Saint Fella

Another attempt at digital illustration in Photoshop... this one took forever to complete. Lots of smudging individual color layers around the canvas. At the moment I am still experimenting with different techniques - hopefully a style will emerge that I can one day call my own. The hands and forearms got too complicated and looked messy. So I cheated and covered it up with a gradient on the body out of pure frustration and ended up liking the effect. Adds a bit of contrast - a lot of times these "accidents" have pleasing results. (Click image to enlarge)

More from Stefan

Some more talented guys from the very talented Stefan. Unfortunately there is no website for Stefan yet, but I know he is working on a retrofuture set and I hope to post some here soon.

Summer is back!

Figure Study

Process: Thought it may be interesting to track the development of this pencil sketch.



Step 1: Rough pencil drawing.
Step 2: Outline transfered to coloured paper.
Step 3: Switched to coloured pencil for the shading.

Final: The final image needed to be a lot more detailed. Also, darkened the shadows some more and added a few highlights with white pencil for the final touch. (Click to enlarge)

Interview with Stefan

Where are you from originally? I'm French. I live in Paris.

What inspires you? My main sources for inspiration, as you may have gathered from my images, are vintage comics, commercials, ads, etc... I have the greatest interest in everything from the 40's/50's: cars, architecture, movies, paintings and any kind of pop culture of the era, including the "totalitarian art" from the time. Nothing about ideology in this, of course, just aesthetism.

Could you tell us some more about your art? Well... all the above, is re-arranged with a strong gay erotic overtone in my images, but also, hopefully, some humor, sometimes. All this stuff is just fun and not be taken seriously...

Which artists have influenced you, and how? Again, the influence mostly comes from pop culture: SuperHeroes comics, vintage sci-fi, etc... but I guess I find inspiration, too, in the painters and sculptors I like and admire the work of. Could be the great classic French from the XVII th/XVIII th centuries, American painters and illustrators like Hopper or Parrish, or Art Deco artists like Lempicka, just to name a few.

What is your favorite medium? My work is entirely CGI. Most images include 3D elements, but I use less and less 3D, only as a basis and in a very "unconventional" way, I think. The largest part of my work is made with "traditional" digital graphic tools. I just can't get enough of the infinite possibilities they offer. Not a day where I do not try a new effect, a different technic...

Did you have any formal training as an artist? I've graduated at the French National School for Beaux-Arts.

What do you do for fun (besides art)? Art is fun!

What are your current projects? I am currently working on a retrofuture set. I find the retrofuture concept to be fascinating... at the moment, at least ! Enjoy...

Be sure to check back soon for more of Stefans brilliant work...