Title: 50's Pin Up
Medium: Acrylic on Maple Deck Skateboard Size: 8.25 in x 28 in Inspiration: Fiona Stephenson, Pearl Frush, Pin Up style, figure drawing, Skateboard culture Exhibition Text: In this piece I wanted to create a skateboard that would attract the eye of the viewer. The beauty of a female surely did the trick. I took inspiration from Fiona Stephenson because she is a Modern Retro Pin Up artist. She is trying (and succeeding) to bring embody the style of the pin up era and that's exactly what I wanted to do when making this piece. The clothing, hairstyle and style in which the piece is painted in gives a feeling of nostalgia for the 50's. Inspiration:
One of my inspirations for this skateboard was Fiona Stephenson. She is a modern retro Pin Up artist from the U.K Fiona who paints traditionally in oil on canvas. Her work gives a nastolgic feel of the American Pin Up Era of the 40's, 50's, and 60's. She follows in the footsteps of pin up artists such as Gil Elvgren, George Petty, Joyce Ballantyne, Zoe Mozert and Pearl Frush. I tried to stay consistent with her style but I chose to use a medium I was more comfortable with. Instead of using what she uses, seems to either be gouache or water colour. Her style was very fun to recreate because of the old time feel and the beautiful subject manner. |
Sketches/Process:
The process behind creating the painting on the skateboard was very simple. I found an online resource that allowed me to skin still life models. The website is a resource for any artist to use to get more practice with their life drawings. It gave me some ideas for the poses I could use on the skateboard (shown below) but I ended up going with a more filling design on the skateboard (sketch on the right). The reference picture I used to sketch inspired be because of the model's beauty and because the clothes were the look I was trying to go for from the 40's and 50's. Process (contd.):
In order to have a good surface to transfer and start painting the skateboard I had to clean it up a bit. Sanding the skateboard was a pain because although it was a blank deck it still had a glossy finish. I ended up using a sanding block using a really coarse sand paper to roughen up the finish (which took a LONG time and made a mess). Then I proceeded to sanding the deck once more, this time using an electric palm sander with a finer sandpaper to give it the smoothness I needed to have the paint stick to the surface. After the sketch and the sanding was done I transferred the image onto the skateboard. No primer or gesso was used on the deck. After it was done painting I taped off the painted section and spray lacquered the remaining visible wood to bring out the wood grain and topped off the whole deck (at this point the painted area uncovered) with a glossy clear coat to help preserve it from any wear and tear. This was strictly meant to be a show piece at first but I now want to take some "in-action" pictures . **WILL POST DOWN BELOW OR LINKED IF I DO TAKE LIVE ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE DECK IN USE** |
Difficulties:
Although this project was a lot of fun I did run into a few difficulties and made a few mistakes along the way. Even though the canvas I was using (skate deck) shouldn't have been a huge deal, it was a problem right off the bat because it couldn't handle the paint right away as it stood. It was a blank deck but with a gloss finish. I tested out how well it would hold paint as it was and it turns out not so well, I had to end up prepping the deck by sanding it twice. Once with a rough sanding block and the second with a finer-smoother sand paper. Now I know that for future reference. I plan on doing at least one more skateboard as another project for this school year (2015). I also had a lot of difficulty trying to match skin tones. I went through 3 different technique/tutorials before I could find the right one. I found it difficult to keep blending the same skin tone from primary colors so I found an already blended "skin tone" at the local art store and added hints of brown or white to darken and lighten it up accordingly to what I needed. Made my life a thousand times easier. HOWEVER! The biggest mistake I made that I did not realize until AFTER I completed the painting was that half of the model's face was going the be cover by the truck assembly and the wheels. After I take some live action pictures of the skateboard in use the board will be strictly a show piece. Will DEFINITELY use that bit of information for future reference. Over this was a fun project to do. I'm very proud of the final outcome and will be sure to use all my newfound knowledge from the mistakes made to redeem myself on a future deck design. |