Facepainting

This is my first "realistic" digital painting, it took 4 hours.

I didn't really have a plan, I just thought hey, I bet I could "paint" something in Photoshop and maybe if I was good and fast I could get some hot job as a concept artist for movies and stuff.

I chose a self-portrait because I'm impossible to please, and if I thought it looked okay, even though it was my mug, then there'd be hope for me.

(I think you can click on it to make it bigger.)

This is Izzy's work, http://mercilessdesign.com/ if I ever wanted to be a badass when I grew up, I'd look to him for inspiration. But why wait to grow up? I'll steal his ideas now.

Below: me as badass. I tried to tell myself this was acrylic to keep it simple (It's Photoshop again,) and I was thinking of my first acrylics class at Art Center with Bob Kato. KATO! THE EVIL KNIGHT! Ah, only Swedes know that reference. Anyway...I dig Izzy's mixed media style, his arbitrary scribbles, his unfinished elements, his big beautiful mess. I have none of that. 75% altered, hah, can't sue me! Nyah!

I've ruined it by putting my reference in the corner--pretend it's an annoying watermark. Look at my classic beauty! Like the bust of Caesar! If you look close, there's a tear track running down my painted cheek. It's a sad, angry, hurt painting. It's all symbolic and stuff. NOTE: I didn't steal Izzy's little blue spiral for good looks, my spiral comes from an entirely authentic experience of branding my boyfriend's shoulderblade with wire and a blowtorch. Symbolic, I told you.


Oh dude, I see all kinds of mistakes now. Look away! Look away!