Photoshop to tote bags

At this moment in time I have now scanned in my images of Saint Bettie and Saint Bunny and am working on them in Photoshop. Originally I was going to leave them as just simple black line drawings, but the endless possibilities of Photoshop have got me again and I am in the process of adding full colour to them. It simply means that the process of screen printing them will be slightly more complicated. basically I will need to take each colour individually and add them to a new layer, but also print the separate layers in black so they will work on a screen and just pull through the colours as needed. 

This is A nearly finished Saint Bette for the front of the tote bag allocated to The photography Saints that are Bunny Yeager and Bettie page. I have also started on the two figures of the women of the triptych I am also creating. 

The same rules will basically apply to this screen print, as I didn't know it should be done in many layers and printed, when the time comes to move them down to the print room I will have to do each of these layer by layer and deconstruct them essentially. Unlike the other portraits to come, as now i know to produce each layer individually to make it easier for myself. 

Ghent Altarpiece

As a quick point of research I have looked at the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan Van Eyk, between 1430-1432. It is an extremely famous religious triptych, with a lot of religious imagery. It is made up of 12 panels, 8 of the panels are hinged, it is an absolute work of art not just in terms of the painting itself but the triptych as a whole. 

Open:

Closed:

I will have to also consider what will be on the front of the fold out, rather than creating more panels, I might just keep it simple with a banner stating the saints that are inside. 

Hands and progress

I fel as though I'm progressing at a faster pace this last week, soon i'll be done with Bettie and Bunny and can carry on with the other Saints. I feel as though focussing on the small details like hands is important because of the range of work I have to do, as religious art is full of small details and symbolism. I have definitely improved when it comes to drawing hands and i'm really happy with this as they still translate the style I am going for. 

I have started to also plan my final layout for this part of the project. obviously it needs plenty more work and panning but it's quite an interesting start.  

I have also began to look at the meaning behind the hand symbols i am using. It has opened me up to a few more symbols I want to incorporate into my work in some way. 

Contemporary religious art

From conducting a quick google search on this subject, I have found that a lot of this style of art is still very similar to the old masters paintings. Although I have noticed that contemporary religious art  is getting a slight push from various artists who are using the classical imagery in a new way. 

St. Garf (The Annunciation)Ian Byrne, 2014

Obviously this piece is similar to mine in that it is using a famous figure in place of a religious character. I do actually really like this style, the smudged paint strokes are really nice. 

Nino Muerto #2 : Alex Garcia

This stylised piece is really cool, Using religious imagery to create a fantastical being. I may strive to create more in depth pieces with more imagery in them. 

More Copyrighting

I have been looking more into copyrighting laws as what i'm doing seems to be kind of a grey area. Apparently, if the work I am creating is my own intellectual property and I am just using a face to create a character i should be fine. Especially as I am not copying directly from photographs and am creating a new persona for these people. 

"If you've created, invented, or named something that you're selling, you already have intellectual property." 

I feel much happier proceeding with the project now I am more aware that i'm basically are to do this style of product. 

Patents, registered designs, trade marks and copyright for dummies: John Grant, Charlie Ashworth and Henri Charmasson: John Wiley &Sons, Ltd. 

Medieval triptychs and further religious imagery

I have been looking at more religious imagery and triptychs, to further my knowledge on this style of religious portraiture. 

They vary in, some are extremely decadent whilst others remain fairly simple. I want to find a good medium between the two, and figure out the placement for my own figures. 

I ave also been looking up other religious imagery that can be incorporated into these illustrations from a really good site: 

http://symboldictionary.net

Art of the Middle Ages, Thames and Hudson

Treasures of the Vatican, Thames and Hudson

Progress?

As these portraits go on I am beginning to find it easier to draw these women. I am also getting more and more ideas for my triptychs I wish to produce, from now on I will be focussing on this. I am slightly behind with starting to print my bags but I am confident that I will be able to complete everything within time. 

I feel as though my style has changed again for this brief and I do actually really like the works I am producing at the minute, all except the bottom right portrait. It's just too juvenile, I do however like the inks on the Halo. I am think more about incorporating inks into these initial drawings as I may use them for prints.