[Smoggie]

This is an image I've been sweating over for the last week or so, a composite image from reference of Hitler standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. One of the key goals with this work was simply to become reacclaimated with the Photoshop/Tablet approach to artwork, since I haven't done much work with it in the last year, and no work that I would consider enjoyable or fruitful. I try to approach it like it's a regular painting, but often times I find myself using brushes that are trivially small and "drawing" details that detract from the paint effect.

Instead of applying strict realism sensibilities with this image, I decided to embelish things, including some questionable luminous anomalies near the centre of the figures. The colors used aren't meant to convey any kind of meaning or commentary on Hitler himself... they simply appeared to be challenging, ethereally suitable colors for the job. The simplified, low-saturation background colors are meant to emphasize the foreground and deliver a brief sense of scale/scope within the image. Since this image will remain a work in progress as long as I see fit to work more on it, I'd say with some certainty that the background will be fleshed out even more; in hindsight the simplified treatment doesn't achieve the effect I had intended completely.

This painting does not aim to deliver any sort of avant-garde literary ideas. Rather, it's a color and technique study that deals with intrinsically controversial subject matter which, if anything, is meant to subvert the pressure of metaphorical expectation within an artwork. I don't think that's as much of an issue on these forums, though, where artwork typically does stand on it's aesthetic value.

Here is the step-by-step dissection of the work up until now.

1.


1. This is the initial blocked-in composite of the image. Clearly, only rough shapes and fields of color are used here. This is the basic positioning step.

2.


2. In this step, the foreground subjects get a little more detail. They're by no means nearing completion, but the basic forms and mid-range values are set here.

3.


3. Now the background is given the same treatment as the last step. Nothing is set in stone, but the basic feel is established.

4.


4. The foreground figures are given some more dimension and depth at this stage. I saw fit to render Hitler's face ahead of time, with a different brush, at a closer zoom, since being able to tell it's him is imperative to the image. It also makes his mug stand out a bit in the foreground.


5.


5. For the time being, this is the last background step. The tower is closely rendered so it's recognizable and fairly coherent. As I stated, the background was intended to be lower detail to set up a contrast between it and the foreground, but I think I'll do more work on this facet later.


6.


6. Now we're seeing some substantial detail in the figures up front. Hitler's eery green glow is applied, and little is applied to the peripheral figures.

7.


7. Final details are added to the figures. Some more range in values is applied to the periphery, at least that was the intention. This is the current state of the final work, but let me reiterate, this is still an open artwork which I intend to update.

Big version: http://umbaglo.rm2k-anime.com/shiro/hitlerism01h.jpg

Details:




I'd love to hear some feedback on any facet of the image or the process articulated here. Comments, cristisms, suggestions and paintovers are all wholeheartedly appreciated!

[SolarC]

Nice, no crits. Hope you are going to finish it!