My Creative Process
In this blog entry I describe my process, how I take an idea and develop it into a painting.
Surf on Planet X Concept and Execution
I envisioned my piece, “Surf on Planet X” as a dichotomy between the sea and sky set in an alien landscape. To achieve this end I repurposed two common photographic themes, the first being a stacked long-lens view of waves approaching, the second a sunset scene. By applying a color gradient to the piece I was able to change the setting altogether to one that is alien.
My approach to the seascape portion of the painting was to apply the paint opaquely, thus giving it prominence in the foreground. I achieved this by applying an opaque undercoat of white, then sealing it in varnish. Working up the board I airbrushed in the foreground in aqua, the first set of waves in green and yellow, then finally the last set and deep background in shades of red. In order to establish the alien sunset, I used a mixture of transparent and opaque mixtures of red and orange. Working up into the sky I airbrushed transparent applications of chrome yellow fading into the hot pink, then the deep purple of the sky fading into the ultramarine blue. The final detail to the sky was of course, the alien sun and stars, the former being airbrushed in, the latter being flicked on using a toothbrush dipped in white paint. The final touch was outlining the “Rusty” logo with hot pink and painting in a color fade on the fin logos. This was the process I employed to realize my concept for the piece.