Strange Behavior (Illustration) Entry: Holli Alvarado

#21

Sooo…I started working on my mermaid last night…and as much as I like her, I am just not as in love with her as I was when I started. (my husband said she looks like a Tommy Bahama t-shirt :frowning: )
AND yesterday in an email chain between myself and some coworkers, I was joking about putting a neon Live Nudes sign in a window of an image I am doing at work (our work is really conservative and I just wanted to try to get away with it) and in the email chain someone said - “do you think anyone has ever really thought about Live Nudes - as opposed to Dead Nudes?” (yeah - yuk) and I said what would be even better is…

UNDEAD NUDES… :slight_smile:

and that is where I am thinking of going. A pole dancing zombie - less photoreal and more style and paint. I always have this habit of trying to hit photo real - it must be real…but zombies are not real (or are they) - so I put the question out -

Would everyone out there think that watching a pole dancing zombie is stranger behavior than a fish that fishes for fish?

#22

hello just read you last entry and I am thinking you should totally stick with the mermaid fishing! It can be so easy to go the sex route to try and win but the mermaid idea is totally original in my opinion. I think having her have a look of come to me… mwaha ha ha. would work as well. Also I would embrase the 50’s flygirl look for this illustration, it would totally work :slight_smile:

#23

I didn’t think o the sex angle really - or of sex being a winning piece - I was thinking it was more comical to see a half dressed rotting corpse with one arm still grabbing onto the pole as she is falling to the ground - arm completely detached…

but maybe I will keep working on my lady…

Thanks for the feedback!

#24

Hey Holli, I like a lot your mermaid idea, really cool !! and nice sketches!:thumbsup:
I think that if you used a low angle shot the composition would have more perspective and would be more interesting visually, but it’s just a personal thing :slight_smile: , only a comment. Again great work! and best of luck with your entry and for sure looking forward for more updates !! :slight_smile:

#25

ok I am going to keep working on her - I think some of the new ref I found on the net has inspired me, and a little bit of perspective and I really wanted this peice to be trying something new for me and I fell into my old habits - so I am going to keep the same image, but rework the colors, textures, look. More linework and “pin up bomber style” and more water colory feel. I know they are not popular (digital watercolors) but I don’t care. I think they are sometime the most beautiful - so here goes another shot :wink:

Thanks guys for the good support!

#26

Yay! long live the Mermaid!!! :applause:

#27

It might not look like I am doing much - but I am having a lot of internal conversations with myself about where I ant this to go - if I were speaking out loud someone might think I were crazy for arguing with myself so much :slight_smile:

So yeah, lets see I flipped it, I am going to be redoing her face - something more coy and flirty, her top - UI have made it yellow and a little more covering (something 60’s like) but I am still not sure if I want to use sea shells instead…

I have reworked the water, the pier and I want to redo the paint - just something more smooth and - hand painted looking. So there is a lot going on in my head for this image…doing some research has really helped bring back my inspiration for this image.

#28

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