Final steps



So, I think this one is done for now. Next steps are to find out what kind of finish to use, since the conventional varnish would eat up the colour, then apply that, paint the head (I haven't got the neck here yet), finish that and finally put the baby back together again.

In this last big effort, I decided to give the front side two distinct layers, by making the "lower" parts darker and keeping the brighter, more saturated tone on the "lips" and tentacles.

Also, I'm very happy with the elongated teeth and depth in the mouth. The lower part of the mouth will be obscured by hardware, so I had to find a way to incorporate that into the painting. I think this "deeper" part in the jaw should do the job





Here you can see how the decoration goes
all around the body. I'm particularly proud
of that veins- and-bubbles part on that stretch of flesh in the middle. Seeing how that turned out, I decided to paint more of these blisters or bubbles on the lips.







The pieces of "skin" that cover part of the front side wrap around the edges of the body and connect again on the backside, creating a cloth-like surface with blood vessels on the center of the back. Most of the pointy edges of the guitar stick out from that, as I thought that would emphasize the shape and at the same time help create the illusion of an organic entity, rather than an instrument.







This "skinned flesh" look you can see on the side here (and on several other parts of the guitar) was a new experience for me: The highlights are created by removing paint with a dry brush. Usually, I would have either used white paint to lighten up the colors, or applied the red and blue tones in very thin layers. Instead, the really smooth surface of the white base colour allowed to wipe of the freshly applied paint in parts, thereby generating this very organic, chaotic effect. Even from close up, it looks really fleshy and "alive" (in a painful way) in some parts. Also compare the "neck" in the picture above.







Finally, here's the one really sharp picture my trashy old camera managed to take in artificial light.
I love to paint with relatively big brushes, aiming for a convincing effect from the distance by working with rather rough strokes and low detail.

In the end, this guitar will be seen in stage light, often through haze, and from a couple meters away. microscopic detail makes no sense here. Instead, effects like strong drop shadows, color contrast and unrealistic reduction and exaggeration of details are necessary to transport the image under the given circumstances.

Overall, this project is more related to stage design or movie prop making than it is to classical painting or fine art. I find this very interesting. Painting a picture is fun, of course. But painting something with a distinct function in mind, and therefor having to respect certain rules of perception is a very different task.

I'll take proper photos outside in the sunlight when the guitar is complete.

In the meantime, check out the band it belongs to once more: myspace.com/tsagd