What's Next?

I finally have settled into my new job, new apartment, new locale, and... I've got internet! Let the games begin!

What's next you ask? What's next in the world of illustration? Well, I'll tell you... Lancelot and Guinevere! That's what next! I haven't done an honest to goodness portrait piece in a while, and it's long overdue. I'll be sticking with my love of fantasy, but focusing on the relationships within those worlds, rather than the bizzare and fantastic nature of the worlds themselves (don't get me wrong. Horse-men were a blast to paint!). I figure this makes a more interesting piece in the end anyway.

I was recently inspired greatly by Donato Giancola's recent painting video he released, which is only about $50 from his website. It has been a huge inspiration starter, and it's just a great video to watch from start to finish, to have in the background, and to just keep in the back of your mind when you're trying to do your best work. I've watched it three times already, and I'm still excited to watch it again. You get to watch a master of our time- in the moment- paint. It's just incredibly watchable, informative, and inspiring. What I'm getting at is that he said a couple things that really stuck with me. First: That his fantasy paintings have become more about the research and history involved to make them believable (researching reality to create fantasy) and that his sci-fi paintings have become more about the people that inhabit them rather than the worlds themselves. Second: Painting is like a sport: you can prepare for the big game, but in the end it will depend on the other team, the weather, all sorts of factors you can't prepare for. What you've learned in school gives you the roadmap for how to play the game, but each game is different, and there's no rule book for that exact one. He says it more eloquently, but I just loved it. It is a game, and that's why I keep coming back.

I have several thumbnails started for Lancelot and Guinevere. Although there are several different versions of these characters historically, I'm going to try to portray a very 1953 "Knights of the Round Table" version of the pair (it's a wonderful movie with some big name Old Hollywood stars). Lancelot and Guinevere will be inherently good, torn by their love for each other and their devotion for their King. It will be a moment where they are struggling together and internally with this issue. Basically, they're gonna kiss but they shouldn't! That's the moment. The point of no return. Que Phantom of the Opera. So we're looking for a moment jam packed with tension. Interested? Well, look forward to when I post the progress. I even broke out the old dance costumes and my mom's old bridesmaid dresses for the reference photos for this. Oh yeah. It just got serious.