Ariadne

Model:Sophie

This is not one of my better efforts... but it does represent a significant turnaround in approach and discipline.

Warm Up Sketch

I realised that, for the first session, all I really needed was a pencil and paper. Sketch the fuck out of the subject and then figure out the scale and crop for the next week. This worked well and allowed me to adopt a more considered composition.

Preparatory Sketch

Working faster than I should, I'd largely finished the figure by the end of the second session. With time on my hands I thought I'd try adding the dreary beige panelling of the old scout hut behind her, if for no other reason than to give it a sense of depth and perspective. After having rendered it, in sopping sponge swipes of blue and black, I suddenly found myself painting the face of a cow in the background. I don't know why... but it seemed to work.

With her kinky, corkscrew hair, wound into a tight bun, the model gave off a vaguely Hellenic vibe. She also seemed to be a bit pissed off – this I chose to interpret as "defiance". I fashioned my cow into a bull, a snorting, leering minotaur, and the model into his sister, Ariadne...

Bully4You

By changing the background in a proactive way I had managed to create a narrative structure that in some way managed to counter balance the why-is-this-person-naked-and-what-are-they-doing quandary and justify the image. Everyone in Greeky times lived in a hot climate, had no need of the angora or cardy. They could walk around in the the buff 24/7, whether shopping or socialising. Yeah – it doesn't make too much sense, but it it makes just enough sense for me...

By the time I got through with this painting the paper was a sodden pulp. Bits of the paper were rolling off like the scab tops of lepericious blisters. I gave it all a top coat of clear gloss, but when it finally dried it had the surface texture of fresh baked nan bread – all puckered, with peaks and troughs and pot holes. This was the last time I'd use any paper under 300gsm.

All in all this is a piss poor painting by anybody's standards. If I had to start a fire I would have absolutely no qualms about using this as kindling over an Argos catalogue. The only decent thing about it is the bull, but, since I completely made it up as an afterthought, that's the most damning thing of all. Still – lessons were learned, so, in a transient sense, it has some small value.