The Julia Experiment

[Cloxboy]

Another portrait..it's Julia Roberts in case you didn't know (I don't blame you if didn't recognize her). I called this thread the Julia Experiment because this is my first attempt at making a painterly piece out of an ink drawing. I copied the texture of her sweater, it kinda worked. I don't hate it...but I don't love it either.

http://www.angelfire.com/rings/cloxboy/juliaink.gif

http://www.angelfire.com/rings/cloxboy/juliacolor.gif

[mos667]

Setting aside my hatred for Julia Roberts, I think this is a pretty good capture of what she looks like (although the mouth is a little, odd, I think it's the teeth). Nice job at it, although pick a better actress next time ;)

[jca]

Originally posted by mos667
Setting aside my hatred for Julia Roberts, I think this is a pretty good capture of what she looks like (although the mouth is a little, odd, I think it's the teeth). Nice job at it, although pick a better actress next time ;)

naw man, her teeth are really that big.. very nice work it looks exactly like her now!

[Cloxboy]

Thanks guys. I just did this for practice...I am not a Julia Roberts fan. I'm in a group where we all draw a portrait, selected randomly...I had no choice.

[the machine god]

jca, he didn't say the teeth were to big. He said they look a little odd. Everyone knows Julia Roberts has a huge Jaws style mouth that could devour small children in a single bite. Damn she has a huge mouth.
Anyways, subject aside, I think her face seems to stand out a bit to much. It's like it was pasted in there. Maybe if you add more of that bright highlight onto her shoulder and her leg it would help bring it together more. Otherwise pretty good pic. Keep it up.

[silentium]

http://www.geocities.com/o0silentium0o/images/othersWork/juliaTrace.txt

umm, yeah nice tracing.:rolleyes:


[edit: umm, the animated gif file just pushed my monthly bandwidth over the limit.]

[Flint]

SO F*in WHAT???

Chrissakes, I am tired of tracing being such a controversial thing. If you trace something, it is nothing to be embarrassed about, just ya, "hey I traced it NOBIGDEAL". which it isn't.

Tracing is great practice, teaches your eye to see where stuff goes better than a thousand attempts free hand. You come out with better understanding how the shapes and proportions work together, and much faster. This is nothing to be embarrassed about. The old masters, the great painters traced betimes as well, pane of glass between them and subject, grease pencil...

And if you are more inclined to spend your time on the INKING AND COLOR rather than working out the proportions freehand... EXPEDITE. Trace the F*ker.

The art is in what you do with it, the presentation, the line work. Majority of people, even if they resorted to tracing still couldn't produce more than a jumbled up googletyf*k of chickenscratches anyway.

No more of this, "oh no I traced, I cant tell them I traced, HORRORS !!!" Just do be sure to say so around here because if someone detects tracing that hasn't been admitted to the goddamn lynch mob comes running.



Ahem Rant over.


That said I do not agree with how you lined her teeth. Line is too heavy, gives her this narly black gums look. When Julia smiles you can see all her teeth plus 8 square yards of gums...

[bat]

I am going to agree with Flint on all counts here. Although I am not a tracer, if you post anything here, be prepared for the Inquisition to scour the internet looking for anything that you may have used as a reference to give you a "Um...like...uh...dude...um...look what I found...". I find it very amusing, the sheer number of people waiting to hack others to bits (for stealing art, yes, hack away, but for practice? Come on). I will give anyone who wishes to use people as a reference a bit of semi-humorous advice that one of the bigtimers told me a few years back (he is well known so I will not name drop as he doesn't live too far from me):

'Use porn magazines for reference and for anatomy practice. Nobody is going to sift through those and shove it in your face.'

Which actually, is not bad advice. Not the hardcore stuff, but the light men's magazines have a lot of great reference material that doesn't look as fake or posed as many of the standard fair out there (and don't forget the articles!).

b a t

[Flint]

Heh good one on the porn ref. truedat

just had a thot to add:

It's like this Kevin Bloody Wilson song I heard once:

"If you say you don't wank you're a liar, and a fool if you say that you do..."

[Cloxboy]

The reference came form my drawing group and of course I traced it, not even close to exactly though, I used Illustrator to do it btw. It's a good technique and I don't care if you don't like it. Many artists, professionals/amatures use this technique, look at Shepard Fairey/OBEY Giant or David Flores work. Had I just merely traced it, that would be pointless and not at all unique. But of course, my piece is much different then the original photograph, which it is still just a reference. BTW, this is not for commercial use, just practice. If any one has a problem with this....I laugh at you.:p

[JeniThus]

Ok, sorry guys.
Tracing is well... tracing..
there is no real CONCEPT behind tracing.
Unless you are saying something of your own with manipulation of the trace...
Now, I'm not dogging Cloxboy for tracing good ole Julia.
But if you're gonna trace something, and then post it in a forum of work filled with things people have really made... I think it's kinda cheap.
Maybe if the artist takes the photo, maybe if it's manipulated beyond recognition of the original photo....
But to do a study of paint/line technique over a photo and just leave it at that...
no. I think that that does not belong in this forum, not to say there should not be a place for talking about technique, but what does the artist take from the creation of the piece?

I want to see what the artist/designer makes NEXT taking the processes and styles and color systems and everything that they learned from that first exercise they did, over the photo.
For afterall, if art were a sport, tracing isn't the big game, it's the first practice of the season.

So, Cloxboy. I totally hear you, how it was for a class and you didn't have a choice on it, so please don't think I don't get that part. I think that you can develop and learn from the exercise you've done, and I think you did the exercise very well.
Now, I want to see how you take it, and run with it on your own.

[davi]

I DO NOT ALLOW TRACING ON THIS FORUM.

Tracing itself I don't mind as long as you keep it OFF the forum.

Tons of respectible artists, professionals in the industry and people hiring for jobs view this forum daily. This is not the place to be showing off traced art, ESPICALLY without even mentioning your methods.