This is Bree.
This is also one of the
last two pieces of 2010 - having
been done around 11:30 PM, December 31st,
at the Big Apple Cafe in Murray, Kentucky. In a way,
this was also a practice session for Marci - an
old friend and eager canvas.
Before going to Kentucky,
Marci and I had chatted about "The Human Canvas".
She said, "I have a great back." (She does.)
The wheels started turning. All of
these so afar had been
rather impromptu...
But now...
I started thinking
about a much larger piece.
I actually started planning...and even practicing.
These practice sessions started on my
own arm, went to paper,
and then to Bree.
...And now Marci, just a few nights later...
...January 3rd, 2011.
This koi, including my "practices sessions",
is the 5th one attempted.
is the 5th one attempted.
So I suppose this orange one makes the 6th.
Some black. To define...and make it pop just a bit.
I used more fine-line on the gold koi.
We could have called it quits right here, but
I had much more in mind.
So again...this could have been a finishing point. Right?
Noooooooo.
With this final
light blue being used
to fill in the background, the unmarked
parts of her flesh are now set off as another color
in the piece...highlighting the clouds,
the pagoda, and the koi.
And finally...filling in those missing corners down below.
Done!
All the others had been
much quicker sessions - 15 to 20 minutes.
This one was around 2 to 2 1/2 hours. But we were
happy with the results.
Thank You Marci!
Marci was good enough to send me a couple
shots of the fading process (under ordinary circumstances,
these things don't last very long). This next shot is after
one - maybe two days of
sleep and washing.
I'm still working
out something to "erase" immediately,
but at that point. my best attempt resulted in
what looked like a big, horrible bruise.
We'll show that soon.
In a way though,
it's the "permanence" of
the ink - as it's being done - that makes
this an interesting study...and continuing experiment.
When you make a mark...it's there...you
have to work with it.
But they can
turn out quite nicely.
As a matter of fact, 2011 saw
a nice turn for The Human Canvas.
I think the two most outstanding pieces to date
were Marci, above, and this next session...which
was back in California only a week
and a half or so later.
Courtney.
She's really (REALLY) into
butterflies. And she was also quite willing
to be the next canvas.
I worked out some ideas..she was game for any of it.
The culprits...the chosen ones...laid out on velvet. Well, a velour bed spread, anyway..
So like I said...butterflies.
By the way...these
Human Canvas pieces have
been done in a variety of settings.
In the middle of parties or faculty mixers,
at someone's house - as they're getting ready to go
out for the evening...even at a Dr. Who convention disco.
Court was typing...
...at her doctoral dissertation...
Seriously.
________________________________________________________________________________
BUY MAC!!! Here's just one of our clients!!!
(((Nether Mac nor Sharpie actually endorses what I do...yet)))
__________________________________________________________________________________
(((Okay...back to the drawing)))
Not happy with that blue one,
but...it's ink. It's there. Later, we'll show
you what it looks like when you try to erase. This
ended up in a later blog entitled, "The Butterfly and the Big Bruise". It'll be shown later on this page.
but...it's ink. It's there. Later, we'll show
you what it looks like when you try to erase. This
ended up in a later blog entitled, "The Butterfly and the Big Bruise". It'll be shown later on this page.
Trudging on then with a fourth...
...and fifth. The pink one turned out well, and this blue one I did like.
She's smiling. She liked them too...them TWO...THEM two...whatever.
On the photo below, the brown marks represent something that was her idea. She said, "You've done a shoulder piece...a back piece...how about a leg piece..."
"...And have it wrap around to the other leg?"
Conceptually, I loved this. It would be a cool experiment. Though truth be told, she had me at "leg piece".
Add the next layer of color...
Now lay in some black...and wrap around once more.
Viola!
She was with us for several days...
...So I sketched out several ideas.
At some point, we will do the rest of them.
This visit got the wrap-around
leg-piece.
Done. Check.
Beyond what's on the sketch,
we've also talked about re-visiting...and actually FINISHING "The Human Canvas - The Bra Strap". If you haven't seen this one, or wanna get there again without a search, a click HERE will do it.
On the "idea sketch",
there's an arrow pointing to her shoulder,
with a note that says, "Goth (or tribal, maybe) Butterfly".
The other shoulder has a reminder for me to put
Rosie the Riveter on her...or somebody.
I thought the butterfly turned out fine.
(I'd had LOTS of practice by that point) But when
I attempted to add a "tribal" look...
...and then when I added color...
Yuck! Blech! Ack!
Okay, maybe not that bad,
but still...I didn't like it. The color and
extra lines simply detracted from what was otherwise
a decent piece.
So I erased.
Well, I tried to erase. Here's the first scrub
with rubbing alcohol...
...And here's the second.
Great, Dave.
Ya promised her cool art...and gave her
what looks like a big bruise.
So scrub it some more...
and draw something in to disuise
the discolored arm-thing you just presented.
Butterflies, by now, have become
kind of quick.
And these little whatsits of color...a quick and easy frame.
There. Not the best cover-up out there. Not entirely disguised, but...
...Good. Still smiling. We like it when that happens.
This'n started with
me being at work without my
sharpies, finding a red pen, and putting it
toward this rose on my arm...trying to pick up on
some of the vibrancy it had in '88...slowly
fading over 23 years.
This'n faded in a day...
So it became a butterfly.
This was actually only a week or so after
doing "The Butterfly Effect" Human Canvas session
with Court, so these were kind of
fresh on my mind.
It was also an
experiment of sorts...as are all of these.
Instead of be-moaning a faded color...Use it as an ADDITIONAL color.
A couple weeks later,
we were visiting Alex and a few other friends.
This (gladly) became the next session.
The cool thing about this session
was that Alex knew I was joining my wife in the visit,
knew about the Human Canvas series, and
wanted to be a part of it.
I still didn't know though,
because she was too shy to ask.
(I'll remove this fact if she asks) Everyone had eaten,
we were hanging out by the fire pit, and Ricky asked,
"Hey Dave, ya have your markers on you?",
and pointed to Alex...quietly
off to the side.
Boom! Off to the living room!
I'd been working on dragons recently...and castles...and a few shots at Marvin the Martian. These have been practice sessions for another large back-piece in the future.
You know who you are.
In the meantime...
...here be dragons.
I had a request for a unicorn dragon, actually.
So here's another case of getting to a point where I ought to be done...
...right?
But noooooo. I'd done a drawing recently (on paper) that I called "Smaugy on Mars".
So, with red markers in hand, this was my opportunity to do a Human Canvas version.
Really - just providing a landscape...a place for this dragon to be.
But it was Red.
You know...Mars.
And having put my initials on it...
...done!
So...Alex.
I've done better dragons
than this...on paper, anyway...and would like
another session with her. I won't be too shy to ask.
This was a fun session, and I thought I'd be done for a while.
Right?
Well, the next night
found a buddy and I off to
Pappy and Harriet's. Pappy and Harriet's?
HERE's another link. Anyway - I ran into someone
I had met out there about a year and a half before.
We'll call her Shaun.
After talking about The Human Canvas
(and me doing a quick drawing to show just HOW quick
these things can be) she agreed to be a canvas.
She wanted a very specific image...
She actually wanted it to wrap around the leg...
...but I didn't think it would be as interesting visually.
Besides...she was complaining about the cold enough as it was.
So this was a quickie...
And here it is when it's not laying on a cold bench out back of Pappy and Harriet's. She was happy with the result...
...and was trod upon by no one.
This, so far, is the favorite of my friend Tom.
Not because of ANY level of complexity...but it was the
fact that Shaun brought up this image, showed me a version...and then there it was.
I was glad that I had brought my sharpies.
Shaun was glad she had shaved.
Again - thought I'd be done for a while.
Everything was posted and up to date.
But then came a trip to Turkey.
Turkey. Great art, food, architecture.
AND - I spent a lot of time at Arsah - THE place to go in Istanbul. Arsah is an antique store, specializing in carpets...
but really, it's just a great place to hang. Huseyin,
Mehmet (RIP), and Musa make you feel at home...
and there are always people - from all over -
coming in to check out this
wonderful shop.
Some of the more savvy visitors
to the store often ended up asking why I
might have 30 Sharpies with me.
Take for example, Ha.
might have 30 Sharpies with me.
Take for example, Ha.
She heard the story, and was up for a session.
After trading shirts with her friend, Heena, we talked about what she might want.
In this case, it was a bit of a trial run...
...for a tattoo she wanted...
...or at least wanted for a couple of days.
She didn't have any pictures.
We just talked about an image...
...the kind of sun you might find on an old map...
...Or perhaps on a horoscope.
So...I had room to play...
...and just try to recreate something from the mind's eye.
Beyond a kind of
old-fashioned look, the only
other thing we really talked about was that
we wanted kind of a serpantine flow to the rays.
She loved it, & wanted it signed before
the final photo.
Done!
So...
Once again... Ha... Post-Sharpie.
Now meet Heena.
She took the above photos for me...
...And then became the next canvas.
This was a nice surprise - as she was hesitant at first,
AND Ha's piece took about 40 minutes.
Heena wanted a whirling Dervish...
Not really abstract...
...but not really keeping
in the confines of strict realism either.
So this session was really cool...
...somewhat spur of the moment...
...and not knowing what the image would be...
...until just before we started...
...and going from there.
This one went rather quickly.
Quicker than expected, actually.
Maybe ten or fifteen minutes later...
And Done. So now here's Heena AND Ha.
The next session started about fifteen minutes later.
Meet Mehmet (RIP).
The previous two pieces that night -
the Sun on Ha and a whirling dervish on Heena - were
by request. Mehmet didn't really care...he just
wanted to be a part of
the experience.
So...I relied on something familiar,
while trying to incorporate things I'd learned on other drawings.
So...once again...
Here be Dragons!
Some detail...
...and a background...
...And there we are.
...And thanks to Mehmet AND Huseyin -
for allowing me to do these in their store. As well as the
next two...done a day or two later. Once again - I
was trying to explain to some fellow travellers
why I might be walking around with some
30 sharpies on me.
This is Haida.
The best explanation was
for me to simply bring up one of the photos
from the previous night
Haida wanted something done, but didn't care what.
So...Having promised to only take about 10 - 15 minutes...
...And having grabbed an orange Sharpie out of my pocket...
...I again went with the familiar - another Koi.
Problem was, that
orange Sharpie I grabbed...was the only
one I'd brought from our room at the hotel!
No Black!!!
I mean... C'Mon!
Who leaves their hotel with just one Sharpie?!?
Mehmet and Huseyin,
normally running the shop, started running
around looking for a black pen.
Couldn't find anything
that had the boldness of a Sharpie. Instead
of a black, we ended up with a
rather dark grey.
This came in handy a
day or two later - on yet another session.
She had a few stars already tattooed on her forearm.
With the Koi in place, I felt like they needed
to be colored in...
And a couple more added.
So again...meet Haida.
And in a city of some 8.8 million,
I actually ran into her again a day or two later...
...Allowing me to get a shot of the fading process.
Thank you Haida.
This was the fourth of five sessions while in Turkey.
All at Arsah.
As was the next. Musa.
He had been witnessing this over the last few days,
and wanted a wolf. I kind of expected something kind
of easy...a profile of a wolf, howling
at the moon. Classic.
I thought would be a bit more difficult.
But...
He had it on his cell phone...
...which kept disappearing
after 15 seconds, due to the screen saver.
Oy!
So I sketched it out
with a yellow highlighter as quick as I could,
to kind of get the general idea...
...and went from there.
This is where it became handy to have NOT had a black
pen during the last session...
...but having hung onto the one we were able to find...
...giving me a couple different shades of black to play with.
And since Musa
wanted THIS image of a wolf,
this allows me to do the whole howling at the moon,
wolf-profile image on someone else...
Thank you Musa.
Again, to all at Arsah:
Whether you work there, own the place,
or just happen to have stopped in while being a tourist
during late April - and had let a complete stranger
draw on you...
Thank You.
Back in California,
time for another session with Court.
She was still working on her dissertation, so I knew
she'd be typing away, sitting
relatively still.
This was as far as we got, actually. I'd been drawing while the sun gradually set. I eventually looked to my right, and had to stop.
Not sure how
I missed this...as it was happening.
I was drawing I guess.
Well, after that
sunset AND a bottle of wine had
disappeared, we decided we really needed
food by that point. So this became one of only two
Human Canvas session that never got finished.
Let's just pretend it looked like this.
Next day...
More dissertation - more sitting relatively still.
So was she game?
Of course she was.
She was also up for getting a challenge afoot.
Or...in this case...making a foot, a challenge.
What can you do with a foot?
Well, get it un-booted for one...
...then just stare at the canvas,
and see what you see. Okay...beyond a
good pedi...What can that shape become?
Many things I'm sure.
But this is what I saw that day.
This became an
experiment in forced perspective as well.
After drawing in the forest, I pretty much laid my
head on her knee...
So we could see the path and the forest...
...as if we were looking at it from the beginning of the bridge.
This was a learning experience
for me as well. About the use of too much black.
For now though...
Mmmmwa!
The next session
ended up being "The Butterfly Effect Revisited".
I mean... it literally was. We were visiting - again. The
first version (pictured below) came about as
a bit of a suggested experiment.
Remember this'n?
Well, HERE's a link. If you didn't
take the provided link, here's a quick recap:
Court, really (REALLY) into butterflies, was visiting in California, and was ready to be my next canvas. She said, "You've done a shoulder piece..."
"...You've done a back-piece...."
"...How about a leg piece..."
"...And have it continue onto the other leg?"
Done. Check.
whole thing, step-by-step.
My wife and I
ran into Court (in Colorado) a couple
months later. It was a really quick visit. Lunch, actually.
JUST enough time to add a bit of
reminisence to her shoulder.
Lunch was over.
We went back to California...Court - back to Indiana.
Time to find another canvas.
Well, the canvas is there...now it's just a matter
of drawing on her. This'n MAY just depend on what
may be appropriate to put on a professor
before she walks into class.
Sunday nights often
find me at The Vault. This is a place
in Redlands which always has good drinks - and
often has good, live music. Take for example...
Ohhh... Sunday nights.
That's "The Hometown Get-Down"
At that point this WAS a free event most Sunday nights
at The Vault Martini Bar in Redlands, California.
But that's passed.
Click HERE though for a write-up.
Left to right: Gino Matteo, Trevor Monks, James Breker, and Quinton Hufferd. Most nights - IF you're lucky - Jade Bennett will sit in for a few tunes.
Gino sure don' mind!
Jade is a vocalist who
combines sultry, smokey-bar blues
with just a bit of rasp and a whole lotta power!
She's inked up, but does have SOME room left. Um, right.
Her left arm is tatted up, but the right one was empty.
I saw it as available.
I do this sometimes. Really. If you...you, reading this...if you ever find me staring, I'm (possibly) not being rude, per se...let's just say it's an art thing.
So this one was a bit of an experiment - again.
I've played around with an Alice in Wonderland theme,
but I always get it wrong. The THEMES are there...but the order of appearance is messed up.
Link HERE for a Human Canvas example.
But back to Jade.
At some point in the future,
we may work on a much larger Alice in Wonderland
piece. This night though, at The Vault, a first stab
at the Queen of Hearts.
Hadn't really decided...until just a moment before.
Which means I hadn't really TRIED to represent this character before.
Next time,
several things to do
differently. I like the idea of doing a session
in a bar...club...party...whatever. HOWEVER - lights
are low, and ya end up with lines that aren't quite as
clean as they could be...some areas which
aren't as solid...
For example - these next 3 pics came from a session in the middle of a disco during a Dr. Who convention in Los Angeles (2010).
But I have to admit - I like
the audience. This goes beyond mere narcissism.
A bit, anyway. Anyone watching is a potential canvas.
I need to have some "David Fleming Arts" business cards
made up - though it can never hurt to keep handing
out KVCR cards. Especially during fundraising times.
Having turned out WAY larger than originally intended,
I added a bit to the bottom...
...and called it done.
We've talked about another shot at this.
I KNOW I can do a better Queen of Hearts...and
want to add a bunch more
from Wonderland.
Thanks Jade. 'Til next time.
So for the next session, Meet...
The Professor.
Um...I don't always
call her this. Sometimes it's Dr. Jha.
And...she doesn't always look like this. The above
picture is from a few nights after the Human Canvas
session we're talking about here.
We were getting ready
to go to a bit of an open house for the
new Visual and Media Studies offering as a major
at University of Redlands.
It was also a bit of a book release -
written by a friend, Piers Britton.Click on
the Title above for a link.
But...I digress.
This session - about 25 minutes
before we were set to leave - was a bit of an
experiment...again.
An experiment in fine line and very basic design...
...and just a touch of color.
Something that can blended,
with just a light rub of alcohol. This, a bit
reminiscent of the session referred to as "The Butterfly
but here's the (first) attempt at erasing
that inspired the name:
Yuck, right?
But look at it again
as a blending of color, along with
the creation of NEW color. Colors you won't
ordinarily get with even your best array
of Sharpies. You can CONTROL it...
...for a rather attractive look...
...especially when you go back in with a bit of black to re-define.
And then powder it - to give it a bit more of an
under-the-skin look...
There were several people at the open house/book release that thought this was a real tattoo.
NICE!
Thank you Priya. This was long over due.
Thank you Priya. This was long over due.
Now this next session, NYC Bound,
turned out to be the last session of 2011 - having
been done on December 28th. I feel honor-bound to
mention that, while being titled NYC Bound, the below
exercise has nothing whatsoever to do with
New York City. Only that this canvas was
about to fly out to New York, and
she wanted to try out
some tattoo ideas.
She had thought about a sperm whale,
perhaps a buffalo (John Dunbar say tatonka),
maybe a couple of rather humorously placed pencils...
...So of course with all that in mind,
I went right to work on a half-sleeve of flowers.
Really - this was a continuation of the previous experiment, where I employed a blending and fading technique...
...but this time - taking it further.
Still just Sharpie, starting with some very rough,
basic lines...
...which serve as more of a guide-edge...
...as opposed to strict borders.
Then it's a matter of coloring and blending - one by one...
...adding a bit of green for mountains and meadows...
...and some blue for the sky...
...as well as to "cap off" the inked area. Bring it down a bit further...
...and add some black...
...to define...
...and make it "pop".
This next pic is from the following morning. Some of it having rubbed off onto her shirt (advance warning having been given), it looks severely lightened.
HOWEVER -
I see this as yet another color...shade...tone...
SOMETHING different that I can't create with just
the sharpies with an alcohol rub. In 2012 I took advantage
of this process, giving touch-ups the next morning,
while USING faded areas...rather than
simply bemoaning degraded
color.
Thank you Kelie.
Last year around this time saw a really nice turn for The Human Canvas, and I toward 2012 with some fresh ideas...
...and a LOT of enthusiasm.
Thanks again Kelie.
And thank YOU...reading this now...for making
time for me to draw on you next. And again...this was
the last session for 2011. A page has been started for 2012...There's a tab near the top of the page.
...Time to fill it UP!
