Gears – 30×20 Oils on Canvas
Gears 30×20 Oils on Canvas
$1000
I’m not quite sure what I want to title this, it appears I will be doing more gears and cogs so Gears (the working title) may not be appropriate – other thoughts were Russet and Pedestal. what do you think?
I really am loving the Steampunk Burlesque series, I’m pushing everything to the hilt and improving with each piece, they are lots of fun and a huge challenge. I’m planning an exhibition of these pieces so stay tuned for further details!
Friday Nude Quotes
Nude drawing and nude painting is where you learn the balance of forces and the balance of thrusts.
Child pornography and art are different things, Hetty
One of the exonerated Nude Teen Pictures from 2008 by Bill Henson.
Picture by the Daily Telegraph
Bravehearts executive director Hetty Johnston has written to the Baillieu Government asking it to crack down on images such as those created by controversial artist Bill Henson.
But artists say they should not be censored and current guidelines for art are adequate.
A Senate committee has recommended classifications be applied to all media, including art in galleries.
It also called for a review of child pornography laws and for the “artistic merit” defence to be axed from child pornography offences.
Ms Johnston said her group did not oppose art or photographs showing children in real life, but set-up shots of naked children for “artistic purposes” should be outlawed.
“It crosses moral boundaries, and we believe it puts children at risk and it could exploit children,” she said.
Australia’s classification laws are under review and under attack once more.
Hetty Johnston and her band of fanatical cohorts are still not satisfied after Bill Henson’s confiscated works were reviewed by the clssifications board and deemed to be no more hazardous than PG. clearly it isn’t their views that are at fault, but the classifications board itself. when you don’t like the results- change the law. Clearly the problem with child pornography in Australia stems from artists. absolutely without a doubt.
I do believe, however, that the classifications rules do need to be reviewed and repaired. they are exceptionally ambiguous and are not helping us artists in our defences any more than they are helping Hetty. if anything they are already heavily on the Hetty side, but are so ambiguous that it comes down to the preferences and opinions of the board. characteristics such as breast size should not be a factor – breasts do not make a woman. they may as well choose testicle size as an indicator.
While a ban on the sexual depiction of minors will have strong community support, there’s a much greyer area involving adults or even animated characters who look young. Most adult movies (online or DVD) come from America and carry official government statements guaranteeing that all participants are over 18. These cut no ice in Australia. Furthermore, Hentai Manga (Japanese sexual comics) are so popular in Japan that they are freely available for browsing in 7-11 convenience stores and read openly on trains. But they are RC in Australia – potentially a rude shock for Japanese tourists visiting with such comics in their luggage.
Note too, that over the past year, the Classification Board has started using breast size as a criterion in defining child pornography: a less than precise indicator
[From ABC The Drum - Secrets of obscenity: the classification riddle]
I also believe that, more than the classifications system, the constitution of Australia needs to be reviewed, amended and honored. how many Australians even know there is a constitution here? who knows what’s in it? The US Constitution is one of the most powerful pieces of writing in the world. freedom of speech is one of the most honored of the freedoms and is celebrated. yes, occasionally it is abused, but it is such a sacred right that it cannot be denied. it seems to me that Australia needs some inalienable rights of it’s own.
artistic merit should not become a goto excuse for pornographers, that harms us more than it harms Hetty- but it must be allowed. we cannot create under a blanket of censorship and we cannot be the artists we need to be without freedom to create. art has the power to challenge our views, to make us think and and to change the world. I believe that the arts are one of the most powerful forces of humanity and should never be denied.
Gears – Daz Render
Gears – Daz Studio Advanced Render
the next in my steampunk burlesque series, this painting is just about finished now, I will posts some WIPs of it next week to show my progress. I thought the difficult part would be the bustle, turns out the gears were a real pain! I’m thinking of buying some new gearwins from renderosity as part of my problem was that I don’t particularly like the prop I had. I mean, those look nasty! pointy teeth- yikes!
Figure: Victoria 4 *free*
Character: Reby Sky
Morphs: Morphs++ NGM for V4
Goggles: Uber Goggles *free*
Hair: Scarlet Nights Hair
Bustle: Scandalous for V4
To thine own self be true.. Nude art and sensuality
One of the reasons i’ve had a hard time writing in this blog lately (apart from being insanely busy) is that i’ve been afraid that i’ve said everything there is to say on the subject of non sexual nudes. I’ve waxed lyrical and vehemently about the difficulties nude art faces because people cannot distinguish nudity from sex. As a nudist and an artist specializing in nudes this speaks very closely to my heart.
Lately, however, i’ve found myself a little trapped. I haven’t been able to explore all the work I would like for fear of being seen as a hypocrite. Because i’ve only presented one side. Nudity does not have to be sexual, you all know my stance on that, but it can also be sensual, and there is nothing wrong with that. As long as it doesn’t break any taboos. (I say taboos because I live in a country that has a new crazy law every week and nothing to protect free expression).
There is a difference, too, between sexual and sensual. There are as many shades of gray as there are stages of undress. Art can be arousing. It should be arousing. It should inspire passion. Not just sexually, but in all things. Arousal and passion are not just the pervue of sexuality, but of life. And art is life.
Rebirth – 10×8 Oils on Canvas
Rebirth 8×10 Oils on Canvas
$200
Currently at ArtBoy Gallery
The painting of Last Weeks render. Volume is trickier on a small canvas. I’ve been getting better and better at visible light thanks to my steampunk paintings, but I was not prepared for returning to miniature. There is something wonderful to creating a smaller work. Large paintings are epic and protracted, smaller ones have their own challenges (see those fingers) but they are faster and fun in their tight control.
if you like control.
which I do.
Rebirth – Daz Render
Rebirth – Daz|Studio Advanced Render
Ah, when switching things around and symbolizing light as a character is there anything better than volumetrics? I didn’t think so. almost an identical pose, similar lighting, Now with added volume! Jean Grey again, for FanBoy vs ArtBoy at ArtBoy Gallery.
Figure: Victoria 4 *free*
Character: Reby Sky
Morphs: Morphs++ NGM for V4
Death – 8×10 Oils on Canvas
Death 8×10 Oils on Canvas
$200
Currently at ArtBoy Gallery
The painting of Last Weeks render. I’ve taken a little of my usual artistic licence with the render, it’s deceptively tricky to do a very dark backlit piece and make it look convincing. A blend of comic art and my own technique combined with my love of unusual lighting.
Friday Nude Quotes
I’d do a nude scene for world peace or if I were facing some serious jail time, but I’m also a sucker for a good bottle of wine and candlelight.
Death – Daz Render
Death – Daz Studio Advanced Render
ArtBoy Gallery is doing it again! this time FanBoy Vs ArtBoy is looking at comics. I decided to do a three part set based on Jean Grey, looking at Phoenix and Dark Phoenix – guess which one this is?
The opening is on the 10th of June, come by and check it out! The Facebook event is here
Figure: Victoria 4 *free*
Character: Reby Sky
Morphs: Morphs++ NGM for V4
Friday nude quotes
For someone to think that the body is solely a pornographic entity when naked, then, that’s a sad world that we’re going in to. I think the opposite of nudity is someone totally clothed until you can’t see them anymore. I like a world where people are free to make art nude
Nude of the week – inverted
This is the last render created with my old iMac! My trusty iMac is no more, the hard drive has died. The good news is that I now have a very sexy new iMac on order, the bad is that I don’t know how much data was backed up in my time machine backups because I had been having problems. The broken hard drive is accessible and I should be able to get my most vital content off it. I’m looking at having to install all of my Daz 3D content all over again! I just did that! Ah well. As long as my photographs are safe i’m happy. A lot of my data is backed up somewhere, but I would prefer non compressed.
This render came to me in a flash, then the pose came together very easily. I discovered these goggles in my runtime and was just so excited! They are fantastic! Here you can see one of the problems of 3D though, her hair just isn’t sitting right.
I have at least a week before my new Mac arrives. Luckily I have a few works to be getting on with, and my iPad for keeping up to date. I should be able to last!
Friday nude quotes
I posed nude to show my parents they couldn’t dictate to me any more – that I control my life.
You can’t force artists to classify their art
There is talk in Australia, once again, of limiting artists rights. I am likely to offend people with these statements and I don’t care. Ratings classifications don’t belong in the arts. Frankly they barely belong in movies. Most people fail to notice them with regards to tv and movies and still they complain.
Bill Henson is once again exhibiting. This time in Melbourne. I was waiting to discuss the exhibition until after I had seen it In Person but this latest wave of protests have brought me out of my studio and indignant once more about the treatment of artists in this country.
After the press tried and failed to get people riled up about the latest exhibition the right wing nut jobs have taken a stand saying that thhe only thing that will protect the fair and delicate citizenry of Australia from the tyranny of artists is to force artists to undergo the same classifications procedures that movies and tv shows do. Here are some of the reasons this won’t work.
1. Classifications are expensive. Production houses can afford it, individual artists can’t.
2. When the classifications board reviewed henson’s work and came back with a PG rating the protesters were enraged. Even though this was something they requested. They won’t be happy regardless.
3. The ratings system in Australia is fundamentally flawed. Ask any gamer. It isn’t flexible enough to cover art.
4. How do you classify something as subjective as art any way?
5. By increasing the costs for artists you will be raising the price of art for all. In this economy this will probably drive the market further down and for ce more galleries to close.
6. This will fundamentally shift the way australian artists create. It will engender self censorship, make artists less likely to create for fear of the process, the costs and the issues. They may not create their best work, stick to safe things and in the end this may hurt the arts industry more.
I am not unreasonable. By all means make the classification board accessible to all artists to help in disputes, or even to prevent them for the artists that can afford it. But making it compulsory for all artists is irresponsible and despotic to say the least. In the States a bill like this would never reach the floor, here, well I only hope more sensible heads prevail.
Nude of the week – lace
I am currently painting this. If I thought, for one moment, that copper pipes were bad, well, let me tell you, lace is no picnic to paint! It’s funny, this is such a simple pose, but getting the feel just right took weeks of painstaking work. The painting is practically flying by in comparison! Except for the lace. I am enjoying it though, this entire series is a huge challenge and delightful fun. It also looks like it will be extended into a full exhibition later this year!
Friday nude quotes
see more WTF Pictures and WTF videos by Picture Is Unrelated
Sorry i’ve been off the radar this week, i’ve tried and failed to write several times. I seem to have terminal writers block ATM. Hopefully it will be gone soon! This is just some silliness till then.
Nude of the week – aviatrix
Aviatrix – 20×30″ oils on canvas
$1000
http://www.bit.ly/jraviatrix
Here she is! The completed Aviatrix. I have to admit i am thrilled with the way these pieces have come together. As usual, the more I paint the more inspired I get and this series is pushing me to improve and tackle new things. No sooner do I start on one than I get inspiration for another!
Time machine, the event I created these paintings for went very well. Sadly I couldn’t attend, even though I held out hope until the last minute! The photos are outstanding. I only had the two paintings but they received such a wonderful reaction that I am inspired to continue and put together a steampunk exhibition with some other artisans.
Friday nude quotes
Maybe we should be more timeless. Maybe we should just wear a classic black suit all the time. Or just nudity? That way it’s always in style! From now on, All television spots I’d like to be nude so that I will always be timeless.
Nude of the week – pipes, steam punk burlesque nude render
Pipes – a steampunk nude Dazlstudio render
I have yet to photograph the finished aviatrix yet so here is the render of the painting I am currently working on. it’s working name is pipes, but I don’t have a title for it yet. Sorry I didn’t post this last week, I had a migraine and couldn’t move. I painted, because I paint every day, but even that was a struggle, it was painting and sleep for pretty much a week. Ah, the glamorous life of an artist!
I’ve been obsessed with inverted poses lately. This one kept ringing in my mind for ages, I have sketch after sketch as I tried to refine it and bring it to the surface. I may be doing more as I work out this latest itch! I get poses stuck in my mind like a song and the only way to fix it is to paint and paint and paint!
Products used
Figure: Victoria 4 *free*
Character: Reby Sky
Morphs: Morphs++ NGM for V4
Chair: Girl Play
Friday nude quotes
"Everywhere we go, something innocent gets turned into a penis" -@hijinksensue, featuring @ZachWeiner (SFW) http://is.gd/NGZ6Ex—
Wil Wheaton (@wilw) March 23, 2011
7 reasons why life models are better than virtual models
Life models vs virtual models: round 2 (round 1 is here)
Last week I wrote about all my reasons why I prefer using 3D models for my painting reference over live models. This week I thought I would flip the tables and write about the limitations of 3D and why a life model can be better.
1. Speed. if I change a light in a live model situation it doesn’t take another two hours to check that the shadow is better. It’s instant feedback.
2. Brains. Mindless bots are just that. I can control every aspect of my model but I can’t just tell them to raise their arm a little more, or assume a contraposto pose, or cock their hip a little. It doesn’t work that way. A live model will just do what I tell them to do.
3. Rigging. I’m at the mercy of the rigging on my model. They try to make the most natural model they can, and they are improving, but Victoria 4 can’t bend quite as naturally as a human. It really requires a good grounding in anatomy to fill in the gaps.
4. Hair. No matter how good the hair model is it just won’t move quite like real hair.
5. Collisions and gravity. Flesh interacts with itself and moves when it touches something, It’s subject to gravity, It pushes aside and wrinkles. 3D technology is improving, with things like weight mapping and so forth, but it isn’t the same. You need a good understanding of the human body and how it moves to ensure you get realistic gravity.
6. Imperfections. Humans have them, it makes them human. 3D models don’t.
7. The learning curve. Many people don’t have the patience to learn how to get the results they want from 3D, it’s easier to hire a model, it’s hard to have to do all the thinking for your virtual model and move them how you want, it’s frustrating and slow and repetitive.
7 reasons why virtual models are better than life models.
Life models vs virtual models: round 1
Something someone said to me the other day made me think of the many reasons I choose to use 3D as reference material for my art. In my mind, 3D has so much potential for artists, in so many ways. I often laud the cost savings of using virtual models as opposed to real ones, but that is such a small part of why I use it now. I have models lining up to work with me, I spend a lot of time and money on my 3D and I frequently bang my head against the wall while working on a render. So why do I prefer it? You see, the beauty of 3D is that it is based in reality, but only limited by your imagination.
1. It’s always available. Unless you live with your model you are going to have to wait for them to get to you- losing valuable inspiration time!
2. It’s patient. Even the most professional model won’t sit in their pose while you adjust the lights, the surface textures, the colors, the room, their skin, for hours and hours. And hours and hours. Then go away for a day and come back to it and tweak it for a few more hours.
3. It’s forgiving. I don’t want to offend my model of the day by telling them that I need to add a little more here or shave off some there, and If I change things up in the eventual piece it’s not going to create an issue. I know most models won’t care, but I always worry offending people- and worry gets in the way of art. There is no place for misunderstanding in 3D.
4. It’s flexible. I can have a model hovering in a backflip for as long as I need, I can freeze a moment in time while I tweak the lighting and the colors, the volume and the mood. I can use any angle, I can make the pose very mundane or I can take it beyond the realms of the human norm and distort and abstract things while still maintaining a sense of reality.
5. It’s quiet. I’m introverted, I need privacy in my studio and i’m very demanding. 3D allows me to do what I need to without worrying about feelings or being interrupted. I can be my own, caustic self without feeling like I have to put on a front. It also means that the only person I talk to is myself, and I talk to myself a lot! It gives me space.
6. It’s..3D.. A lot of you may be thinking that I could achieve a lot of these with photographing the live model and using the photograph for my reference. And you would be right, but photographs are a limited painting resource. The reason so many pieces taken from a photograph look flat is because they use a 2d resource. Now I can hear you thinking, ‘but isn’t that what render is?’ And yes.. But days later when i’m trying to work out what that dark blob is or where the arm went because I changed the angle of something I can virtually walk around the model and see. I can rotate it, change it up as often as I like, and everything is crystal clear. I don’t have to try to re-create it, it’s there exactly how I left it.
7. It’s a guide. The render is not the finished piece, it’s a path along the way.
It really is the best of both worlds! As long as you have the patience and understanding to make it work. It’s harder than life models in a sense, but, for me, it’s the best choice. This may be because i’m a control freak who prefers mindless bots that do my bidding, it may be because i’m a geek and it’s cool and requires no human interaction but mostly I think it’s because I can take my time and get the exact results I want, how I want. It’s my process and it works for me!
Nude of the week – Aviatrix WIP
Aviatrix – Work in Progress
A quick posting with my current work in progress. These days i’m painting in the morning which sets up my day really well. I find I have more energy and I haven’t frittered away my day online. the most important thing is to paint and by putting it first I make sure it’s my priority – before marketing and web work, before email, even before facebook!
Friday nude quotes
“I’d do a nude scene for world peace or if I were facing some serious jail time, but I’m also a sucker for a good bottle of wine and candlelight.”
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