharon, as I clicked through the corset site, awash with self-pity and lower lip trembling, I realized to my horror that I have never worn anything strapless in my life. As I say to my clients, don't wait until you becomes better looking to do anything! Things generally just get worse. It is also not a good idea, at least in my case, to wait until you become more sophisticated.

On the other hand I think I would look swell dressed up as a British sea captain.

Michele, you corseted wench! The mind boggles! Bullfighter? Russian acrobat?


Michael,

This is a fabulous photo, and I am so jealous! Congratulations on your commissions, too, and can we see some works in progress from you?

Micheal,

Beautiful photo. My next painting will be of one of my former sudents, a 5'9" Japanese girl. However, she too will be a ballerina, albeit an odd one.

Linda,

Why not! You can take as many inches off your waist as you can stand, usually 2-4" for a corset beginner. There are some dedicated corset afficionados out there and they can get quite fetishy. You should see the brochure that came with my Ms. Antionette corset I got on Ebay. It put a blush on these maidenly New England cheeks.

"Can boys play here too?"
 

Michael,

I'm sorry forgot to address that part of your query. Certainly! I don't know in what way you plan to frolic, but www.meschantes.com does make a stunning corset for gentlemen.

!!!!!

Mu-ha-ha!

It is apparently girls-night out. Can I hear an Amen!?

This reminds me - I have a gay relative for years who has tried to get me to paint figuratives themed towards that population - on the theory that they have fewer children, are professionals and have more disposable income. I have declined, but how is that for a marketing idea?

Well Sharon, corsets are not in my wardrobe, but I have a few friends who would love them. :)

Michele: I have a webpage for the first one already up. We have just signed the contract, and done the initial photography. I am going back this evening to reshoot the gentleman's head. The webpage is www.fineportraitsinoil.com/kennedy.htm. I put this up so the client can follow along as I work.

The other portrait is a portrait of a lady who wants to be portrayed as a victorian lady. She has had a dress custom made in the edwardian style of green satin and plans to have all of the props - from the bag to the feather fan to the dance card. I am going to paint her at the bottom of a grand staircase. The painting will be 40x60 inches. I am scared of it at the moment.... :)

Thanks for the info, Michael, and for the link to your site. Do you add updates to the web page as the work for your client progresses?

The painting of the lady on the stairs with all her props and costumes sounds magnificent, and intimidating. I can imagine how you must feel!

Seeing the photos of what's on your easel reminded me that I want to start a section on SOG like Cennini's "What's on the Easel" for each month. It would be great to see what everyone is up to.

Michael,

You're a good sport. It takes courage for most men to step into a lingeree department.

You'll do just fine, I'm sure, with your next commission. May I suggest you get a hold of the only book available on William MacGregor Paxton. I got mine at my local library, there was only one in the entire state. If you have an all state library system similiar to ours you may be able to locate one. There is one available, I believe on Alibris, but it is quite pricey, as this beautiful book is no longer in print.

The reason I am suggesting this is he did a similiar painting. He had a 90's dress made and did a painting of it. It was interestingly enough, green satin. It might be worth a look.

I hope this helps.

Michele: Yes, I will post updates to the page as I proceed. The page is really meant fo the client to see it and for them to get their friends and family to go to the site and view it as well. It actually works as a nice bit of advertising for me as others come and see and maybe, just maybe, want one for themselves. :)

BTW: Went this evening and got a better shot of his face that I will be posting in the next few days.

Sharon: Will look for the book on Paxton. - sounds interesting. I am going to be thinking "Sargeant" and "Reynolds" when I do that particular work. It might serve me to think "Paxton" too.