Creating art from photos
I recently received a commission from a beautiful, young model on Model Mayhem, Veronika Leo. She wanted me to draw a sultry pinup of her, based on one of her photos. After much deliberation, we decided on the photo below as a reference.
The image was specifically chosen by Veronica. We did go through several of them, but she liked this one because of her sultry expression. When she realized that I could “create” lingerie out of a bikini, so to speak, that settled it.
Model: Veronika Leo
Veronica asked me to transform the original photo into “A pinup type of look… with lingerie… very sensual,” as a special gift for her boyfriend. She already had lingerie pictures in her portfolio, but I wanted something a little bit different. So, after I laid out the drawing from the original reference, I started to sketch in some of the details and mulled over what type of lingerie I could create.
Model: Veronika Leo; Artist: Vincent Wolff
The trickiest part of smaller portraits like this (14 inches x 17 inches) is getting the drawing to look like the subject, not just the photo reference. I usually hang different views of the model around my drawing board, to remind me what she looks like. At this point I was working to get a lot of detail in on Veronica’s face, before moving my way down. I knew she’d be wearing thigh high stockings, I just wasn’t sure about the actual lingerie outfit.
The cut off feet have been a point of contention. Some people don’t like it, but I wanted to get as much into the 14×17 format as possible. It’s isn’t easy drawing half a foot, but I used a great MM pinup model as a reference and that was invaluable. It gave me a perspective of the shoe and stockings, so I could fill in details that weren’t in the original photo.
Model: Veronika Leo; Artist: Vincent Wolff
I played around with the lingerie a few ways, and kind of organically came up with an outfit that I thought worked. Then it was just a lot of shading, detailing, etc., before I finished up.
Model: Veronika Leo; Artist: Vincent Wolff
Veronica was such an inspiration for me to draw. She’s a beautiful young lady, and very expressive in her poses. Her input was invaluable, and she was very excited about the art when she picked it up. We hope to work together on something again very soon.
March 29, 2013 at 4:21 am, Unice McMullen said:
wow interesting article. awesome art work also. thanks for sharing.
January 15, 2013 at 8:16 am, T-Sun Photography said:
Beautiful! Interesting that I came across this article because I’m having an artist friend of mine do a pin-up painting of one of my photos…with a retro/rockabilly twist… I will forward her this article for inspiration. 🙂
January 15, 2013 at 9:58 am, Vincent Wolff said:
Thanks…that actually sounds like a cool project!
January 14, 2013 at 4:42 pm, lucidcg said:
I expected more technical information and/or a step-by-step guide given the title. For instance, the author didn’t even reveal whether he initially traced the photo or sketched it. Rather, he glazed over step 1: “So, after I laid out the drawing from the original reference, I started to sketch in some of the details…”
This article was much less helpful than it could have been. An article about cooking Shrimp Creole is far more instructive with a list of ingredients (materials) and cooking preparation and cooking times (technique and workflow).
January 15, 2013 at 6:46 am, Vincent Wolff said:
What exactly would you like to know? Keep in mind, MM asked me to write the original article, but they edited and asked questions.
January 14, 2013 at 1:53 pm, Shane Deaton said:
as always vincent, your work inspires us to pick up the lead and sling it to make exquisite master pieces. traditional art is sorely missed now in the main stream art community since it has all gone digital. im glad there is still a few of us that create work with work….
shane from dreamweaver studios
January 15, 2013 at 6:45 am, Vincent Wolff said:
Thanks Shane, I appreciate the nice words
January 14, 2013 at 6:42 am, Vincent Wolff said:
@Bluntx:disqus Trust me, Veronica does NOT feel superior to anyone. She is a lovely young lady, very beautiful, who commissioned me for a special gift. I would love to work with her again, and we are planning it
And I respect all of my models. It is their beauty that inspires me.
January 14, 2013 at 6:40 am, Vincent Wolff said:
@79f8ec75ac64a4fbef5d4d1f46ebccc9:disqus I suppose that technique would be helpful, although the MM folks liked this the way it was. I am a finger rubber—I use my fingers a lot while shading, and try to use the tooth of the surface to give tone. in this drawing, I used blending sticks a lot more than usual, for some of the smoothness of the stocking. Lot of Ebony, 2B and 4B pencil
January 14, 2013 at 8:18 am, xhand said:
Thx Vincent! I’m always looking to learn…
January 13, 2013 at 1:27 pm, Glamour Jessica said:
Beautiful classy work Vincent! Thank you for sharing. The final piece came out great and does look alot like the model. I’m sure she will treasure this piece of art. I like how your work shows detail, great stuff!
January 14, 2013 at 6:45 am, Vincent Wolff said:
Thanks Jessica!
January 13, 2013 at 12:35 am, ScratchDaddy said:
Nice work Vincent, ignore the snobbs and keep it coming…
January 14, 2013 at 6:45 am, Vincent Wolff said:
Lol, listen, artists need to be open to criticism, it’s what makes us better. thanks
January 12, 2013 at 8:52 am, xhand said:
Sorry, but there was no information in this article…just some “out loud thinking”…how about actual sharing of technique?…
January 12, 2013 at 10:37 am, Bluntx said:
It’s like how to write a formal thank you letter to a model…not how to create
January 11, 2013 at 12:44 pm, IMagus said:
I love the illustration but it looks incomplete to me. Maybe it’s the lack of a background. Vincent how do you feel about… heavy post work? Digital painting and compositing?
January 14, 2013 at 6:46 am, Vincent Wolff said:
I usually don’t use backgrounds, as I like to focus on the model’s figure. But thanks, I will consider it next time. As for post work, I need to learn PS and how to color my work
January 11, 2013 at 12:03 pm, Vincent Wolff said:
thanks all!!
January 10, 2013 at 6:11 pm, FADM_Nimitz said:
Big points for doing this the old fashioned way! Beauty!!
January 10, 2013 at 2:02 pm, Neo Racer said:
Nice work!
January 10, 2013 at 12:36 pm, studio47 said:
As a pencil and multimedia artist, I truly appreciate the renderings that you create based on photos. exquisite. I can see a “book”
January 14, 2013 at 7:03 am, Vincent Wolff said:
🙂 thanks!