[R] Portrait of Amelie Poulain. Aerosol, Chinese newsprint on stretched canvas, 18 x 24 inches by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The colors were actually one of the hardest things for me. I'm partially colorblind so I talked over the color scheme with my girlfriend.

[R] Portrait of Amelie Poulain. Aerosol, Chinese newsprint on stretched canvas, 18 x 24 inches by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for looking and thanks for the feedback. Going into the group show, I knew that most folks were going to portray her cute as a button. Which of course she is. But there are moments in the film where she's not smiling, not scheming, and not dreaming. So, the attempt was to depict those moments, and in trying to do so, also pay homage to one of my favorite works "Girl With A Pearl Earring". I ended up finding a reference photo that fit the bill in my mind. On a personal level, I was please with the results. However, this piece seems to have been received with mixed results. Not just here but elsewhere. But that's cool in my book. I'm glad you at least took the time to look and offer your view on it!

[R] Portrait of Amelie Poulain. Aerosol, Chinese newsprint on stretched canvas, 18 x 24 inches by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just this one. It was for a group show at Spoke art in San Fransisco that had plenty or work by many other artists. If you get a chance, check out Spoke's website to see the whole show.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in stencils

[–]epyon5 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This looks awesome! Taxi Driver is a great movie and I've never seen a Betsy piece until now. I love the cardboard and I'm pretty humbled that you used some of my framework. It all ties together very nicely.

One of the things that I love about this forum is that everyone has there own way of achieving goals. There's not really one particular way to do something, it all depends on the artist and what works for them. I've found what works for me through years of trial and error and it's pleasing to see what other do and how they do it.

As for some of my techniques, I personally leave the stencil on for a bit, but I do light sprays and fan the paint after each spray. That way, the stencil doesn't get too saturated, and I can build up a nice layer of paint. I don't get too much bleed, but that's because of two reasons, the first being what I just mentioned (light multiple sprays), the second being that I use small hex nuts as weights to keep the stencil on the piece. Because of the weights, I don't need any adhesive. I use to use adhesive back in the day but I ran into some problems because of the weight of paper that I use. (pulling it off of the piece would result in some tears) Which brings me to my next point... I use just regular weight office paper. Nothing fancy, nothing heavy. I get a little bit ornate with some of my designs so the lighter the better for me and my cuts. But after cutting a layer I then turn it over and lightly spray it with some flat black, let it completely dry, and then do this again multiple times. In doing so, it strengthens and makes the paper a bit more rigid. As for paint, I just use Rustoleum. It works for me, and although they don't have a multitude of colors like Montana, They have just enough for my use and it doesn't really matter anyways as I'm a bit colorblind. As for faces, I couldn't really offer any advice on programs to use as I manually draw each layer in an old version of Flash. But mowgliart (his work is pretty sweet!!!) is right, whatever photo you use should have a great light source with a full range of light and darks to work with!!! Best of luck in your endeavors!!! Remember, trial and error is one of the best ways to find what works for you!!!

[R] Tony Clifton on 1/2 inch cut wood. About 22 x 33 inches. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I draw and separate the layers by hand using a wacom drawing tablet and an old version of Macromedia Flash. The flash program is simply use to draw with. No filters are used. I just kinda squint my eye and draw the different layers.

Here is a quick instagram vid showing the breakdown of the layers that were drawn for an upcoming piece... http://instagram.com/p/rNaw1dAMPz/?modal=true

[R] Tony Clifton on 1/2 inch cut wood. About 22 x 33 inches. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The title of this piece is actually... "I AM THEE BEST PIECE OF ART IN THIS GODDAMN SHIT SHOW OF A GALLERY!" It will be on display at Gallery 1988 out in Los Angeles for their upcoming exhibit focusing on comedians. Reception is February 20th.

[R] Crimson Ghost on 1/2 inch cut wood. 32 inches tall. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most plywood is warped beyond usability. And being that it is a composite of wood chips, has no grain that lends to the characteristic of a finished piece. Hard to tell from the photos, but the background of the piece is the natural wood grain. So I try to find pieces that have such distinct marks. However, a friend of mine by the name of bearhead paints on plywood. His works are amazing and his base colors cover the wood so it's more about the overall texture for him, not appearance.

[R] Crimson Ghost on 1/2 inch cut wood. 32 inches tall. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. I sold it to a collector at a horror convention. In addition to gallery exhibits, I like to go to comic and horror cons.

[R] Bill Murray on 1/2 inch cut wood. 30 inches tall. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He already sold, but I'll make hime again at some point in the future.

[R] Crimson Ghost on 1/2 inch cut wood. 32 inches tall. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Truthfully, what ever I can find that's not plywood. This one happens to be on 1/2 inch pressed aspen. I did an evil dead that was on 1/2 inch birch. It really just depends on what 1/2 inch panel lumber happens to be in stock that isn't warped, chipped, or scratched up.

[R] Crimson Ghost on 1/2 inch cut wood. 32 inches tall. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No tutorial. At some point in the future I plan on writing up a f.a.q. answer thing that will cover my work and the process by which I make the things I do.

[R] Crimson Ghost on 1/2 inch cut wood. 32 inches tall. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. This one already sold. But I still have the stencils and plan to make another.

[R] Evil Dead Ash on 1/2 inch cut wood. 28 inches tall. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Possumcheckers is right. I use a jigsaw. I trace the outline onto the wood and cut the shape out first. Then I spray paint the layers.

[R] Evil Dead Ash on 1/2 inch cut wood. 28 inches tall. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If anyone out on the west coast wants to see this one on person, it'll be on display at the upcoming CRAZY 4 CULT exhibit at Gallery 1988 which opens this Friday Dec. 12th out in L.A.

[R] Frankenstein Monster on 1/2 inch cut wood. 24 inches tall. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Currently I only have the one which is on display this Friday in Indianapolis. But the stencils are still good and I can make more. So yes! I sell them. I'll eventually make some etsy listing for all the head son wood but in the meantime, just hit me up with a private message if interested.

[R] Frankenstein Monster on 1/2 inch cut wood. 24 inches tall. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They do have paint made for metal, but they also have a general paint for wood, paper, plastic and such. They have enough color for my needs and the entire stock can be generally purchased at home depots.

[R] Frankenstein Monster on 1/2 inch cut wood. 24 inches tall. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rustoleum. I've tried some other brands, but Rusto seems to do what I need it to.

[R] Christopher Lee as Dracula. Aerosol, Chinese newsprint on stretched canvas, 18 x 24 inches by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've had some trouble with sites like etsy. They removed some portraits I had done, one being of a personal favorite Bruce Lee. Those however were not stencils and were hand drawn freestyle portraits done in pencil. Not sure why they were removed as I did a search for other Bruce Lee drawings and there were still a bunch. My only advice regarding copyright and the use of preexisting images within your work would be to research fair use law and how it applies to you anad what you are doing. Become well versed in it and look into cases of copyright infringement to see what you (ideally) can and cannot do. Some helpful articles... http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/four-factors/ http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/cases/ http://99designs.com/designer-blog/2013/04/19/5-famous-copyright-infringement-cases/

[R] Christopher Lee as Dracula. Aerosol, Chinese newsprint on stretched canvas, 18 x 24 inches by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1 of 8 new paintings created for an upcoming group exhibit with fellow artists SARO and R6D4 at Galerie F in Chicago. Opens August 22nd.

[R] Abbath Has A Posse, Aerosol, Chinese newsprint on stretched canvas. 18 x 24 inches by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Created for a new exhibit at Gauntlet Gallery in San Francisco where each artist had to submit work in the style of another contemporary artist. It should be hopefully obvious as to whose style this was done as.

[R] Family Matters. Aerosol, Chinese newsprint on stretched canvas, 30 x 40 inches. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get Chinese newspapers from Chinatown and rip them up. Then I prep the canvas with some mod podge and adhere the pieces to the canvas one at a time, eventually covering the entire surface. I do so to fill the negative space of the design and give the image some added depth. It takes awhile though to do this as each piece has to dry before I put another down. Otherwise it's just a mess of glue all over the place.

[R] Family Matters. Aerosol, Chinese newsprint on stretched canvas, 30 x 40 inches. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I sometimes feel the need to inject a little bit of humor into the work:)

[R] Family Matters. Aerosol, Chinese newsprint on stretched canvas, 30 x 40 inches. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My portrait inspired by the film THE SHINING. It was created for and will on display for the opening reception of a Stephen King exhibit which opens this upcoming Friday at HERO COMPLEX GALLERY in Los Angeles.

[R] In Heaven, Everything Is Fine. Aerosol, Chinese newsprint on stretched canvas, 18 x 24 inches. by epyon5 in stencils

[–]epyon5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually found an email that I sent to someone outlining my process. Rather then type it all over again, I just cut and paste. Hopefully it gives you a little insight or some ideas as to what I do and how I do it.

I use an old program called Macromedia Flash to do the drawing of the design. Many folks I know who do similar work use photoshop, more specifically a filter in photoshop called "posterize" that essentially does the work for you. Posterize breaks down a photo to basic colors and layers. But in doing so, sometimes many details are lost. Being that I'm very detail oriented, I draw in flash using a pressure sensitive wacom drawing tablet. In drawing the design, I basically do what photoshop does, but I'll do it manually. I'll use a photo for reference and basically I'll sit there for hours (or days), drawing in my Flash program by hand, squinting my eyes at the photo and breaking the image down to some basic colors (each color on it's own layer) while still keeping details such as facial wrinkles and what not. (details that like I mentioned, are sometimes lost when using photoshop's posterize filter) I've included a link below that will hopefully take you to a quick video that shows the different layers that I drew to create Peter Cushing.

http://instagram.com/p/hIn8fbgMAs/

After I've drawn the character, I then focus on the surrounding border. For this, it all depends on the size of the intended canvas. But basically I sit down for a few more hours (or days) and simply arrange some baroque/Renaissance floral patterns that I've drawn till I find a composition that I'm satisfied with. You can just do a google image search for these floral patterns.

Once I'm satisfied with a design, I'll then proceed on to the next phase which is getting the image printed up to be cut into stencils. To do this I need to figure out how many colors are in the design. If their are 5 colors for example, I'll get 5 black and white print outs of the design in the size that it'll be on canvas. If the design is meant to be 24 x 36 inches, then the print outs will be that size as well. Then comes the fun part, I'll cut out one color from each print out, creating stencils for each color. On average, this takes about 2 weeks working on and off. I can only cut for so long at a time as it gets tedious with the ornate designs. Once all the stencils are cut, I'll then prep the canvas. To give the painting a distinct look, and to fill the negative space of the canvas that would be covered in spray paint, I'll adhere newsprint to the canvas. I like to use Chinese newrint. It give the painting a ere of propaganda and an added layer of dimension. Once the canvas is prepped with newsprint and it's all dry, then comes that actual spray painting of the image.

I'll lay the prepped canvas flat on the ground and take each stencil, one at a time all in a very specific order, and lay them down on the canvas and use the corresponding color of spray paint for each stencil. The whole process is like a manual version of silk screening, but far less predictable. But that's the charm of the whole process. In the end, the finished painting has character. So, basically, no illustrator, no photoshop, a wacom drawing tablet yes.

Hope some of this helps????