Weeping Soul Poster

   I drew a more refined sketch of my first one. Changing the tree leaves to ones of a Weeping Willow, of course due to the name. Then i included the shape detail i recently decided on. This one not having a border, instead the shape is cast by a spotlight. This poster is supposed to be the dirtiest appearing outside of the spotlight. To show how people will only show you the positive side of things to gain your trust to pull you in before you can realise it was all a lie. I also changed the rose flower to the Jimsonweed/Apple Thorn flower i decided on an earlier post for its meaning in flower language.
  A few other changes is the name appearing around the side of the circle and the quote "Ready to amaze you" will appear across the bottom instead of the name.
   For the actual poster, i drew out the body plan, which i am not in the habit of doing but i thought it would be for the best to draw the entire body and create a starting point to work up on.


     Using my desk light to cast a spotlight onto the drawing helped me draw an outline of the circle and secondary circle where the light fades out into the dark. I will include Zelroth in the right side of the poster, his shadow will distort the circle towards him a little to draw the eye to his shadow.
   I remembered to rub the lines out so they are really light, before i have always forgotten and then they show through the light paint. I also planned where the dark black edges will be when the light fades out so the writing will have no details behind it to be distracting.

 I decided to use gouache earlier on due to the ventilation issue with using oil paints and turpentine. I also feel more confident with gouache paints. I enjoy the versatility of either having them bold or watered down. For instance it works here to water down the browns in the background so the curtains appear patchy and unappealing compared to the bold bright colours in the spotlight.
   I could let areas dry then revive them with water. This worked effectively for the fade to black as i outlined the edges first, then painted the stripes. Then using a water down dark brown to revive the black and blend into the curtains. Creating this harsh shadow that looms around the edges.
 

    I am very pleased with the outcome of the painting. I think the drastic change in curtain colours from bright red to browns really helps the focus on the bright colours in the centre before zooming out and taking in the details around the edge. I think once i have added the green of the leave sup top it will help break out of the bright circle to draw the eyes to the dark edges. Additionally, when scan this poster to print off, i will try adding some screwed up clear plastic on the blue top to add a shine to the material. I hope it will be effective.
   The fonts on the top and bottom will be in white to stand out from the black, however i have not decided on the colour for Weeping Souls name. White could work, maybe incorporate the red around the outside of the circle. Or i could write the name more subtle across the bottom of the curtain before the fold. It only just fits and wont be too out of place.


   I went with the second option and wrote the name across the bottom of the curtain. I wish i had moved the word "Soul" more to the right so the name doesnt look pushed to the left. This time i was able to make the pen write thinner compared to the Cadey poster. Additionally, i included some silver button details to the shirt to really add to the over compensation of the appearance of the performer compared to his surroundings. Furthermore, i placed this in the printer and added a screwed up piece of plastic to add shine creases to the blue shirt. I think this was quite effective but it was difficult to make it fit to the shirt. I knew it would be impossible to get it to fit the shirt exact, hence why i didnt bother to cut it to the shirt shape. I thought i could just add a little to the centre. It still was a little off around the bottom and i didnt want to waste anymore more ink. Luckily i had already printed a failed version where the image was off centre. So i cut off a section and glued it on the image to hide any shines that were not on the shirt, but instead on the legs. This helped fixed my problem and save any more ink.

   Due to painting the Cadey poster with PVA glue, i already knew some issues with the glue and ink that didnt become obvious when painting over my practice piece. So i began painting from the centre out and around the white edges first as to not letting any darker colours bleed. The glue did cause the light side of the curtains to smudge a little. It reminds me of medieval paintings with the colour choice and appearance. Luckily no other colours bled or smudged like the shirt or leaves as that would be way more distracting than the background. Again i am not pressed about the colours smudging as i think it helps blend into the dirtiness of the the brown curtains that look very marked.