Visibility, or trying to transform from Painter to NAME.

[Debra Jones]

I ran into Carol Norton at our local art league this evening and had my painting voted best of the month for the year end competition. I was happy. It is the demonstration piece I did for a bridal fair.
I was invited and tried my best to have a range of samples that I could at least throw together in a sample brochure.
I will do the others in a second post but I was telling her how the final product was made from a collection of goodies and the gown was toilet paper wrapped around my WILLIAM WHITAKER Spiderman doll! The 18" high incredibly articulated toy that stands on its own. I use it a LOT for working out physical positioning and wanted a look of super heavy gown with no actual gown.

My primary reference was a pose by Athene one of our favorite models, from a session at the school where she did slow dance moves. I asked if I could photograph her and tried to tip generously with the resulting stack of great reference shots. I have done three watercolors already and have plans for at least one more and lots of variations.

The original pose was a very angular African look and I liked the massing of the hair and the gesture of the bottom (also a ring finger) hand. I digitized it all out in my computer to create a reference and began working on the sketch. But I am horrible at drapery.

Thinking I was on to something with the concept, I did my little tailoring on the mortified Spidy and then glued them all together in a composite. At the demonstration I had blocked in tones and rough values and finished all the skin and facial details in front of the public.

Finally, I took all the detailed photos and rendered them with a little inspirational headpiece. My friend who makes Renaissance Gowns suggested stripped feathers. Like in the forties. Just the ends in little chevrons, not a veil, not a flower, just a flutter of white.

So here are the parts that went into the whole.