Thursday 15 May 2008

Unfinished business

How do you rate a success? How do you decide whether something has gone right? Mmm... not always by the end result, but sometimes by the journey itself, I think. And that is how I view the most recent painting I've done of Hornymaleuk and my female model. The event was a success, the creative process was a success, but at the moment the finished product isn't wholly a success. It certainly needs more work doing on it, and I can possibly do it without the pair of them posing together for me (because due to logistics it may take a while to organise it). So, I may be able to do it by my imagination alone, but I certainly need to think about how to do that as well.............



So, on to the occasion......... it was good to see Hornymaleuk again, since I've not seen him for a few months, and as he and the model have met before there was no need for breaking the ice between them, they know each others personalities and characters well enough. We had a drink to start, which gave us all time to relax, the mutual telling of dirty jokes also helping somewhat!!


Then, the decision regarding the pose. I had come up with a few ideas before seeing them both so we all discussed the possibilities of using them, the pros and cons, the likelihood of aches, pains, muscle cramps and pins and needles ensuing. Then, since my poses were deemed unworkable in the long term, we worked around finding different poses for them to work with. All this was done with their clothes on, with me walking around them looking for the best angles, composition, lighting and "eroticness" of the poses. There's a very fine line between pornographic and erotic. And in turn, erotic and lifedrawing. For instance, if the man in the composition hasn't got an erection, then it can't be erotic, but if he has then it can sometimes be deemed to be pornographic! And since Hornymaleuk and the female model weren't actually going to HAVE sex, I had to give the impression that they WERE whilst they actually WEREN'T. MMMmm....... so, more thoughts regarding the poses working properly as an erotic image.....

FINALLY, we found a pose we were all happy with. Eureka! But even though it takes time, and I know that it usually does, I have to persevere with it because there is absolutely NO point in going for the first pose I think of, if the models are going to be in untold agonies within three minutes of starting it. It's ok for a photographic pose, because the model only needs to hold the pose for a few seconds, but not for an artists model (and I'm a quick painter!).


So, the pose worked fine, mostly, except the female model had to break quite a bit as there was too much pressure on her hands, but on the whole she did really well, and certainly the pose was easier for Hornymaleuk since he most mostly just lying on his back with a luscious woman sitting on top of him. Sigh. And we call this work!


So, do I like the finished picture? Mmmm..... yeeeessssssss, BUT, (and its a big but), the picture isn't finished. So don't view it like it is. Just count this as a work in progress picture, half done, with the gist of the emotions and eroticness of the image, but it is the under painting, leading on to the finished image. It's *part* of the creative process, and I have hesitated and wondered about showing it to you at this stage, because you're BOUND to look at it and think "that's crap". So, don't look at it as DONE, look at it as part of the journey of getting *there*....... where-ever "there" is! And I don't know where it is, until I get there! So, if you're gonna be critical, I'll listen, but with only half an ear................ cos it's only half done.


There's some aspects of it I really love, and some I really hate, some parts need a lot more work doing on them, on some of the lines, and shapes, on the negative shapes, the divisions of colours, the blending of colours, the lighting, the shadows, well, everything, really!!! I love the use of red, cream, black and gold, so I'm happy with the choice of colours at least! and I think it's a powerful pose, and I think it is erotic as a pose!!


And, as a further comment, it was nice after I'd finished painting, to finally relax (because painting is hard work, and I need to fully concentrate when I'm painting) and sit down and share a bottle of wine with Hornymaleuk and discuss our various worlds and the people who inhabit them. And it was really good to chat with a fellow blogger, in real life.

22 comments:

Vi said...

I bet it must have been such a chore for HMUK to be in that position! lol

Jackie Adshead said...

Vi - Well, yes, but we have to suffer for art, sometimes!!! lol

Luka said...

We are always our own harshest critics... I am very much looking forward to seeing the finished work. Love the red, cream and gold. Very sensuous.

Jackie Adshead said...

Luka - yes, I suppose we are. But I think if my artwork passes my critical eye, then I can deal with anyone else's comments regarding it.

I'm glad you like the colour scheme, it adds to the eroticness of the picture. That's got me thinking, I wonder if an image would be as sexy if it was painted in greens? I don't think it would somehow!

nitebyrd said...

The emotion comes screaming out of the painting even though it's still in progress.

No, it wouldn't have the same power in blue, green or any other color. It's the passion of the reds that give the painting it's overall power.

Indi said...

So what is she doing? Is he having a heart attack? Any-one phoned for an ambulance?.........Lol

Jackie Adshead said...

Nitebyrd - Wow, does it?

Yes, red for passion! Green for serenity. Blue for tranquility. I'll stick with reds then! :)

Jackie Adshead said...

Indigo - lol - no I don't think he's having a heart attack, at least that wasn't the intention I was trying to portray! :)

Indi said...

Well the pose does ooze eroticism. Looks like a difficult pose to hold though, praise goes to the models... for sure

Jackie Adshead said...

Indigo - Yes, it does look like a difficult pose to hold, especially for the woman.

I'm glad it oozes eroticism, I like ooze!

Spiky Zora Jones said...

Oh my...I want to model for you in some of these positions.

babes...you are a wonderful artist and you have that style that just gets my blood excited. I love it. I think if you were half done, it too would look wondeeful..you have that way of painting, that way that brings out the dreamer in a person

Very well done...Wonderful. Bravo mon cheri.

Anonymous said...

Mmmm .... I love her nipples! Very rich and exotic colour scheme. Can't wait to see the finished work.

Lucy Felthouse said...

I like it!! I know you can't add much detail to his face because of anonymity reasons, but it would be nice to see... he almost appears to be a secondary part of the image.

The sexy lady is definitely the focus - and the lucky so and so looks like she's enjoying herself! Hehe xx

nitebyrd said...

Ooze. Such a lucious word. It's hard to bring in into a lot of conversations though.

Jackie Adshead said...

Spiky - Well, you can pose for me in these positions, what's stopping you? (other than a couple of continents and the Atlantic!) lol

..... and I like the way you say I bring out the dreamer in a person, I like that a lot!

Jackie Adshead said...

Racy redhead - yeh, the colour scheme is rich and exotic - I'm really happy with that part of it!

Jackie Adshead said...

Lucy - I've got to put more detail in for the mans face, and give his body more form, but it may be a made up face, to hide his anonymity. I'm glad you think she looks like she's enjoying herself - I suppose she ought to look like she is, in that position!!! :)

Jackie Adshead said...

Nitebyrd - ooze....Mmmm.... yes it is a luscious word, but I'm sure you can use it to describe a lot of things - the way a glutinous chocolate centre oozes out of a cake, or raspberry jam out of a doughnut, or toothpaste oozes out of a tube, but I think it really suits a sexual connotation - the way a sexy woman oozes sex appeal, and hopefully my art oozes eroticism..... mmmm...... lovely word! I'll try and use it more often!

Anonymous said...

Jackie
It was good to meet you and your female model again. We haven't seen each other for ages!
People may think I had the easy part, just lying on the floor with a naked woman on top of me, but as we discovered during the session, it was a difficult pose for both of us.
You expressed your concerns about the image at the time and I would be very interested in seeing the final version.
Also, many thanks for the wine and the chat. I'll bring the bottle next time!

Jackie Adshead said...

Hornymaleuk - yes, it was good to see you again. I think any pose is difficult, no matter how *easy* it looks! Certainly, the picture needs more work doing on it, and I'll show you when I get chance to do that.

I enjoyed our chat over the bottle of wine and look forward to doing it again - and Merlot would be very nice, if you're bringing red wine!

Anonymous said...

Merlot beats Chianti any day, at the prices I can afford!!

Jackie Adshead said...

Hornymaleuk - Merlot beats anything, as far as I'm concerned! (although Shiraz comes a close second) :)