Scar Tissue

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Vase, stage one:

burnt sienna and alizarin underpainting wash

Vase, stage two:

underpainting time. back in august, i did a bunch of sketches of spines, backs, with scars running down them. the next day, i went over to my twin sister's apartment and her roommate was wearing a shirt with some of her back showing. and get this: she had a surgical scar running right down her spine. amazing. what're the odds, right?? so i asked if ic ould use her for a painting, (in the name of art, i'm not that afraid to ask, because you never know) and of course she said "yes". i was like a kid on christmas morning knowing my vision was in the process of coming to life. so this is her back, but the rest is from my sketches. the drapery and color scheme was inspired by greek and roman statues, (think of the iconic Venus di Milo) and how gorgeous and respected she is as an icon of beauty- and then you realize she's broken, she has no arms. that's the reason i went for this particular style

Vase, stage three.

after an all-nighter... very memorable, i truly enjoyed this night. my sketchbook sprawled on the floor... what a lovely mess it was. anyways, most of the first layer had been dried underneath, so I began adding in the real flesh tones and shading on the back muscles... but i was struggling with the face! i didn't have a reference for it, just a sketch. me being me, i only take my own photos, google images make me feel like i'm cheating... so i needed to solve this before the next night!

Vase, stage four, completion.

funny story about how i completed the face: i went to my ancient art and architecture class after nearly completing the painting the night before, and i looked up while zoning out, and a girl with the same skin tones, profile and lighting i needed was sitting a few desks ahead of me, so i took a crappy photo of her using my iphone, (of course i asked her permission first, silly) and it worked out amazingly. to that, i say good night! here's the process of the whole painting below: