Toss Around Ideas For This Contest

[zoobyshoe]

This is a portrait drawing contest for a club with a lot of members on DeviantArt:

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HOLIDAY CONTEST
Rules:
Theme: Halloween and Christmas. Draw a pencil portrait drawing of either/both themes eg. Frankenstein, a .witch, Santa, Grinch, an angel
You may submit ONE entry for each theme. In other words, you cannot have two drawings for Halloween, or two drawings for Christmas.
It must be a NEW piece of work, so you cannot simply submit something old from your gallery.
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I'd like an idea for a portrait that I could enter in this contest but which would also fit in with my other portraits without drawing attention to itself as a Christmas or Halloween themed drawing. I hope that's clear: I wouldn't do Santa, Frankenstein, a witch, or an angel, because I want something that will fit in with a bunch of portraits of ordinary people. I have a couple ideas but they're not altogether exiting. Be interesting to see what people here come up with.

 

[Moonbear]

What about something like a kid in face paint done up for Halloween? It fits the theme, and would still be of an ordinary person too. Or maybe one of someone concentrating hard on creating a jack-o-latern, or just standing in a pumpkin patch?

 

[Math Jeans]

What about Santa dressed like the grim reaper?

 

[zoobyshoe]

What about something like a kid in face paint done up for Halloween? It fits the theme, and would still be of an ordinary person too. Or maybe one of someone concentrating hard on creating a jack-o-latern, or just standing in a pumpkin patch?

No, you don't get it. The portrait I want would fit with Halloween but outside the context of the contest not make people automatically think of Halloween.

 

[zoobyshoe]

What about Santa dressed like the grim reaper?

No. Outside the context of the contest that still says Christmas and Halloween.

 

[Chi Meson]

How about a person who's busy creating holiday-themed banners for newspaper inserts, etc. I'm envisioning a guy (or gal) clutching a small santa model while drawing a "holiday sale at Wal-mart" piece, and the previous inserts (Thanksgiving, Halloween, Columbus day etc) are scattered around.

 

[Kurdt]

Just enter yur portrait of Math Is Hard[/color] with wings behind her. Or an ordinary portrait of someone who could be mistaken for Kris Kringle who is wearing ordinary clothes so its not immediately obvious. Or if you want to be a bit more surreal you could have a portrait of a pumpkin (featureless and not carved) with a human body and the head of somebody you know as the halloween pumpkin with a candle and a strange expression, although that will be a bit more obvious. Or a portrait of a stereotypical Jesus looking figure with a party hat on or something.

 

[zoobyshoe]

How about a person who's busy creating holiday-themed banners for newspaper inserts, etc. I'm envisioning a guy (or gal) clutching a small santa model while drawing a "holiday sale at Wal-mart" piece, and the previous inserts (Thanksgiving, Halloween, Columbus day etc) are scattered around.

Basically, I just want it to be a portrait, not an illustration. Examples of portraits that would fit with Halloween, would be, for example Charles Manson or Edgar Allen Poe. They would also stand on their own and not automatically make people think "Halloween." The point of that is I want to be able to include them seemlessly in with the portraits I already have after this contest is over and done with. The right portrait has to fit the contest theme in a subtle, ingenious way. I would very much prefer it not be an historical character, but someone no one there will recognize. A portrait of, say, Charles Dickens would fit the Christmas theme, but I find that idea too heavy handed.

There's a subtle, ingenious solution to this which is right on the tip of my pencil, but I can't quite get to it.

 

[Moonbear]

No, you don't get it. The portrait I want would fit with Halloween but outside the context of the contest not make people automatically think of Halloween.

Basically, I just want it to be a portrait, not an illustration. Examples of portraits that would fit with Halloween, would be, for example Charles Manson or Edgar Allen Poe. They would also stand on their own and not automatically make people think "Halloween." The point of that is I want to be able to include them seemlessly in with the portraits I already have after this contest is over and done with. The right portrait has to fit the contest theme in a subtle, ingenious way. I would very much prefer it not be an historical character, but someone no one there will recognize. A portrait of, say, Charles Dickens would fit the Christmas theme, but I find that idea too heavy handed.

There's a subtle, ingenious solution to this which is right on the tip of my pencil, but I can't quite get to it.

It seems you're asking the impossible. A portrait of someone that would be associated with Halloween, but of an ordinary person nobody knows...so how on Earth would anyone be able to associate them with a holiday?

 

[Kurdt]

Ahh right. Well if you were going with the convict stakes you might want to go with Ted Bundy or Jeffery Dahmer. People who aren't recognisable to a large group of people and thus would just seem like an ordinary portrait but would obviously have that horror element. I'm trying to think if there was one with a particular emphasis on halloween or christmas but I'm not sure.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Just enter yur portrait of Math Is Hard[/color] with wings behind her. Or an ordinary portrait of someone who could be mistaken for Kris Kringle who is wearing ordinary clothes so its not immediately obvious.

Math is Hard is already in my gallery there, so she's disqualified. Wings are out. The idea of someone who looks like off duty Kris Kringle is on the right track, but that particular character is a bit too obvious a choice for Christmas.

Or if you want to be a bit more surreal ...

No, nothing surreal.

 

[Gokul43201]

On a large canvas, you can do a close-up of someone wearing glasses, watching the telly (which is reflected in the glasses) - then you just have to put desired scary character into the reflection of the TV, and the appropriate expression (being scared, perhaps?) on the subject's face.

 

[zoobyshoe]

It seems you're asking the impossible. A portrait of someone that would be associated with Halloween, but of an ordinary person nobody knows...so how on Earth would anyone be able to associate them with a holiday?

No, it doesn't have to say "Halloween". It just has to fit within the theme of "Halloween."


That, in and of itself, is a cinch:
http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/108852/2/istockphoto_108852_scary_face.jpg

I just googled "scary face". Do you know that guy?

Thing is, I want something that will fit seemlessly with my other portraits when the contest is over.

 

[zoobyshoe]

On a large canvas, you can do a close-up of someone wearing glasses, watching the telly (which is reflected in the glasses) - then you just have to put desired scary character into the reflection of the TV, and the appropriate expression (being scared, perhaps?) on the subject's face.

Hmmmmm. That's pretty good, Gokul. Getting warmer.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Incidentally, this came up on page 12 of "scary face":

http://www.davidcogswell.com/HeadBlast/BushFace.jpg

 

[Chi Meson]

a person with the remnants of a fake beard? Someone who looks as though they've been wearing a costume for the last nine hours.

 

[zoobyshoe]

a person with the remnants of a fake beard? Someone who looks as though they've been wearing a costume for the last nine hours.

Those are illustrative ideas. They tell a story.

I thought of an example of a portrait: were I to find someone with an authentically large, red nose, say some kind of homeless alcoholic with a Jimmy Durante schnozz, I could draw him as he was and title it "Skid Row Rudolf", then submit it as a Christmas entry. It's edgy, unexpected, and would stand out as a clever stretching of the theme. After the contest I could simply retitle it "Portrait of Joe", and it fits in seemlessly with the other portraits, not reminding anyone of Christmas.

Trouble with that particular idea is that I wouldn't want to take the trouble to draw a picture that no one is going to want hanging in their living room someday. That one might be a bit too ugly.

 

[rewebster]

somebody biting a small candy cane

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how about 'holiday' earrings?

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or combine the two:

a candy cane shaped nose piercing?

 

[zoobyshoe]

Let's try a new tack.

Think about it and tell me what you think Feynman would suggest.

 

[rewebster]

Let's try a new tack.

Think about it and tell me what you think Feynman would suggest.

cut along the grid lines, and re-arrange it ---to get a new perspective of it

 

[Chi Meson]

Let's try a new tack.

Think about it and tell me what you think Feynman would suggest.

Draw the portrait that would be the most probable outcome of your work.

Perhaps it will be the one that requires least time?

You asked!

 

[zoobyshoe]

cut along the grid lines, and re-arrange it ---to get a new perspective of it

Draw the portrait that would be the most probable outcome of your work.

Perhaps it will be the one that requires least time?

You asked!

Wow! You guys don't know your Feynman.

Feynman learned to draw in his 40's and got relatively decent at it.

The owner of a strip club/massage parlor where he used to hang out commisioned him to do a drawing for the walls. I guess he assumed Feynman would do a standard nekked pin up chick, but Feynman disconcerted him by presenting a psychologically disturbing drawing of one of the girls giving a customer a massage with a bored/depressed/unhappy look on her face. He wanted to depict the reality, and not the false front.

So, no, Feynman wouldn't respond to this contest a physics-oriented answer. I'm sure his entry would be something like a self portrait sitting in the strip bar entitled "A Jew On Christmas".


Hmmm. That's not a bad idea...

 

[Chi Meson]

Wow! You guys don't know your Feynman.

Oh, but we do. I'm just all out of ideas for you!

Plus, I thought it was a funny response. I forgot Zoobies don't laugh! :sardonic:

 

[Evo]

By the time you figure out what to draw, the contest will be over.

 

[zoobyshoe]

By the time you figure out what to draw, the contest will be over.

No, you missed it: I've decided on a portrait of Feynman. It will be a closeup of his face but a pole dancer will be vaguely visible in the background, and behind her there'll be some discreet Christmas decorations: a couple strings of lights with a couple ambiguous Christmas ornaments, hung, cleverly, in the form of a Feynman diagram, (not that anyone there is expected to get that). It will be titled "A Jew on Christmas Eve", or some such. This is an edgy, aggressive, but creative attack on what might otherwise be an all too sentimental take on the season. I'm pretty sure no one there will recognise it as Feynman. Later, when the contest is over, I can simply retitle it "Portrait of Richard Feynman", and any Christmas allusions disappear accordingly. It becomes a "Portrait of the Physicist as a Social Experimentor". Or some such.

Part of this idea comes from my own experiences at "La Souris Perdue", the cafe where I draw, that never closes, not even on Christmas. I went down there last Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and it was packed with Jews who had nowhere else to go on that particular holiday.

 

[Chi Meson]

Um.Glad we could help.

 

[Evo]

No, you missed it: I've decided on a portrait of Feynman. It will be a closeup of his face but a pole dancer will be vaguely visible in the background, and behind her there'll be some discreet Christmas decorations: a couple strings of lights with a couple ambiguous Christmas ornaments, hung, cleverly, in the form of a Feynman diagram, (not that anyone there is expected to get that). It will be titled "A Jew on Christmas Eve", or some such. This is an edgy, aggressive, but creative attack on what might otherwise be an all too sentimental take on the season. I'm pretty sure no one there will recognise it as Feynman. Later, when the contest is over, I can simply retitle it "Portrait of Richard Feynman", and any Christmas allusions disappear accordingly. It becomes a "Portrait of the Physicist as a Social Experimentor". Or some such.

Part of this idea comes from my own experiences at "La Souris Perdue", the cafe where I draw, that never closes, not even on Christmas. I went down there last Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and it was packed with Jews who had nowhere else to go on that particular holiday.

I don't suppose the dancer could <cough> resemble me? In the face. You've never drawn me.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I don't suppose the dancer could <cough> resemble me? In the face. You've never drawn me.

I'll make you the pole dancer just as soon as you send me the nekked pictures.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Um.











Glad we could help.

I would like it clearly understood that I don't understand this post.

 

[Chi Meson]

I would like it clearly understood that I don't understand this post.

I think you and I would have a very awkward time at a party. I was being ironic, in that it doesn't seem that we were any help at all.

 

[Evo]

I'll make you the pole dancer just as soon as you send me the nekked pictures.

I said my face!

 

[zoobyshoe]

I said my face!

The face has to fit with the lighting and posture of the body. I can't stick your head on some random body. Besides, it's been your dream to do a pole dance your whole life. Now's your chance. Have one of the daughters snap the shots.

 

[Evo]

The face has to fit with the lighting and posture of the body. I can't stick your head on some random body. Besides, it's been your dream to do a pole dance your whole life. Now's your chance.

Pole dancers are fully clothed, right?

Have one of the daughters snap the shots

Not on your life! OMG!

Did I mention that my Godfather is Jewish? Apparantly only one Godparent needs to be Catholic. Now, how's that for a story about the pole dancer in the background?

Zooby, pm me your e-mail address, I'll send you something. Not nekkid. But maybe you'll find it inspiring.

I'll bet MIH didn't have to work this hard for a portait.

(MIH, can I trust zooby with cheesecake shots of Dr Foofer? He's not a PETophile is he?)

 

[zoobyshoe]

Pole dancers are fully clothed, right?

This one is actually going to be so vaguely defined in the background I could take a pic of a fully clothed dancer and kind of "delete" any tell tale signs of clothes.

Not on your life! OMG!

OK. The poolman will do. But you're just going to give him ideas.

Did I mention that my Godfather is Jewish? Apparantly only one Godparent needs to be Catholic. Now, how's that for a story about the pole dancer in the background?

Jewish Godfather, Eh? I figured you had mob connections.

I'll bet MIH didn't have to work this hard for a portait.

She was against the whole thing from the start.

(MIH, can I trust zooby with cheesecake shots of Dr Foofer? He's not a PETophile is he?)

I must go to "La Souris Perdue", now. I will engineer a retort later.

 

[rewebster]

Zooby, pm me your e-mail address, I'll send you something. Not nekkid. But maybe you'll find it inspiring.

Can you post it on 'The caption competition thread' too?

 

[Evo]

Can you post it on 'The caption competition thread' too?

I'm the girl in the white dress under the car.

 

[rewebster]

I'm the girl in the white dress under the car.

Ahhh...Evo...you know what they say about teasers...

 

[Evo]

Ahhh...Evo...you know what they say about teasers...

Ok, I lied.

 

[Gale]

Why do all artists aim for edgy? aggressive? generally depressing, grotesque or outrageous? I somewhat doubt most of the artists on deviant art are going to something sentimental typical. Everything has to be "Deep" and have all sorts of symbolism, and whatnot. I guess if art was just simple, anyone could do it... but still. I think it somewhat defeats the purpose of trying to be original, if EVERYONE else is doing the same thing.

Anyway,

I think you should draw someone in their pajamas, a robe, like people are on christmas morning. No one in my family gets dressed til late in the day on christmas. Or a drunk woman in a sweater. Mom's like to hit the eggnog on christmas eve. You know, turkey's in the oven, shopping is finally over, in-laws are visiting... Or you know the crazy secretary at the office christmas party...

For halloween, draw an old man in a flannel shirt, sitting on a bench under a tree. My grandpa did that one year on halloween, letting all the kids think he was a scarecrow, then he'd scare the crap out of them.

Or, draw someone in a cashiers apron. Probably some young, unwed, teenage mother, who's working a second job over the holiday's to make some extra cash. You know the type the store's hire just for the season, who generally make the hell of shopping that much worse.

You could also draw some chick with huge boobs, and only enough of a top to press them together. That seems to be very common on halloween. If you draw the rest of the body, it has to include a skirt short enough to show her underwear. Costumes seem to just be a good excuse to be naked in public.

My final idea is to draw anyone you want, dressed up as some famous person or character. It can be a person or character that looks normal enough so as not to make your pictures too unlike your regular portraits. For instance, you could do, "Gale dressed as Xena" that would blend perfectly with your portfolio...

 

[zoobyshoe]

Why do all artists aim for edgy? aggressive? generally depressing, grotesque or outrageous? I somewhat doubt most of the artists on deviant art are going to something sentimental typical. Everything has to be "Deep" and have all sorts of symbolism, and whatnot.

What is going on there (DeviantArt) is that the overwhelming majority of people who specialize in Pencil Portraits obsessively chose celebrities as their subjects: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and Johnny Depp as a Pirate, and that sort of thing, turn up as subjects over and over and over. The top of the bell curve is peopled by artists who are merely celebrating the prettiness or handsomeness of young, attractive, famous people. Among pencil portaitists, the direction of the lemming march is not the edgy/negative thing you are complaining about. That is actually only embraced by artists who are stuck in the 1900-1980 mentality from reading too much old avant guard literature. That movement's dead, but a lot of people haven't read that far forward, so to speak.

Edgy, aggressive, and creative, are good tactics for this particular contest given what I know the competition will be shooting at. (Depressing, grotesque, outrageous, are not, and I've always pretty much stayed away from those.)

I guess if art was just simple, anyone could do it... but still. I think it somewhat defeats the purpose of trying to be original, if EVERYONE else is doing the same thing.

This is the curse of kids in their teens and twenties: the urge to assert their individuality and to buck the system, is universally shared among all of them, and almost none of them realizes that persuing that urge has the completely opposite effect of what they want: it just underscores how completely socialized and conventional they all are with respect to their peers.

I think you should draw someone in their pajamas, a robe, like people are on christmas morning. No one in my family gets dressed til late in the day on christmas. Or a drunk woman in a sweater. Mom's like to hit the eggnog on christmas eve. You know, turkey's in the oven, shopping is finally over, in-laws are visiting... Or you know the crazy secretary at the office christmas party...

For halloween, draw an old man in a flannel shirt, sitting on a bench under a tree. My grandpa did that one year on halloween, letting all the kids think he was a scarecrow, then he'd scare the crap out of them.

Or, draw someone in a cashiers apron. Probably some young, unwed, teenage mother, who's working a second job over the holiday's to make some extra cash. You know the type the store's hire just for the season, who generally make the hell of shopping that much worse.

You could also draw some chick with huge boobs, and only enough of a top to press them together. That seems to be very common on halloween. If you draw the rest of the body, it has to include a skirt short enough to show her underwear. Costumes seem to just be a good excuse to be naked in public.

My final idea is to draw anyone you want, dressed up as some famous person or character. It can be a person or character that looks normal enough so as not to make your pictures too unlike your regular portraits. For instance, you could do, "Gale dressed as Xena" that would blend perfectly with your portfolio...

These are all pretty damned good ideas and I really like the way you think. If I were going to throw myself into an holliday illustration I would definitely consider the drunk mom or cashier girl. The skimpy halloween costume and Gale as Xena could, indeed, perform double duty as entries to this contest and also portraits depending on the actual execution. Send me at least twenty, clear, large format images of different poses of yourself in a skimpy Xena costume with underwear showing and pressed together boobs and I'll drop Feynman and go with that idea :)

 

[Moonbear]

This is the curse of kids in their teens and twenties: the urge to assert their individuality and to buck the system, is universally shared among all of them, and almost none of them realizes that persuing that urge has the completely opposite effect of what they want: it just underscores how completely socialized and conventional they all are with respect to their peers.

Hee...I was thinking the same thing when reading what Gale wrote. I was remembering the art school students all dressed in black, with their hair dyed black, and the really heavy makeup, and how they all were doing it to be "different" from the other students. (That was back when only the art students were really doing the "goth" look.)

The skimpy halloween costume and Gale as Xena could, indeed, perform double duty as entries to this contest and also portraits depending on the actual execution. Send me at least twenty, clear, large format images of different poses of yourself in a skimpy Xena costume with underwear showing and pressed together boobs and I'll drop Feynman and go with that idea :)

Geez, Gale, you're only legal age for a week here, and already getting hit up for the photos of you in a skimpy costume!

 

[zoobyshoe]

Zooby, pm me your e-mail address, I'll send you something. Not nekkid. But maybe you'll find it inspiring.

You weren't kidding.

Wow!

 

[Art]

How about a portrait of Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryan air. He has a reputation for being a bit of a devil, his airlines a nightmare to fly with and they take people on holiday

 

[zoobyshoe]

How about a portrait of Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryan air. He has a reputation for being a bit of a devil, his airlines a nightmare to fly with and they take people on holiday

Right idea but much too obscure.

 

[Evo]

Red Rum has sent you this picture of a blonde pole dancer.











Caution, adult material, don't view if you are sensitive to such images.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Red Rum has sent you this picture of a blonde pole dancer.

Caution, adult material, don't view if you are sensitive to such images.

WOW!I'm sorry, Evo, I'm going to have to go with the blonde instead of the pic you sent me. (Who is "Red Rum"?)

 

[Evo]

(Who is "Red Rum"?)

Red Rum is my Irish friend (who has a girlfriend) that is a microbiologist that lives in The Netherlands.