Angry people of the internet

I wonder who they are, these randomly angry people who live on my screen. Over time I seem to have found a way to avoid them at source- the fountain of righteous fury.. I have two settings- the first absurdly tolerant and nurturing with a desperate need for understanding of even strangers' motivation and emotions, the second- angry headmistress. The point at which I switch isn't easy to predict but it's often when I'm challenged about my motives or rudely propositioned by someone with serious entitlement issues.

I'm sure I get more than my fair share of messages in uppercase lettering. Without the internet I'm sure I'd get red ink letters. But why? What is it these people get out of relentlessly hunting down things they don't like and getting themselves in a state about it?  I understand the need to see the other side of an argument. I watch documentaries about genocide, read articles about cruelty, listen to Pink Floyd or Justin Bieber songs. Not for fun but because I like to have knowledge about these things rather than turn away or not be able to an express an informed opinion.

Why though do people go out of their way to seek out political, religious or sexual subjects where perfectly rational lucid people discuss issues only ro ramble incoherently in capital letters. At least formulate a calm and reasoned argument, or frankly it looks ridiculous and lessens any valid point you might have. Don't stalk me on facebook waiting for me to post up a picture with a flash of nipple so you can report it, don't make new profiles with stock photos of shiny models so you can scream at me in capital letters, you're not going to change my mind on anything that way. Tell me calmly using whole sentences exactly what it is about my work which upsets you or why you think it makes me a bad person and I'll do my best to understand.

Then I'll tell you why you're wrong ;)

How to take your own photos for erotic art

  

I found it really hard to choose pictures for this post as generally the photos behind my work are unseen, I prefer them to be a mystery. I mainly work to commission and I wanted to share a post to help my female customers produce their own amazing images so they  really have a piece of artwork to be proud of. Not just that though- I'm happy for other artists to share this with their own potential models and for people to use this advice for their own photos however they like to use them. I'm sure the advice works the same for men, it's just that I prefer painting girls.

The original photo here was in a set used for some larger paintings but the painting had a detail which would mean it was unsuitable for viewing at work and I want this post to be acceptable for sharing. This one was used for a tiny collectible artwork seen here on the right

I hope this makes it clear that anything can be altered for the final image, colours can be changed and any details can be added or removed. I've been asked to leave out tattoos and piercings, increase bust size, take away inches on legs or belly, lengthen legs. Personally, I think you should go with whatever the good lord (or anything else) gave you but I'll do what it takes to produce an artwork you'll love.

I hope you can also see that I'm not a professional photographer, infact these were taken on a very basic compact camera before I even got my digital SLR. Anything you see in my paintings was produced from photos I took in my own house without professional models or lighting. You can do this as easily as I can and with just as much fun.

Here are the steps I take to get my images, why not try?

1 Self timer.

Arms length shots just don't work the same.

2 Research

Google image search something like erotic art or boudoir photography. If you've ever sent photos to someone over your phone- and you probably have if you're willing to send photos to me- notice the difference. Save pictures you like, find accessories and lingerie that you really love and have a really good idea of the image you want to produce. Try a few different things. You might be surprised what looks good

3 Find a buddy.

If you can, find an open minded girlfriend or gay best friend who doesn't fancy you. That's the easiest option, not the only one. If someone fancies you the session might get heated and you won't get so many pictures. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, just less productive ;) It saves as much running about if you use a self timer and it's really good fun.

4 Free your mind.

Don't worry, these photos are yours and they'll stay yours. My commission work remains private and any pictures you send me will be destroyed. You can cut your face off any photos you send me, if you don't like something just tell me to leave it out. There are many stages before you commit to something and it's a fluid process in which we work together to make the best painting we can. Relax. Have a drink if you want to. Laugh, definitely. My best paintings are not from photo sessions where everything was deadly serious, believe me :)

5 Turn off the flash.

Most important, to me. Maybe it's just how I like my paintings to look, maybe you like it. I find it too stark and it's not the sensual look I like for my paintings. Lamps you've got around the house are just what you need, or if you're doing it in daytime, lit from a window at one side. Throw a coloured piece of material over the lamp if it's too bright, or plain muslin, great for diffusing light. Candlelight can be amazing. Set your camera to a low light setting.

6 Be comfortable.

Once you've done it a couple of times you might be ready to push the boundaries a bit. First time, put on something you love to wear, find the angle you look best at, play around with angles, setting the camera from above and looking up. Lounge on your bed, in your favourite chair, on the floor. There are no rules

It's over to you. All I can tell you is, I don't want to tell you what to wear or how to pose. When I have someone round, we look at photos and pick out a few they like, if they haven't brought something to wear or decided to be naked, we find something in my wardrobe. From then, it's putting on some music and drinking a few glasses of wine... anything can happen. The photos in my albums are all so different. Classy black and white nude, boudoir lingerie shots, fun cheeky sexy shots and the few where it all goes a bit wild.

Send me some photos if you like, any more tips you need just ask me. I can find some lovely erotic photoraphy sites for you to get inspiration from. Even if you don't want a painting- the next time you try to distract your lover in the office by sending them a picture it'll be one to remember ;)

Peachy!

I've been revisiting my pile of discarded/unfinished work. Some have been destroyed, I've even finished others. When I unwrapped this one I discovered a new love for it. I don't know why I didn't like it or what I thought it needed, it's sweet and dreamy. Hopefully somebody will feel the same and take it home.

Girls, help me out

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Criticism...

I can take it. Really, I'm good with it. I know my place in the scheme of things and I truly don't think I'm any better than I am.

I often call myself a painter rather than an artist. I think of what I do as a craft rather than art. I didn't paint for all those years because I didn't think I was ever going to be good enough to make a living. A big moment for me was when I did my foundation course and my tutors said that I should say I wasn't interested in money at my degree course interviews because taking fine art at university was tantamount to accepting a life of poverty. I didn't go- eventually the degree I went to was in theology and psychology.

I've always been interested in irrationality, the ways people fool themselves, contradictory and foolish belief systems. I have books on the Elvis faith, UFO religions as well as standard world religions. I'm an avid fortean. I'm interested in the prevailing world view shaped by the culture of entitlement we live in whereby the people in the richest nations of the world feel hard done by and everyone's "dream" is to be a vacuous celebrity.

I hope that explains more why I often try to debunk the porn industry illusions of the internet. It endlessly fascinates me. Reality is only disappointing when people have inflated expectations, and they so often do.

I digress, I went off on that tangent for a reason though. The reason I got back to painting wasn't because I suddenly thought I was great, but because trawling the internet made me realise that there is a market for ok paintings, even bad ones. I'm not aiming high, A lot of what I do is copying peoples' own photos, pets, kids, bottoms, I don't mind.

When I started doing this I aimed for the low/mid range, tried to develop a style that would take maybe ten hours per painting so I could price my work at the low end. They don't always work like that. Kimono took a whole week, I've others that took a couple of hours. I started doing ACEO pieces but really thay take me a couple of hours at least and I can't expect even minimum wage from those. I like doing them though.

I don't just do what the market likes, I'd rather work in tesco than copy swirly trees or quirky vintage girls with birds on their heads. I like them, I don't want to do them. A look on the what's selling page of the art sites would soon show me what to paint. Pretty badly in most cases. But I don't want to. I'll do it if I'm commissioned with money up front, but not by choice.

I'm getting there, I think I've lately become more confident in spending a bit longer on the paintings, I'd like a few that demonstrate what I can do at the best of my ability in between the decorative pieces.Who knows, I might get better. I don't know how good I'd be if I hadn't stopped for 15 years, I don't know how things will develop.

I see a lot of forum posts where people post up their work for a critique only to be given one and being outraged, and people selling work on ETSY hoping for £2000 for something one of my kids could produce with a box of poundland acrylics. I'm fine with people telling me my work could be better, I agree whole heartedly. There's some amazing work out there, work that deserve its price tag in the tens of thousands. I'm not asking for that, often I'm asking for enough money for a night down the pub, sometimes only for enough to buy myself a bottle of pink sparkly wine.

So it's fine, critique away. I'm fairly sure Brian Sewell isn't watching my blog ;)

Of muses and men

I'm dissatisfied today, it happens.

I was very interested in a forum discussion about muses yesterday. I don't think I can have one in the way it's generally perceived as I generally have no erotic interest in the subjects of my work, but it got me thinking about the difference it would make to what I do if I was involved with a man.

There has only been one man in my life in the time I've been in this specific field of art and I can honestly say he did have an effect on what I did. I enjoyed having a man to think about when I was creating the pictures. In the buying stage and the photographic stage I started to think about what he would find erotic and incorporate it.

It's fun having someone to run scenarios by and see if someone else likes it- someone who would be interested that is. If I was to call up my girlfriends and start describing a secretary bending over a desk or a girl reclining in lacy panties, they'd soon stop picking up the phone. Maybe it's better now I'm just doing what I like.

It'd be great to have someone to stand in front of a mirror with and see what works so I could do sketches for some more boy/girl paintings.

If you see me in the sex shop buying a big blow up man- he's for practise posing with. And to prop up looking out of my bedroom window to deter burglars like some people have them in a car.

That's a brilliant idea! (Brilliant ideas like that are probably why I'm single) ;) If you see this post it's just short of a miracle- I'll think better of it in ten minutes and delete it!

Different for girls

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