Well, the proposed illustrations are off with the FedEx man. Prospects look hopeful. Theoretically, I will know whether I get this (amazing!) job by tomorrow. If so, it will take up all my working time from now until next March, but it sounds well worth it. I will have to be very disciplined at working consistently for the long-term. Something that would be good for me, no doubt. :-) Of course, this is one of those jobs where I can't post any visuals or details for months on end...
I was mostly happy with the results of the past week and a half. I actually *really* liked the sketches for these pieces. Even the very tight, fully rendered sketches. But I always seem to lose something somewhere between the transfer and the painting... Even with value and color comps, and all the pre-plannig I can manage - the finished paintings never live up to their perceived, sketched (or my imagined) potential. Sometimes it's a question of spontaneity - but I've gotten better at that - where I don't lose all the 'life' between sketch and finish. Sometimes the color just kills it - or my painting abilities - I'm not sure which. Sometimes it works as well or better than I had hoped, and the finished piece just 'sparkles'. I don't know what makes the difference.
Any thoughts? How do you get your finished pieces to live up to your imagination?
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3 comments:
I find that if I'm doing work for 'me', like pictures to sell/exhibit, then they usually come out as planned. It's when there is the pressure and expectation of an art director that I get nervous and try to match what I (probably wrongly) perceive to be their expectations of me...I'm getting better though, and I think now I've done a few jobs it is just a matter of nerves really. I do have some pictures in my head that I wouldn't dare try to do, as I'm sure I couldn't reproduce them. Maybe the 'sparkle' you're talking about comes from doing work when you ar erelaxed and enjoying a piece?
I agree with PG. I am often tempted to go my own way with a commissioned piece but havnt dared to yet, and I think art directors have a very strange idea of what they want too. Cramps the style a bit. But doing work just for yourself is the best every time...oh to be so famous that you can call the shots.
I agree that doing personal work generally comes out better... But I'm not sure what happens when I'm actually *liking* the sketches, but the finishes don't quite approximate the sketched potential... It might be tensing up... Will have to think on that some more...
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