Spotlight:Pamelina

From Ani-Jobs

Spotlight On: Pamelina

The Project: "Rosehips"

I was contacted by Sturgis Merchandising to create a pin-up. They were looking for a vintage style pin-up updated with a modern bad girl look. All of their artwork is currently created in Photoshop and they were looking for a hand-painted feel with this one.

The Art:

STEP 1

I started by creating this sketch. It's a combination of photos and pencil sketching. The colors were added in Photoshop so they could be easily changed. She went from blonde to brunette in this process.

STEP 2

The Photoshop sketch was printed and enlarged to 18" x 29" and transferred to illustration board using graphite paper. Since I wanted this to have the look of a painted photo, I did all the work in gray tones before adding the color. I used various shades of graphite to create this drawing, then protected it with workable fixative

STEP 3

The drawing was masked using frisket paper. With the airbrush, I added tones using various shades of gray. Using mixtures of mars black and transparent mixing white thinned with water and acrylic medium, I very gradually deepened the values.

STEP 4

Working with black, white and shades of gray, the details were added. I start with the middle tones and work my way darker and lighter until I have some nice contrasts.

STEP 5

Per the client's request, it was purposely kept monochromatic. Since I wanted the existing gray tone to be the value base, I used a transparent mix of raw umber, sienna, ochre and mixing white thinned with water and acrylic medium. I applied more color in the darkest areas to further bring out the contrasts.

STEP 6

The final color details were done using paintbrushes. I slowly built up the color in the hair by doing several transparent coats until I had the color desired. I painted the tattoo to bring it to the foreground. Red was the only other color added to the painting in strategic spots, Lips, shoulder tattoo, ribbon, thigh tattoo and shoes causing the eye to follow the red and take in the entire painting. The background was painted using traditional acrylic glazing techniques. The lingerie was masked and airbrushed so the background texture would show through. The entire painting was then finished off with a coat of varnish.

The Interview:

Q:Can you give us a brief bio of your art education/professional background?

Pamelina: I didn't receive a formal art education past high school. But I grew up with an artistic mother who taught me a lot about painting from the time I could smear paint on paper. She enrolled me in several art classes starting at the age of 8. I spent a lot of time learning from a Disney animator who was a friend of the family. My education continued by studying other people's art and methods through books, art shows and forums.

Q: Do you generally use a blend of traditional and digital methods in your work? For example, will you paint/sketch part of the design traditionally, and then scan those elements into Photoshop/Painter and finish up the work digitally?

Pamelina: I generally start with pencil sketches which I scan into the computer and then lay out the color with Photoshop. Once I've got the design I want, it's printed out and transferred to the surface I'm painting. I rarely do complete digital works, only when there's a low budget or it's specifically asked for.

Q: Do you normally make very finished-looking sketches for your clients?

Pamelina: It depends on the client. If I'm working with a professional art director, it's generally not necessary to deliver fully-developed sketches. But when working with the general public, I like to deliver very finished-looking sketches to make it easier for them to know what they're getting and to aid in the approval process.

Q:How do you keep your edges so clean? Are you masking your drawings? Any special techniques?

Pamelina: When airbrushing, I use frisket paper to keep clean edges. I've had many artists tell me that working with frisket paper is not appealing because of the process of saving all your pieces and working with them like a jigsaw puzzle. But I'm so used to it that I don't give it much thought.

Q: Looking at your website, you seem to create everything from photorealistic people to cartoons to tattoo art. What subject matter do you find the most difficult or challenging to get right? Which do you enjoy working on the most?

Pamelina: The most challenging for me is cartoons. I'll take a cartoon assignment once in a while just for the challenge. What I enjoy most is surrealism. Taking a fantasy situation and attempting to make it look as real as possible. People are the most fascinating subjects and I enjoy painting faces more than anything.

Q:Did you start painting with airbrush or traditional brush first? Was the transition from one to the other difficult? Did one teach you any techniques that made you better with the other tool?

Pamelina: I worked with traditional methods until around the age of 19. I wanted to work in a new medium, something contemporary that hadn't already been done for hundreds of years. I also recognized the potential for income the skill presented and all the applications for its use. Transitioning to doing more traditional methods took practice and time to become familiar with the tools and techniques. What I enjoy now is using both methods in one painting. There are things that an airbrush does that you can't do with a paintbrush and visa versa.

Q: Do you find it difficult painting on non-flat surfaces (like guitars) and do you have any tips for painting on such media?

Pamelina: Painting on curved surfaces is very difficult. The paintbrush wants to follow the plane of the surface and it takes a lot of practice (and a little contortionism) to learn how to compensate.

Q: What was the thought behind using the nom de plume “PS Jones” for some of your work?

Pamelina: I'm known for painting beautiful and elegant things and thought that my Bare Bones Religion series was such a departure from what I'd painted before that it felt like a different person painting it. I painted the series in anger after the attacks of 9/11 and the use of religious dogma to justify the killing of so many people not just recently, but in the entire history of mankind.

Q:Who has been the biggest influence on you as an artist?

Pamelina: As a child, I was a big fan of graphic novels and the artist who touched me the most was Frank Frazetta, whose work graced the covers of many great comics. His wife was also a great inspiration to me as she was such a driving force in instituting many of the business standards that are still in use today. The two of them together taught me that to be successful, painting and business skills go hand-in-hand.

Q: Lastly, do you have any book/video recommendations that inspire you, you use for reference, or that help you develop your techniques? Do you have any books where your work is exhibited that you'd like to showcase on the spotlight?

Pamelina: I've studied the artworks and techniques of many artists whose work I admire. Frazetta, Sorayama, Olivia, Brom, and more.

I like Dave Dorman's work very much and am thrilled to get his new techniques video.

My work is featured in a book about Fender's Custom Shop which I'm very proud of. I designed the Custom Shop's logo and was the first artist to paint a guitar for them. I'm very proud of the work done for them and to have been such an integral part of all that the Custom Shop has achieved over the years.

(you can also see Pamelina’s work here)