i've wanted to make a painting with a dental exam theme forever. well, no time like the present! here's a super-quick doodle that got the ball rolling. but for this piece, rather than going directly from sketch to painting, i wanted to get some photo reference to bolster my drawing.
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| original doodle |
and that's where my buddies émilie and tanya and other dave came in. we got together at my swank downtown studio for an evening shoot. i wanted to try and get material for the painting, but i went in open to improvisation and exploration. which is good, because i pretty quickly realized that my sketch is anatomically ridiculous. so we set out to just take a million pics and see what happened.
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| tanya |
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| émilie |
dave is my studio mate, and a seasoned professional photographer. a good friend/ally to have at times like these. he's got a great eye, but he's very sensitive to the things that i want. he even lets me shoot with his one million dollar camera if the spirit grabs me.
when discussing wardrobe in emails before the shoot, émilie said, "i'll just bring a suitcase full of shit and we'll play dress up." *swoon*
and she even brought a friend too, so BONUS!
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| make-up and hair |
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| facial exercises |
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| testing the location/props |
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| "what the hell have i gotten myself into?" |
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| it's not that kinf of exam, ém!! |
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| models cocked and ready |
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| last minute wardrobe adjustments... |
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| set ready, lights, camera... |
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| models, take your postitions... |
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| SMOKE BREAK?????!!!!!! |
after i tried to get as much material for the painting as i needed, i asked everybody if they had any advice/suggestions. émilie said she thought we should get way more aggressive and kinetic. so at that point the models started face/wrestling and dave and i just tried to keep up. i can't believe what great sports these gals are! i think i have a new favourite hobby!
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| let the insanity begin |
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| me getting in the way |
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tanya, "lemme just wash my hands..."
émilie, "eh, it's a livin'" |
