Holy Psychedelia, Batman! I’m poking my toe a bit outside my comfort zone with this piece and it’s ultra-bright color scheme. Considering how many monochromatic pieces I’ve done recently, I felt the need to inject some vividness into my work.
By and large, adjectives are meaningless without their opposites. Our friend here wouldn’t seem so plain, ordinary or drained without the vibrancy glowing behind him. I envisioned the character as a creepy adult-kid (Creepy kids, by the way, are currently Japan’s biggest cultural export. I miss giant robots.). My wife, on the other hand, decided that he was a salariman. In either case, I think he’s having some problems finding his spark. I only feel this way after too little sleep, too much coffee, or a combination of the two.
I’m debating adding torn-paper leaves and flowers to the tree in the background. It would carry the green and red through the image a bit more, while also pushing the contrast between a landscape bursting with life and the man without any.
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January 24, 2008 at 12:58 pm
doni conner
Your piece is plainly beautiful, Patrick…thanks for sharing!
January 24, 2008 at 1:58 pm
elizabeth
This is great. You’re right about comparisons being necessary for a word like “plain.” I’m currently doing the opposite of you– trying to tone down my use of bright colors for a while to see what happens. So far it’s fun, so good luck on your color injections.
January 24, 2008 at 3:02 pm
eli edmundson
This is great, he does look like a salary man, I could see this in a financial magazine. The colors are great, love the tree. I like the color of but not the roundedness of the bushes (mountains?) which is a weird/nit picky crit, but I think having all spikey shapes in the background would be a nicer contrast with the round shapes of the man. Again, a nit picky thing I don’t think most people would care about. This is actually one of my favorites by you!
January 24, 2008 at 4:56 pm
edhl
leaves and bits sound good, though right now it reminds me of one of the places the children visited in madeleine l’engle’s A Wrinkle in Time series…
i think because his face is so detailed and reflective (he looks like the glimpse you get of something on the surface of a pond), as are the branches of the tree (which you do fantastically well!), and the clouds, then a little detail on the bushes would probably tie them in to the overall
jeez when did i turn into an artist
anyway, i do enjoy it the way it is, but it would be fun to see what you do with additional details… like the banner up top
January 24, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Peggy Fussell
I love the empty eyes and their dark rings below….poor guy, I feel for him.
January 24, 2008 at 6:47 pm
jane davila
This is fantastic - so crisp!
January 24, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Brine Blank
I always enjoy running across your stuff…I’m going to have to put you on the list or something because as IF has gotten so big it can be hard to track folks down…really great pic.
January 24, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Digital Scott
I totally love this guy! Such a great creation!
January 24, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Deborah Mori
Wow, great illo!
January 24, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Kathleen
I agree with Eli - it could be an editorial illustration. The rocks look very Australian, though, so it also feels like a take on the movie “Japanese Story”.
January 25, 2008 at 4:41 am
patrick
Thanks all for your comments and suggestions! I’ll have to sit back and have a think about the leaves and flowers on the tree.
edhl - wow, it’s been so long since I read “Wrinkle”…but I have a vague memory of it. Ah, memories…
Brine - I totally get what you’re saying. It was, what? 600 entries this week? That’s insane!
Kathleen - I don’t know that movie. Guess it’s off to Rotten Tomatoes with me. And you’re right, they do seem a little Australian. Maybe it’s the red…
January 25, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Kim
This is my favorite!
January 26, 2008 at 9:09 am
Bad Faery
I agree with your wife. Poor little blue salariman. Even when he’s out in the great outdoors he’s still trapped in his cubicle.
January 26, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Maarit
Contrast really works in this one. I like the bright colours, I’ve been using them a lot lately too. Although I love the toned down pallette you used in your earlier piece “I Will Stitch Myself a New Fur Coat”, it’s amazing. One of my favorite pieces by you!