The Incognito Project Book Update!

first two page spread

The kickstarter is well underway. We are 89% funded with 6 days to go. Carly's design for the book looks amazing!

To buy a book at a big discount you can go to the kickstarter project page and pledge $50, (that's the book including shipping). After the kickstarter is over the book will retail for $65 (+shipping).

The Incognito Project book cover

I have several other packages you could pledge, some smaller with images of the paintings on a calendar or notecards.  There a few packages that include some of my original oil sketches and the Applause painting from the Incognito Project.

Two page spread that includes details from my self-portrait, The Stake-Out

It's been very exciting. Carly and I decided it needed a larger format so it is now 12"x9", about the size of a high school year book. And it's around 120 pages!

two page spread for The Torch Singer

two page spread of pictures from the original photo shoot in 2010

Because of the large format of the book I bought a new Canon EOS Rebel T31, with 18 megapixels! I've re-shot the paintings and it's very exciting. Some of the pages will be 2 full page spread bleeds, so it shows the brush work and color very clearly.

detail page of The Activist

The book will included an foreword about the work by Graham Boettcher, PhD Yale University, Curator of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

The Incognito Project book documents the series from the beginning, featuring photographs and interviews from the first Incognito art event, which was part photo-shoot, part costume party. It will include writing from the models and commentary from others.

final two page spread for the book

The Incognito Project Book Kickstarter

The Incognito Project, my two year portrait painting series is nearing completion! I have a date and venue for the exhibition.

November 3, 2012

Art Folk Gallery, Young & Vann Building, 1731 First Avenue North

Birmingham, AL, USA

The final stop on this carnival ride of a project is to produce a book, documenting the project. The book has grown from a simple coffee table book, a mere catalog of images into something more!

We have launched a kickstarter to fund printing of a super shiny, first run edition of the book. You can see the video and full description of all that it entails here. 

The Incognito Project Book cover, kickstarter

It will now included an foreword about the work by Graham Boettcher, PhD Yale University, Curator of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

The Incognito Project book documents the series from the beginning, featuring photographs and interviews from the first Incognito art event, which was part photo-shoot, part costume party.

It will include high resolution images, details of all twenty-five paintings and writing from the creative minds at Matter Deep Publishing.

The book is laid out like a case file, where I slip into my own fantasy and play the role of voyeur and observer of humans, a detective unraveling the mysteries of my subjects.

Two page spread from the book.

Thank you for all the support you have shown to me over the years! Please share the kickstarter with your friends and family, help us get the word out and get this book published!

More Practice for the Face Off

Amanda on White, 11x14, oil sketch on panel

This one is about two hours with the model. I was working with a couple local sculptors so light isn't very important to them, so it was kind of flat overhead florescent. The challenge was to paint the form with very little shadow. It felt like a real luxury to have those extra few minutes since the drawing group I normally attend is only one hour with the model!

Amanda on White, 11x14, oil sketch on panel

The Face Off is a painting demo at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA. On August 17, 2012, Mia Bergeron, Rachel Constantine, Cindy Procious and I will be painting from the same model at a gallery event that is free and open to the public. If you are in the DC area come see us!

Figure Oil Sketch in Progress

On Friday, August 17, 2012, I will join a few of my Women Painting Women Expedition friends Mia Bergeron, Rachel Constantine and Cindy Procious in the Face Off at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA, 6:30-9 PM.

It is a live painting demonstration where we will all paint from the same model. The gallery is open to the public and the paintings will be for sale at the end of the evening, so I've been trying to attend my local figure drawing group as offen as possible to exercise those quick sketch muscles.

It's not perfect practice for the event since our drawing group is structured to have 1 twenty minute session of 2 and 5 minute gesture poses, and 3 twenty minute sessions with the model in one pose, so that is only one hour on the pose.

This is the first 20 minutes. It is burnt umber on a previously tinted gessobord panel. I basically tried to get down the placement on the panel, and started to lay in the shadows. I think putting in the shape of the shadows at this point helps me get the drawing right.

In the second twenty minute session I started putting in some color in the shadows.

During the last twenty minutes I put worked toward the light areas, put in the face and the hair. I put in the pink on the blanket after I got home. And as always I wanted more time!

The Pink Blanket, 11x14, oil on panel

After seeing the painting sitting in the studio for a few days I realized that I liked the sketches I've done where I toned the background a little darker color so I added a very thin glaze to the lightest areas of the painting. For the glaze I use a bit of res-n-gel and some of the linseed oil/mineral spirits mixture that I use for a medium. I think having the background darker allows the figure to pop forward.

If you are in the Washington, DC area on August 17, come see us! Its bound to be fun time. With this crew you never know what's gonna happen!

Here's a recent post I did about other drawing tips. And here's a post about the Women Painting Women: Expedition and Beyond show at Principle Gallery.