Hello fellow Fecal Face fans. I would like to walk you through a step by
step analysis of the creation of one of my paintings. I'm going to organize
this like a laboratory report as this is the format I am most comfortable
with.
Materials:
Three to four days free time.
Paint: Latex (house paint from The Home Depot oops rack), Golden Acrylics
and black waterproof India Ink.
Brushes: All of the line work is done with round sable brushes (sizes 0/20
to 2). Everything else was done using various sizes of flat brushes.
Canvas: The canvas was 36in.x48in.10-oz. pre stretched and gessoed canvas
bought at Blick. If you by 20 pre-stretched canvases at one time you can get
75% off. So I usually go with a friend or wait around for someone in the store
to pair up purchases with....75% is a great discount and we all need discounts…..right?
Method:
Dig through pounds of photos and gigabites of online blog sites for a suitable
photograph (of people…usually women) to take apart. In this case the
source is www.lastnightsparty.com
Find appropriate animal photograph to splice into previously mentioned photograph.
Prepare canvas with suitable background and paint character onto canvas….simple
as that.
Above are the two photographsI found suitable for mashing
up.
This is the sketch/study I made from those
photographs. This along with the photos above are what I used as a reference
as I painted.
Purpose:
Damn good question. Ideally I try to not consider this before I paint.
Analysis:
Big blank canvas.
This was the latex paint. Pretty simple first step really…..lots of splatter
and lots of coverage....very fast and watered down to allow the paint to run
off the bottom of the canvas. Almost always a circle.
I did a rough free hand sketch of my characters/figures onto the dried latex
paint with a mechanical pencil. Then laid out the quilt pattern using a ruler
and couple layers of acrylic paint. I also made a few little stencil type things
out of cardboard to help me draw the quilt patterns onto each little square.
I found the quilt pattern by Googleing "quilts".....how else? You
can see them taped up to the canvas for an easy reference.
These are the little stencils I made to help me make the quilt
patterns straight and uniform.
Here I began to fill in the quilt patterns. I tried to mix up
a bunch of rustic/country type colors...using the printed out images as a reference
point.
More detail into the background...shit took a long time.
I was almost finished with the background here....took me about
2 days to finish and I remember getting kinda antsy to start on the characters
(always my favorite part). I also remember at this point kind of being worried
that I would fuck up while painting the characters and have to gesso over this
entire background and start over.
The quilt background was finished here and I laid down the first
bits of flesh. The blank, un-patterned squares (by the woman's left shoulder)
were left like this since her hair was going to cover them anyway....planning
ahead is a new thing for me.
Started to rework the flesh here. I continuously rework the
skin until I think it looks good or until I get sick of doin it....which ever
comes first. Using my skin as a reference (as it is usually handy), I create
one master pigment for each piece by mixing up a flesh tone out of primary blue
and a pre made orange (yellow and red). I then add titanium white and a pre
mixed brown to this master pigment to change the hue and get that 3D effect.
The fleshy bits started to come together here and I laid down
the first layers of paint on the Baboon's head. I usually paint from dark to
light and then add the black as the final stage. I don't really have any hard
and fast rules though. I never made it to art school, so I just kinda wing it.
Almost all good things in life happen as accidents at first...right? (except
our current president.....this rule holds no truth in regards to that monkey.)
The white paint by the woman's head was about to become her
hair. I painted a layer of white down first so that when I painted the brown
(her hair will be brown) the paint that was under the hair wouldn't show through.
I also just gave her teeth, complete with a set of nasty fangs. The baboon was
getting ready to put on his shirt as well.
Brown hair as promised.
Underwear for the ladies and a sweet shirt pattern for the baboon
head dude. He also got a bit of yellow added to his fur...probably has something
to do with attracting females in baboon world.
From here on out it was all about line work. I did my line work
with India Ink and those super small round brushes....which are a perfect recipe
for Cramps Ville. The hair was a technique I had been playing around with for
the last couple of months..kinda comic book style. I first got turned on to
this style from looking at Nathan
Fox's work (who is so freaking amazing). I have a long way to go before
I master the style like he has.....but Im makeing progress.....slowly. Got some
detail in on the baboon undies and the shirt as well.
Added some black to the baboon's face and mouth
Tyed all the loose ends together with the black liners....and
added a few splashes as homage to (a.k.a ripping off) Ralph
Steadman. My buddy Ben
Tour kills it with this technique as well.
This is the final product....with the contrast turned way up.
I know I'm totally blowing it by not having any good detail shots...most of
this painting is in the detail. I would have taken more but this piece was shipped
off to Lazarides Gallery
just after I finished it. These are the best shots I could muster up...I'm sorry.
This is my studio here in San Diego. The light in the evenings is great....My
bedroom is in the other room on the left. I have spent almost my entire year
in this room....the only time I leave these days is when I surf.
Side Note: Anyone in SF who is a fan of quilts should check out the De
Young Museum as they have an amazing collection of quilts
from Gee's Bend Alabama currently on display....very worth your while if
you're a fan.
///////// looks great, too bad there arent more detail shots. the ink [esp on the girl's body] is fantastic. you rock! Written by pilot5 on 2006-08-10 16:23:37
///////// Ireally think the girl looks great. Especially before you added the black. Butt whatever Dont listen to me I got BAD TECHNIQUE Written by Good Job! on 2006-08-10 16:43:40
///////// You had me at the quilt pattern. Awescum yo. Written by Renée Zellweger on 2006-08-10 17:40:04
///////// thanks a lot for the name drops, people should do more of that or else how would anyone know about anyone? and go ralph steadman. the past week has been all about him and hunter. kelsey, i will see your stuff in a non 21+ gallery soon. keep it up. Written by pesya on 2006-08-10 18:06:57
///////// sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Written by knowsthetime on 2006-08-10 18:20:18
///////// amazing , I love the black lines ,,, Written by the novaTRON on 2006-08-10 20:27:46
///////// awesome, i especially like the picture of the studio at the end, it's always cool to see how other people work.r Written by brianr on 2006-08-10 20:40:42
///////// Thanks for sharing--and the painting is killer and I'm not usually into black outlines. I love to see how others work (and it is fun to see other people's studios, too). I often learn some useful stuff. Props to the Fecal for publishing step by steps. Written by Ggerm on 2006-08-11 09:22:52
///////// Ah man i was at Lazrides the other day and it was shut, now im bitter! Very Cool process, i work very similar especialy the India ink cramps ville bit that sucks... Written by Mitch on 2006-08-11 10:41:31
///////// Looking great! If you want to see a print he did for the said and done collaboration go to: www.saidanddone.ca Written by Koop on 2006-08-11 11:26:28
///////// flipflops rule! Written by Jtown on 2006-08-11 16:10:46
///////// Beautiful Work Written by B-Kay on 2006-08-14 14:15:47
///////// Awesome linework on the paint. Cool studio space too. Written by JPaper on 2006-08-15 07:41:11
///////// saw this painting up close the detail is very impressive Written by sim on 2006-08-15 14:29:35
///////// I love the black liners. Awesome work. Written by on 2006-08-16 14:29:44
///////// okay? Written by huh. on 2006-08-18 11:36:42
///////// VERY nice work, the quilt background blows me away as well as the immaculate detail with the black india ink. i love it Written by gnarip on 2006-08-19 10:09:10
///////// you made my day feel like painting now, not working Written by kai on 2006-08-22 00:37:16
///////// I have to say, I thought this was better around the twelfth picture down. Less of the black lines etc...But that is just a matter of taste. Pretty cool painting. Written by Christa on 2006-08-30 00:50:54
///////// i think its questionable how Fecal Face does all these "step by step" shots. As iif there isnt already an underlying homogony of taste reflected on this site, now you can actually learn "step by step" how to achive that likeness more accurately. This site already raises flags as to the intention and vision of those in charge of it, and in my opinion, this whole showing the "artists process" is a bad move. Is the work so bad that you need to see how it was made to appreciate it? Or is it just that "mysterious" that you cant figure it out by looking at the final result? I think this is undermining on all levels, and im critical not only of a gallery/site who would think this is a good idea, but of any artist who would comply in having their work exposed in such a way. Lastly, i think it belittles the practice of painting, and reduces it to mearly a step by step process: repeatable and riskless. Though, those two words could be used to describe alot of what is going on in this shity. i mean city. Written by Bounty on 2006-09-01 14:24:22
///////// ill be curious if you guys actually post my last comment Written by bounty on 2006-09-01 14:25:47
///////// So...that is how it's done? Hmm...I wonder...how do you get your foot in the door here? I think if you seen a step by step of my technique, you'd still wonder...How in the HELL did he do that...yes it's a method of madness, and unless I were ON this site or showing in this gallery, I suppose you'll never see for yourself...Shucks! ~JTT Written by on 2006-09-08 17:23:18
///////// me likey the strong overtones of beastially Written by timo on 2006-09-17 18:26:36
///////// please clarify what your talking about Written by BOUNTY on 2006-09-18 07:48:34
///////// I think Bounty made a number of good points. Artist are similar to magicians, part of our allure is that people walk away from our creations thinking "How'd he do it?". Its not only the finished product that people are attracted too, but the technique's used by the artist to create each piece..... With that being said, I have alot of respect for Kelsey Brookes for allowing us a glimpse into his studio. His work is on point, and I know that people are benefiting more from these step by steps, than the typical aristocratic air that most artist display. Its rare that people (in any field) pause long enough to teach others, without expecting something in return..... Written by Denmark555 on 2006-10-01 06:15:43
///////// yawn.. where's the soul? where's the energy? all you west coast artists paint by numbers. It's like graphic design with paint brushes. Your country is slowly decaying from the inside and all you care about is if your tattoo's look ironic enough.
Written by the east on 2006-10-05 06:52:26
///////// the stencil idea is good Written by sambo on 2006-10-05 18:49:13
///////// WOW FUCK! THIS IS AWSOME!!!!! EXELENT WORK!!! Written by efir_one on 2006-11-19 15:25:26
///////// your work is amazing! Written by beesandbears on 2006-11-26 22:58:08
///////// perra! Written by on 2006-11-27 19:42:36
///////// dont buy from blick. they are anti tattoo for their employees... Written by the R on 2006-12-09 19:47:04
///////// great work, thanks for sharing! Written by on 2006-12-13 23:52:14
///////// Awsome work Kelsey. I like your studio. Written by uncle jack on 2006-12-14 16:52:17
///////// I think this is one hell of a meaningless bullshit! Written by on 2006-12-27 08:10:53
///////// I figured the latex paint was going to be used as a removable mask. Is it used purely for texture? Seems interesting but I feel Kelsey is missing a beat here. Written by Jackie Treehorn on 2007-01-05 02:17:41
///////// totally random: ...that i saw that painting and clicked on it and just happened to know the people in the photo... which made me wonder what the conection is from the baboon, the original etc to the final image...or maybe it's just random Written by ek on 2007-01-06 13:30:03
///////// Hey Kelsey,
Thats neat!
Rick Maderis Written by on 2007-01-11 00:57:12
///////// why remove tattoo from realbody on paint. CRAZY Written by me happymadison on 2007-01-21 14:25:24
///////// righteous. Written by stevie p. on 2007-01-22 13:58:03
Only registered users can write comments. Please LOGIN or REGISTER.
Free Fridayz: POO, The Cat He's all soft, he's all cute, his claws all kill, he likes all chicken dinners from Trader Joes while wearing his turtle neck sweater.
Antistrot & Never a Dull Moment We stopped through White Walls and the Shooting Gallery for a quick preview of these two shows opening Saturday Feb 6th.
David Choe @Fifty24SF Preview We headed up to Fifty24SF to preview his show "Character Assassination" opening Friday, Feb 5th.
2/9 - Jeff Lurker (Portland, OR) submit: potd(at)fecalface.com
Michael Sieben & Cody Hudson Interview This is a great one where we talk art, design, music, film, BBQ, etc whilst enjoying a few suds.Jeremy Fish's Mix This Fecal Pal adds his mix heavy on Hip Hop- Aesop.Paul Urich's Mix Warning: lots of country, but don't worry, it's some southern good stuff.Paul Urich Interview This SF based artist and first artist ever featured on Fecal Face back in 2000 speaks of his art, the Nike he designed, and answers your questions. 12/19/07Rich Jacobs & Tim Kerr Austin Texas artist & music legend Tim Kerr (The Big Boys, Poison 13, Now Time Delegation), and recent SF transplant, curatorial heavy hitter (MOVE), and artist, Rich Jacobs... Andrew Scott interviews including two songs played live by Rich and Tim. Recorded 12/6/07Jay Howell Mix 45 minutes of Jay's favorite music - 11/14/07
///Dana Dart-McLean Interview Our Chicago corespondent Ryan Christian recently discovered her work at Kavi Gupta during the show "The Vaguely Paperly".
///Kevin Taylor Studio Visit We stopped through this SF based artist's Union Square studio and got some video and photos... We also got video of Kevin playing music too.
///Meredith Dittmar Interview This Portland artist does incredible things with clay. She opens a solo show Dec 9th in Mexico City.
///Hiro Kurata Interview 29 yr. old Brooklyn based artist preparing for a February show at Joshua Liner in NYC.
///Maxwell Loren Holyoke-Hirsch This SF based artist opens Megarealms at Fecal Face Thurs. Nov 5th in San Francisco.
///Derek Albeck Interview We love the work of this LA based artist and the fact that he plays "cornhole", can hardly hear out his right ear, searches for Chupacabras, and that he gets back forth to work in LA without driving his car.
///Steve Powers: A Love Letter For You Love Letter is literally a love letter painted on the walls facing the Market elevated train in Philadelphia.
///Marc Bell Interview He almost killed a co-worker once, prefers a cheese burger over fish-n-chips... oh, and has a new book, HOT POTATOE, out through Drawn and Quarterly.
///Austin Eddy Interview This 22 years young painting student at The Art Institute of Chicago is humble and shows much promise.
///Hot & Cold: The End is Here This collaborative art zine made by Chris Duncan and Griffin McPartland is releasing it's final issue on September 11th, 2009 w/ a show @Baer Ridgway in SF.
///Mel Kadel Preview A preview of Echo Test opening Thurs Sept 10th @Fecal Face. Mel Kadel answers a few submitted viewer questions as well.
///Allison Schulnik Interview This LA based painter, sculptor, filmmaker, and all around talent prepares for a solo show @Mark Moore Gallery in LA opening Jan 2010.
///Jason Faulkner Interview "I pretended to be a student at the Museum School for nearly a year, taking out expensive camera equipment and trying to weasel into any classes I could."
///Matt Furie Interview An update on this SF artist as he prepares "Monster Family" opening Oct 8th at Beams T Harajuku in Japan.
///Ben Jones Interview Invaluable source of inspiration, genius, and drum solos. Meet Ben Jones.
///Unagi Interview Bay Area hip-hop producer Unagi just wants us all to feel good.
///Eric Yahnker Interview "I personally get a kick out of the cable guy who can appreciate my work on his own terms, while the academic art critic can excavate further and appreciate it on theirs."
///Alexis Mackenzie Studio Visit Her show opens Fri. June 26th at Park Life in San Francisco. We stopped through for a preview.
///AJ Fosik Interview Alex Lukas interviews and visits AJ's Philly studio before his big show There's Aliens in Our Midst which opens Saturday June 13th at White Walls in San Francisco.
///Henry Gunderson Interview This first year student at SFAI is killing at only 18. His first solo show opens @Fecal Face July 23rd.
///Brian Willmont Interview "Wasted youth, totally lost and really angry. I hung out downtown drinking beer, getting high, cheering on bum fights, and going to shows. I was probably one of the worst students in my high school but did great in art school, ha!"
///Damon Soule Interview We catch up with the Portland based artist as he prepares for Same Loud No opening May 7th at Fecal Face Dot Gallery.
///Aaron Johnson Studio Visit "Works that are visceral, beautiful and flamboyantly timely, which is saying a lot" Roberta Smith, The New York Times.
///RIPO Interview Now living in Spain but this street artist was raised in NYC. He's currently showing at No New Enemies in Brussels. Manuel Bello interviews.
///Catching up with Matt and Kim Since our last interview with Brooklyn's Matt and Kim was so much fun, we decided to catch up with them again as they came through San Francisco to promote their new album.
///Shawn Barber Interview He answers your questions and we visit his studio for a video interview.
///Paul Nudd Interview The celebrated Chicago artist creates nasty gurgling vomiting videos and worm/slug/pest drawings.
///Bay Area Graffiti An interview with Steve Rotman who, with Chris Brennan, put out a book on graffiti in the Bay Area published through Mark Batty. Dan Carlson interviews.
///Souther Salazar & Megan Whitmarsh We visit the Eagle Rock studio of Souther Salazar, Megan Whitmarsh, Carlos Ramos, Mark Todd, Esther Pearl Watson, Seonna Hong, and Martha Rich in LA.
///Interview: Child Abuse New York's Post-millennial mathemagicians Child Abuse do not listen to their own jazz and metal fusion during sex which is good to know.
///Marsea Goldberg of New Image Art On the eve of New Image Art's 15 year anniversary show, Jeff Soto interviews Marsea, the founder and curator, about the gallery's unique past and its future.
///Mike Giant Interview Tattoo/ graffiti/ fix gear/ clothing mogul legend. Mike answers your questions.
///Michael Krueger Interview This art professor from the University of Kansas has recently had solo shows in Paraguay, Florence, Italy and the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Our Chicago man, Ryan Christian, interviews.
///Martha Cooper Interview Photographer Martha Cooper just released Tag Town a book of her photos which document the infant NYC tagging & graffiti scene in the late '70s.
///Interview: Mark Gergis aka Porest Audio revisionist Mark Gergis aka Porest discusses Sublime Frequencies, Tourrorists! and other sonic morsels from a comfortable cruising altitude.
///Carl Baratta Interview Just coming off a show @Western Exhibitions in Chicago, Ryan Christian interviews.
///Studio Visit: Faile Out in Brooklyn, Manuel catches up with FAILE at their studios as they prepare to School London.
///Studio Visit: Anthony Lister The Bello seeks out and finds the infamous Mr. Lister at his new studio in Brooklyn.
///Death Sentence: Panda! San Francisco trio prove that when pushed to the limit, any living
creature will revolt.
///José Parlá Interview Brooklyn based artist José Parlá sits down with Manuel Bello and reflects on the complexities of his journey into the world of 'Segmented Realities' and more.
///The Dodos Interview Our music editor, Chris Rolls, catches this 3 piece band before they head off for more world touring.
///Ryan Wallace Interview Been a fan of this RISD graduate and now NYC resident for some time. He was in SF last week and we got to ask him a couple questions.
///Damon Soule Interview We've known this Portland based artist for years, back when he lived in SF. Well, he's got a show at the NYC based Joshua Liner opening Oct 11th. Manuel Bello interviews.
///Joshua Petker Interview It's not all about the girls. This LA based artist's solo show opens Oct 4th @Corey Helford.
High 5s: Rain Rain Rain Just some things like police, rain, rattle snakes, bowling and your cousins.
Pearl C. Hsiung Studio Visit Michael swings through the studio of this LA based artist as she prepares for the international group show Arte Contemporaneo - ARCO Madrid opening Feb 17th.
Manfred Naescher - Mini Interview Berlin based artist/ illustrator... "film frames provide me with ready-made compositions and figurative constellations that I can work from."
Dumping out the 2009 Junk Drawer The Shopkeep blogs one up sharing Needles & Pens shows Tim Kerr, Russ Pope Mathew Rodriguez, Michael Sieben Nikki McClure, & Sara Thustra.
High 5s: My Holiday Vacation The last week of 2009 spent wishing a magical baby happy birthday in a complete haze.
Interview with Director Erich Weiss The film Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry explores the roots of American tattooing through the life of its most iconoclastic figure, Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins.
Back in Papua New Guinea Artist Tiffany Bozic and her husband, who's the curator of Birds and Mammals at the Cal Academy, take a trip to study some of the rarest birds on Earth.
Michael Dotson - Mini Interview Inspired by Michael Jordan, this DC based 27 year old is a genius with masking tape and has a show coming up Jan 2010 in LA @Lawrence Asher.
Free Fridayz: I Swear to God... Full theme title: I swear to fucking God that if you do that one more God damn time I'm going to rip your fucking head off and feed it to a cute little squirrel named Fecal Face.
Mini Interview: Sam Falls This MFA photography student @ICP-Bard in NYC just released a new book "Color Dying Light" and is preparing for his solo PS1 solo show @Capricious Space in June.
Mini Interview: Matt Relkin Otherworldly landscapes & skyscapes containing dark primordial objects all belonging to a self-made mythology.
London: A Trip to Berlin And assisting Dalek for his show @Elms Lesters Gallery in London plus a lot of Berlin street art.
Free Fridayz: Your Saint This is a great week, but I can't wait to see what people draw for next week's theme.
DUALITY OF MAN Great photos from Carlos de Spinola trying to visualize South Africa's crime problem.
Free Fridayz: Stupid Police Chase This week's prize is a two day pass to the Treasure Island Music Festival running Oct 17th & 18th... Obviously you need to live somewhere near SF to win.
Michael Sieben's Summer Vacation Hopefully this blog gives you some temporary relief from the crushing terror of the impending Swine Flu epidemic.
Up and Down From LA Mel Kadel and Travis Millard came up from LA to SF to install Mel's show Echo Test @FFDG. This is Travis' blog from their trip.
High 5s: Sure, You Can Fly Contest winner, more Mel, marooned at China Camp, KQED, and people you've never met.
If You Build It We Will Burn It North Carolina collective, Team Lump, travels to East London's arty Bethnal Green neighborhood for this group show @Cell Projects.
Free Fridayz: POOR "I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money." -Picasso
Ben Tour takes Manhattan Ben Tour, Bacon, Hotdogs & Heartburn. Manuel brings us a "Ben Tour" Tour of Manhattan and more.
Free Fridayz: Monkey & The Apocalypse The full title: A monkey eating the Eiffel Tower while ice skating off a cliff wearing a mini skirt and hoop earings during the apocalypse... Might be one of the best Free Fridayz to date.
Mini Interview: Adam Sullivan Paper, scissors, blades, UHU Stic, pens and pencils are what's used to create these great collages from this Ohio based artist.
Material published on FECAL FACE DOT COM online service is copyrighted by Fecal Face or its licensors, including the originating wire services. Such material is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws and treaties. All rights reserved.
Users of the Fecal Face online service may not reproduce, republish or redistribute material found on the web site in any form without the express written consent of the copyright holder.
"#22, the best so far !" //
