A conclusion....of sorts.

I've found this research project really helpful. It has opened my eyes to the world of photorealism and i've learnt a lot about the processes it involves. I've found out that the main material used to create a realistic painting seem to be oil paints as they blend well and create smooth images without many lines. One of the popular techniques used seems to be the air brush. This is definitely a technique that takes a while to perfect.

I really enjoyed doing my own photorealist painting and although it wasn't perfect I was very pleased with the final outcome of my first attempt. It has definitely made me want to keep trying to perfect my skills in becoming a photorealist painter, although I do need to learn to be patient and just keep trying and realise that making mistakes is part of the learning process!

I think I probably could have researched into a few more books and found out a bit more about the techniques and processes but I think i will definitely continue this project and keep researching as i have found it very interesting and useful information.

I think the next personal project I get in scenic I am going to attempt to do a face, maybe in the style of Alyssa Monks as I think her work is beautiful and the way she captures the water and condensation in her shower paintings fascinates me. I feel it would be a very challenging project to take on.....not sure if i'm ready for it but...got to start somewhere!

I think I might invest in some oil paintings and attempt a few easier smaller paintings at home like the Pedro Campos coke can.

I stumbled upon hyper-realism during my research project and a bit of trompe l'oeil. I'm going to research into them a bit as I find both of them really interesting areas. Especially trompe l'oeil street art. I think there is a very close connection between photorealism and trompe l'oeil as they both go hand in hand at fooling the viewer that the painting/drawing is real. Im definitely going to look into this more.

I was trying to find some videos of photorealism painting in the making but I found this video on you tube of a guy doing a photorealism picture on his computer. Its incredible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu27-8x6yxw

And heres a little trompe l'oeil chalk art just for fun.

http://www.tickld.com/content.php?contentID=1393

Bring on spring.

I've been busy making jackets in costume. 3 to be exact! As well as making a dress for myself. Stupidly I fell in love with the pattern on a chiffon material and bought it and now i'm dealing with the consequences of my actions. Chiffon is not an easy material to work with. I'm getting there with a little help from the costume girls. I've got the hard part done, the darts in the front. Now I've got to do some french seams then attach it to the under-dress and hopefully it will be a beautiful masterpiece so I can move onto my next dress! I've asked for a sewing machine for my birthday so then I can start churning out the clothes!
It will be a shame to leave costume, i'm not fussed about doing an elective, i'd be quite happy just doing a major and minor but hey, those are the rules.

After Jamie mentioned the renaissance period and my photorealist techniques I've had a little look into it and found this interesting website which explains David Hockneys' ideas and why they should not be taken seriously.
http://www.goodart.org/hockney.htm

Hockneys' theory was that back in the renaissance times they didn't know how to paint and that they had to use  camera obscuras and curved mirrors, like a projector, and that they would then trace the image.
Hockney analysed the work of the 'old masters' and argued that level of accuracy that they produced is impossible to create by 'eyeballing it' Since then Hockney and physicist Charles Falco (who was also an expert in optics) have produced a number of publications on positive evidence of the use of optical aids.

Hockney's book prompted intense debate among artists and art historians. In particular it has spurred increased interest in the actual methods and techniques of artists among scientists and historians of art and science. The historians have in general reacted unfavorably and think that Hockney and Falco's theory is an accusation that the old masters 'cheated' and intentionally obscured their methods.
Art historians have criticized Hockney's argument on the grounds that the use of optical aids has little value for explaining the overall development of western art, and that historical records and paintings and photographs of art studios, as well as present day realist artists, demonstrate that high levels of realism are possible without optical aids.

Bits and bobs.

I found a website of a guy who has interviewed a few photorealism artists including Louis K Meisel, who came up with the term "photorealism". Its a pretty interesting read. Take a look....
http://db-artmag.com/en/54/feature/really-nice-guys-louis-k.-meisel-on-photorealisms-beginnings/

I also came across a website which has a list of 10 painters. One of whom is Yigal Ozeri. I thought it was a photo at first. The blurred background and detail in the creases of the dress and hair is beautiful.

This is a link to the website http://www.unstage.com/2010/05/10-photorealistic-painters/

I find it really interesting how much variety you get in photorealist paintings. A lot seem to focus on faces and figures and there are also quite a few which involve water. I haven't really come across many that are architectural or which focus on animals. Im sure there are some out there just waiting for me to discover. I think i find the ones with people and faces and expressions the most fascinating. I think because an expression can show so much its all about how you capture it. I probably find them the most fascinating because I cant do people or faces. I cant get the perspective right so seeing someone who can paint every last detail and crease and capture exactly what the person is feeling is amazing. I've learnt so much during this research project, not only that there are hundreds of photo realist artists but also its origins, how it began and an insight into the techniques and styles different artists use. I've just got to keep practicing....

Research project!

A little background into Photorealism

The 1960s was full of controversy in the art world. Minimalism and Pop Art paved the way for Photorealism by challenging people to consider pieces like Kasimir Malevich’s “Black Cross” as true art. Some have described Photorealism as a reaction to Minimalism. In 1992, Vivien Raynor wrote in the “New York Times” that Photorealism “came out of Pop yet had the affectlessness of Minimalism and, at the same time, capitalized on the public's fondness for exact replication.” 

Black Cross

 Photorealists began with the camera as a device for recording the naked truth of their subject matter on film. Then they used a technical, if not scientific, methodology for painting the image captured on film. Observers could then react to the pure truth produced in the systematic process. Thomas Albright, an art critic for the “San Francisco Chronicle,” once said that “intervention between the painting and objects served to neutralize the original subject of the picture.” 

This art movement continued into the 1970s at its peak, and some artists continued the approach for the next few decades. Photorealism was international, not just limited to American artists. The leader of Photorealism in the 1960s was Richard Estes. He graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1956 and relocated to the art world in New York City. Estes would always use the camera to create images that would be useful for his representational paintings. 

Early on, Estes specialized in urban landscapes and had solo exhibitions with this title. Later, he turned to European subjects and sea landscapes. In 1967’s “Figures in Cafeteria,” Estes reflected the influence of Impressionism in the artistic rendering of indoor light and the clothing details of the cafeteria diners. The total effect is a moment captured in time with a reassuring sense of motion. 

Richard Estes painting

Richard Estes 

Some art historians describe New Image painting in conjunction with Photorealism, but painters were already creating representational paintings from press clippings and other sources before the Photorealists in the late 1960s. In the 1960s and 1970s, artists succeeded in forever altering conceptions of art through new imagery. 

Ralph Goings is another American painter loosely associated with the Photorealism movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He studied art at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California.
He’s best known for his highly detailed paintings of diners, pick-up trucks, and California banks, portrayed in a deliberately objective manner.  

Photorealists like Richard Estes and Ralph Goings continued to focus on Realism and used other media to create representational images, including pen and ink, pastels, and prints, in the 1980s and beyond.

A new year and back to uni.

Happy new year! 
Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and new year. I had a great time down south with my boyfriends family. We went on a day trip to Brighton and visited the Brighton Pavillion. Wow, that place is absolutely beautiful. If I owned my own flat I would definitely use what I saw there as inspiration to decorating some of my rooms!

Brighton Pavillion hallway

So I didn't manage to get my hummingbird painting finished in time for Christmas. I got quite a lot done but I got ill the last 2 weeks of uni and just had no motivation to do any painting after uni. I also didn't even get my Coke can painting started. I will definitely start it and work on it in the evenings as im now going into Costume so i'll need to keep up my painting skills. I have been doing a few sketches over the holidays, though probably not as many as i should have done, and i got a couple of 20th century art books as presents to improve my knowledge of the art world.

I have been doing a little bit of research into my specialist subject and have come across an artist called Dru Blair. I thought that I had typed in photography by mistake when the image came up of one of his paintings "Trica". Its absolutely perfect and there is no sign of a brush stroke in it.

Trica

 Dru started off wanting to be a doctor but when he discovered he had an atristic talent he changed his degree to art. When he graduated he got a job in commercial illustration. He then went on to win the national airbrush excellence award. The following year he produced his first aviation painting which became the first of 3 of his paintings to be the Air Force magazine cover and is still the number one selling aviation print in the world. He focuses most on aircrafts and has done a lot of paintings for start trek book covers.
The way he has captured the planes is amazing. He has obviously perfected the technique of using an airbrush and produces some stunning pieces of art!

http://www.drublair.com/index.html

I also came across a hyperrealism blog which I have bookmarked on my laptop and take a look at it every so often to see what other photorealism artists they display and have a little look at the websites of the ones I like the look of. http://hyperrealism-hiperrealismo.blogspot.com/

Photorealism continued....

The invention of photography in the nineteenth century had a great impact on art. Portrait and scenic artists were deemed inferior to the photograph and many turned to photography as careers. Within the nineteenth and twentieth century art movements it's well documented that artists used the photograph as source material and as an aid. Even though this was the case they went to great lengths to deny the fact fearing that their work would be misunderstood. The invention of the photograph was a break in art's history and also challenged the artists skills in trying to replicate the scenes they viewed.
By the time the Photorealists began producing their bodies of work the photograph had become the leading means of reproducing reality and abstraction was the focus of the art world. Realism continued as an on-going art movement, even experiencing a reemergence in the 1930s.

The term "Photorealism" was first used by New York art dealer Louis K. Meisel in 1968. His definition of photorealism included the necessity of a camera to capture the image or scene, and also identified that the image from the photo must be transferred to the work surface via mechanical means, examples of these are: through the use of a projector, grid method, or transfer paper. This means, in his definition, that mechanical transfering of the reference image is essential to the definition of Photorealism.

Mechanical means have been used by artists for centuries to transfer images onto their canvas, paper or wood panel. The camera obscura was commonly used by Renaissance artists to allow them to capture the intricate details. Many famous and celebrated artists, such as Dutch Baroque master Vermeer and early Flemish Renaissance master Jan Van Eyck used this tool as an aid to create their exceptionally accurate artwork.


Jason DeGraaf who is another photorealist painter, is a Canada based artist born in 1971. His paintings are still life based reflective objects and he has a few of splashing water which are stunning. The way he's captured the movement of the water droplets in his paintings is beautiful. I find it really hard getting the highlights and low lights of my paintings, especially with anything like metal or glass but his paintings make it look so simple.
He describes his approach

"My paintings are about staging an alternate reality, the illusion of verisimilitude on the painted surface, filtered so that it expresses my unique vision…Many of my paintings are about the relationship of light with reflective and transparent surfaces and my journey to understand those qualities and convey my sense of wonder and intrigue over them."

http://www.jasondegraaf.blogspot.com/

I also found Chiara Albertoni who does a lot of nature paintings, including trees, skylines, close ups of flowers and cobwebs with water droplets on them. i love her cobweb ones, i find it really beautiful and magical when you see it and she's captured both of these in her paintings. The detail she's managed to achieve on the paintings of the flowers is gorgeous as well. You cant even tell its a painting, her brush strokes are so smooth and non existent.

She was born in Padova in 1979. She achieved a certificate in Applied arts at Modigliani Art school then went on to the school of fine art in venice.

Here's her website and some of her work.

http://www.chiaraalbertoni.it/

Demon Cave...

We've been working on the last of the set for the last few days. Finally got the demon cave to paint which has been interesting. Its looking really good so far, just waiting on the wings which are proving to be a bit of a challenge. I think we're going to end up painting them down the road as i think Simon was wanting to cover them in canvas before we paint them to make them a little stronger. We're also still waiting on the head of the cave. It looks so good seeing everything come together, especially something as big and interesting as the demon cave. The noodle box is looking great as well, props have come along and stuck some food on which looks great, although its kind of odd as its so different from the rest of the design...but im sure it will all look great in action.

I've been looking at a few more Photorealist artists and have found out that it evolved from pop art in the late 1960s early 1970's in America. It appeared in print for the first time in 1970 in a Whitney Museum catalogue for the show "Twenty-two Realists."
I've found a few more artists whos work I find really amazing and it makes me slightly upset to look at it. As it is a skill i will probably never possess....although, my mum always taught me to be positive and never say never.....I'll definately try my hardest.

The first person I found interesting was Chuck Close. He was born in America in 1940. He was born Charles Thomas but was  popularly known as “Chuck Close” and made his name as a photorealist. In 1988 he suffered an artery collapse which resulted to him being paralyzed but even through this he still continued to make paintings that are still a must have for museums. Inspired from photographs, the early Chuck Close paintings are large paintings. The main subjects of these photographs were his family or friends.
I couldnt find a good website theat displays a lot of his work but if you type his name into google images you can see a lot of his woks of art. Heres one example.

The next artist I found was Pedro Campos. His paintings are of coke cans and jars of sweets and more still life than portraits. They are absolutely beautiful, the smoothness and perfect shape and light he's managed to capture is amazing. He's a Madrid based artist who has worked in a variety of creative settings, decorating nightclubs and restaurants, and also working for ad agencies as an illustrator. He also studied art restoration in Madrid, working on furnishings, paintings and sculpture. It wasn't until age 30 that he finally took up oil painting and began to forge his career as a fine artist. His work is a mix of pop art and photorealism.

http://www.pedrocampos.net/







Photo-realism...

For our research project I decided to do some research into the techniques and styles of photo-realism. I find it absolutely fascinating.
Its also an interesting topic to look into as some people don't see the point in it, they say if you want a picture as realistic as the actual person/image why not just take a photo....Which is a fair question, but being able to paint something as realistic as it is in reality is an amazing skill to have...much more impressive that a photograph.

I only really had an interest in photo realism last year when i was shown some paintings by Alyssa Monks. She does a lot of painting with water, whether its under water, in the water or shower paintings. the detail she manages to create is amazing. I find her work beautiful. This is a link to her website and some of the paintings i love.
http://alyssamonks.com/portshow.asp?portfolioid={AF28BAA9-57F2-4BD7-90EE-A183D253413D}