Paint Me a Picture

[Lunar Snow]

I wasn't sure which part of the forum to put this in, as it didn't quite fit any...so, I hope this works.

Well, for once, I am making a positive thread! I still have questions for you, of course.

I was worrying about getting an expensive thank you gift to give to my SO when I go and visit him (in 9 days--eep!). I was given the cool idea that I could hand-make my SO a gift. So, I really like to draw (pencil or ink) and paint (watercolour or acrylic) and thought I could do something artistic for him. I very much want it to be something he does actually display at his house. I'm on a time limit for bringing the gift and there is also a local arts festival I want to enter something in before I leave (I say I will do something every year and usually get too busy or flake out). School and the job hunt have left me feeling not so creative, so I was hoping for a spark of inspiration. Without getting into a huge art debate, my style leans toward realism, but it is definitely not hyper-realistic and is much more fantasy/ aesthetically oriented than abstractions--I have been influenced by anime and cartoons in my younger years, but the style is definitely its own. I specialise in really delicate line-work.

Any ideas?

I thought a landscape would be a great standby that most people like, but then we were talking about art in his local community and he was complaining that the artists do too many landscapes and he could just "step outside and see the same thing", so I was kind of unsure (that said, I would be doing a west coast landscape with an ocean, rather than a prairie landscape, as he would see).

There are lots of roses out and I could easily and enjoyably work on a still-life, but I wonder if the subject would be too "girly" for him to actually hang up at his house.

Part of his family is Dutch and he seems really proud of the heritage, so I thought of illustrating a scene from a Dutch folk-tale, but I worry that that might involve quite a bit of research into costume and such.

He likes old black and white art house films and old Buster Keaton comedies, so there is ink drawing potential there, but they don't really fit with my style or what I am trying to express to him, perhaps.

Lastly (I think it is impossible for me to write just a little!), he has expressed several times that he wants me to draw him, but that would be something more for us to enjoy in-person.

[lpuckett]

I vote that you draw a lion.. imagine all the fine lines in the mane of the lion. I think I saw one at the county fair the other week. Something like this? I dunno if thats what you mean by fine lines or if its your style.

[LadyMarchHare]

Oh, another artist!

This is solely my opinion, but I'd paint/draw something that incorporated things about him whether it end up a landscape or even a still life or some symbolic fantasy portrait. Even if it ends up not making much logical sense (really when did art need logic?) it would hold meaning to you both because he would know that you know him well enough to put something like that together. Or, if you want to go the romantic route, something that involves things about you both whether separately, together, or both. I know you're worried about it being something he may or may not hang up in his home but I think if he knows the meaning and effort behind the piece, he'd find a place to proudly display it.

[DropkickDisco]

why don't you draw or paint HIM? a portrait?

[Lunar Snow]

I like the lion drawing, but that sort of photo-realism is rather pain-staking.

I am trying to think of a combo of things to go together, but I haven't really gone beyond the doodle stage with that yet. A movie poster that looked sort of film noir, but where we are the characters could be pretty good, but that hasn't gone beyond the imagining stage yet either (well, and some research...but film noir is already so artsy, it would be hard to feel like I am not copying someone else's work when I use references to know the style).

...and, as for him. Well, again, I really want to draw him in person (Hey, it's like Titanic, except I am Leo and he is Kate and we won't be on a sinking ship). However, I have just been talking to him under the pretence of getting suggestions for what I could do for the art show and his very first suggestion was "is it too narcissistic to suggest myself?" Unfortunately, he was being camera shy when he came to visit, so I don't have very many pictures of him from that time and most of the ones he has on Facebook are taken by a friend of his whom I don't really like and, therefore, feel rather grumpy when I look at the photos (from afar, the most ideal would be to use the webcam, but I want it to be a surprise). Maybe I can suck up the photo thing and repose him a bit and combine something like that with elements of his interests/ couple sharing things.

Eep! Thanks for helping me get the ball rolling.

[LadyMarchHare]

You don't have to copy him exactly from the photos. Whenever I draw my SO I usually use what photos I have to reference features like the shape of his eyes, nose, mouth, how his jaw curves, etc and just draw him in whatever pose I want. (I think that's what you were implying, forgive me if it wasn't) And I don't think it's narcissistic to want to see how someone draws you, especially your SO.

[BoogleBee]

I drew a picture, from look at a photo of us and sent it to my SO as part of her birthday present. I didn't think it was that great...I never usually draw. The last art class I took was at school when I was 14..and I failed it xD.
But one day I just was bored and decided to draw it, and then afterwards thought...hmm maybe I'll send it to her.
I got it laminated before I left and even the guy at the shop thought it was good. I don't think my drawing on myself looked anything like me in the picture, but the drawing of my SO actually kinda did look like her so I suprised myself. And she loved it.

[Lunar Snow]

Yes, that's what I meant about reposing things. The narcissism comment was his, but it would be really sweet to draw him. That said (and you have heard all about this girl in other posts), G is the one who either took or is in most of the pictures. I thought I could stand it, by turning on some music to pump me up and just looking through the pictures to research nice poses and facial features. However, it seriously made me want to simultaneously punch her face (not actually, I am pretty passive) and feel miserable (so I spent at least a 45 minutes listening to depressing music). (E.g. There is a photo of him (let's call him J) and her comment is "Coffeehouse atmosphere, drink, scrabble, ME - I think J was in heaven! Haha!" and my favourite...though this is before I even knew him, to be fair, is a photo of him in a hotel room that they must have been sharing when they went for an event for their college faculty "J checks out the honeymoon suite"...in another context, I can see a bit of humour in her comments, but given her unwarranted dislike of me and and other issues and discussions about photos and there supposedly not being anything romantic there on either side...wow, this is totally spilling over into the wrong post, but I am feeling pretty crushed right now).

BoogleBee--that's great that you gave drawing a try! I did try and draw just some brainstorming sketches from a picture of just him after I calmed down a bit, but I somehow made him look like a girl with a strong jawline! Oops! I think my negative feelings right now are throwing me off a bit, but maybe I will get back to it in a little while.

[LadyMarchHare]

Is there a way to alter her out of them, like say if you clipped out a section in photoshop would there be any great loss? Might also help to save the images to your computer so you don't see the captions she left. You'd still know she took them but it'd be less in your face and it might help let you appreciate them more.

Maybe when you finish it and give it to him you could throw out the comment that you need more pictures of him and either ask to take some yourself or get someone to take more of you two together and say maybe one day you'll do a picture of you both as an anniversary/holiday gift.