Katy P"Air"ry
One of the main ingredients to a successful business is attracting people to your product. This can be done in a variety of ways. You might choose to market in radio or TV, you might choose to cross market with the internet and its search engines, you might chose to network on Facebook or Twitter…the list goes on and on. And if you’re smart (depending on your budget) you’ll pursue all of the above. However, one of the things that makes an artist’s existence unique, at least in the business world, is that we have an unlimited supply of creative energy merging with artistic execution. In other words, not only can we think of a great idea, we can also bring it to fruition. And one of the best ways for me to attract that new customer is through dynamic use of imagery and lettering.
For this project, I tried to think of a popular image that had excellent potential for my creative process, as well as a broad appeal and that people would readily identify. I also have a 13 year old daughter, and am exposed to all kinds of things that I normally wouldn’t really pay attention to. Thus the idea of “Katy Perry Meets Airbrush Superfreak” was born. The concept for me is as important as the execution. Without an exciting idea, perfect execution still leaves me bored. So I wanted to throw a little twist in there, and what better way than giving Katy an external anatomical make-over. And any way that I can promote the awesomeness of the airbrush world, I’m all for it!
Photo 1:
The rough draft is the first step. Of course the initial drawing is important, but I really feel that it’s in place to guide me, not bind me. In other words, I’ll be modifying my look and approach as the piece unfolds. Too many times an artists’ piece becomes stiff and lifeless because they can’t deviate from that drawing…either in form or modeling. I prefer to keep my options open. Besides, for me, the painting process is infinitely more enjoyable than the pencil stage.
Photo 2:
The first application for paint is found in a middle ground of color. You need to find a balance that can give you a nice clean edge in both a hard and soft stroke. I use Createx Light Brown mixed with roughly 20% illustration base and a few drops of Golden Yellow.
Photo 3:
Here we see the completed face as well as the torso. It’s important to do the entire image so you can keep a balance of lights and darks. Focusing too long on one area while neglecting another will give you an unbalanced piece.
Photo 4:
Next I need to give my flesh some vibrancy. I do this by applying a wash in Golden Yellow and Flamingo Pink. Notice also the build-up of color on the cheek bones, eyelids and of course the lips.
Photo 5:
At this point I want to develop more of a contrast in light and dark. I achieve this by mixing a mellowed out Opaque White that is mixed with 20% Illustration Base and a few drops of Light Brown. What this does is off-set the inherent nature of “blue-ing” that the Opaque White possesses. Here we see this contrast achieved by bringing out the cheeks, nose, eyes, lips…anywhere that the skin would be enhanced by the light source.
Photo 6:
We’ve established the highlights so now we need to bring out more of the darks. I do this by taking my original Light Brown, and adding approx 25% Dark Brown. These incremental steps of color between areas are extremely important. If you rush through your transitions, you’ll end up with an area that has flattened out.
Photo 7:
And now to add even more depth, I create yet another darker tone. Take your existing color in the previous step and add another 10% dark brown, with drops of Violet and Opaque Black until you get your desired richness. I know what you’re thinking…”No Kent, not Opaque Black!” It’s OK. As long as you’re not using black alone you’ll be just fine. Problems come about for many artists (trust me I’ve seen more than my fair share) who try to use black by itself to create that added depth. What happens instead is a flattened out area that looks muddy…and nobody wants that!
Photo 8:
Onto the hair! I actually had a hard time going through those first few steps because the hair to me looked so interesting. What you need to remember about hair is that it’s to be treated as a whole piece first. You’ve got to model it like you would a body with plenty of weight and shape. Only after that can you concentrate on giving it some individual detail with extra strands. So for this color I used Brite Blue with just a squirt of Violet. I needed it to be a bit on the Periwinkle side and show off a little less yellow and the Violet did the trick perfectly!
Photo 9:
Here’s with the hair finished. Notice how the hair moves in and out, overlapping to create a great balance of motion and weight. I know, you don’t even need to say it…awesome.
Photo 10:
Detail of hair
Photo 11:
And now onto my favorite part of the piece (I was just kidding about that whole hair thing!). This part is for sure my favorite. No not because of that!! Get your minds out of the gutter! It’s the airbrushes! Jeez… Here you actually see the first 2 steps combined. On the right is step one which is completed with a mixture of Medium Gray and Opaque White. I wanted to make sure that any of the hair was covered that might have fallen onto the brushes so an opaque was used. The brush on the left is step 2 and is further modeled using straight Medium Gray. The most important thing to remember here is tight and clean. Metal does not render well if it comes across as soft and muddy.
Photo 12:
Here we see the completed set. I’ve also given the brushes a light wash of our blue from the hair. Remember that metal is also going to reflect what is around it. In this case, blue hair.
Photo 13:
Here you can see the difference between the second step and a completed brush. Again you need to keep the Opaque White crisp and clean. This is where your confidence with the brush will really come out. Notice how the metal takes on a vibrant and clean look. Oh, this is straight Opaque White…no need to mellow this out as the blue-ing factor fits in perfectly with our goal.
Photo 14:
Here’s the finished figure. I also added another element to the hair and finished off the shorts.
Photo 15:
Part of the attraction for me doing this piece, is how colorful and fun Katy Perry herself is…so my daughter informs me. I have seen her videos and thought that fitting in her trademark candy and ice cream motif would add perfectly to what I need to accomplish. Remember our initial premise, attracting customers! This is more easily completed by making our piece as colorful as will compositionally allow.
Photo 16:
The background in this case exists to enhance our figure. And because I wanted to showcase some lettering, I thought that would be a great fit. But what to write? Hmmm… And of course, lightning did strike! Now it seems obvious, but you try thinking of something cool to write…not too easy! Katy P”Air”ry emerges. The initial outline and script is achieved with Deep Blue. The blue of the sky is again opaque and is a 50/50 mixture of Maui Blue and Opaque White.
Photo 17:
A quick fill in of detail that includes some added depth in the sky (Brite Blue, Violet) and some pink fluffy clouds (which again is an opaque blend of Flamingo Pink and Opaque White) and the background starts to take shape.
Photo 18:
Now I’m sure you noticed this before, but the triggers in the brushes are fully engaged so naturally they needed some paint coming out. I wanted to keep with the idea of more color so I went to the often imitated, never duplicated fluorescent combo! A few things: to keep it clean I used tape and paper to block off the areas I didn’t want to be affected. And to make the application quicker and more vibrant I dried the color as I sprayed with a dryer. I use this technique all of the time particularly when working on black shirts. I start with Fluorescent Yellow and then blend in Fluorescent Pink, Caribbean Blue and a bit of Fluorescent Violet.
Photo 19:
And as an added feature to set our spray off a little more, I added Hot Rod Sparkle (Auto Air). Might be a little tough to see here, but trust me when I tell you the effects are dazzling! If you don’t have this as an add-on to your basic design template, you’re missing the bus!
And here you see the finished shirt! The power of a well executed and colorful display will be invaluable to your over-all set up. The vibrancy will attract new customers, and the imagery will keep them coming back. Best of luck and see you soon!
