Fill Up Your Artistic Gas Tank
Jun
22
22 June 2007, Dawn Schmidt Ventimiglia @ 1:30 pm

As an artist, you should never stop seeking new information. It is what will keep you growing as an artist, and bring freshness to your work. I am a sponge for sensory input, so I read, watch DVDs and Discovery Channel, go out on nature hikes, visit museums, listen to (and play) all kinds of  music, practice Yoga, talk with other artists, laugh alot, and keep putting good stuff into my brain files. Remember the old saying, “garbage in, garbage out”? Its so true! If you keep filling your brain with GOOD stuff, how can you go wrong?

I figured I’d share some of my airbrush work with you - perhaps it will inspire you to create something!


So there you have it for today, I’ve got two motorcycle projects to airbrush before our rally at the end of July, plus a lot of other projects in the hopper, so I’ve got to get back to the drawing board!
It all depends on how much time I spend wandering around Barnes and Noble today looking for airbrush books, motorcycle books, nature books, books about museums, and travel DVDs!!
Logo w/Border 234x60

Until next time, keep the shiny side up!
Eclectic Dawn

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Tired of skulls and flames?
Jun
17
17 June 2007, Dawn Schmidt Ventimiglia @ 1:29 pm

My airbrush group got to talking about bike art, and we were lamenting the fact that so many bike owners seem to want skulls and flames. Though undeniably a cool look, and skulls are fun to paint, we paint a lot of similar themes over and over. I posted the following question to the members of a motorcycle forum: “…if you could have ANYTHING at all custom painted on your bike, without having to worry about cost, what would your bike “wear”? I asked folks to think about what is important to them, what has always been a part of their lives, and what they love.
Wow! The responses really surprised me, because only a couple of folks still opted for the skull/flame supposedly “typical” biker imagery. I was treated to some wonderfully personal imagery and stories that came straight from the riders’ hearts. Some of the ideas were patriotic, some involved family, some were humorous, some religious, but it was evident that they had all put great thought into their “dream” paintjob. Before I knew it, there were FIVE PAGES of responses to my posting!

I don’t want to share their personal thoughts and paint idea details here, because they are just that - personal, and they may eventually want to use those ideas on their rides, but I wanted to share the ideas in general so you could get a sampling of their dreams. I broke down the ideas into categories.

1) Green…I was surprised at how many riders wanted to incorporate green into their paint. Either set off with gold pinstripes, tie-dye, celtic work, or metalflake. I rarely see green bikes, but it seems there are some green lovers out there!

2) Patriotic…this did not surprise me, because after skulls and flames, it seems that eagles and flags run right behind. There is something wonderful about seeing a waving flag well-rendered on a bike. Ditto with the regal head of an eagle. Some of the folks who responded to the questions wanted to incorporate either family members who have served and passed on, or buddies they have served with into the artwork. Memorials for friends, relatives, comrades in arms. Iwo Jima, NYC skyline, and other thought-provoking images. Images from history, General Lee/Grant, Rebel flags.

3) Birds…a number of riders would love to have soaring birds like eagles and hawks, or pet birds on their bikes. When I lived in Largo, FL, there was a bike custom built to look like the owner’s parrot (the front fender was shaped with a beak, and yes, the whole thing was painted just like the parrot). The parrot would sit on the handlebars at every event they rode to…the parrot did not ride, but flew alongside the owner’s bike, following him everywhere. Sorry, I’m getting off track, back to the artwork…
3.5) Animals…dogs, bears, wolves, panthers, tigers, cougars, and yes, squirrels and mice!

4) Religious/spiritual…artwork that signifies someone’s faith, whether Christian, Pagan, Buddhist, ancient crosses (St. John’s, Maltese, etc) or just spiritural themes with angels/demons, heaven/hell. Angel wings.

5) Occupational…a number of folks wanted artwork that showed something about their jobs. (That reminds me, I’m actually doing a grim reaper t-shirt right now for an undertaker, which seems rather humorous to me!) Dragsters burning out. Gears and bearings for a machinist, firefighter’s and police force emblems, St. Michael, patron saint of soldiers and police, or other items signifying the rider’s occupation.

6) Sexy art…pin ups, Bettie Page, Marily Monroe, warrior women and bomber nose art. Not as popular as I thought they would be, but they were mentioned by some of the riders.

7) Mythical…a couple of dragon ideas, a warrior woman (Virago); also celtic work was mentioned a few times. Witches and satyrs.

8) Musical…pretty popular! From the circle of fifths, piano keys, sax, guitar, harmonicas and musical notes to full-out murals of favorite guitar players, music was mentioned more than I thought it would be. (SIDEBAR: Paulie, the class clown of our forum heard “circle of fifths” and said: ” I like the circle of fifths theme. Mine would be VO -> CC-> Crown -> Bookers -> Black Angus and of course back to VO.” I thought that was downright hilarious)

9) Heritage…Native American imagery, Celtic imagery, and some riders wanted to memorialize family members who had passed.

That is just a sampling of the ideas the forum members shared. Singular mentions went to favorite football teams, jets and old warplanes, Dali art, and cartoon characters.

So there you have it - the “theory” amongst the art group that most of the biking community would paint typical perceived “biker imagery” on their rides is really not true. It was a great experience to hear such varied and wonderful ideas from this cross-secton of the biking community. Right now, I’ve got projects in the hopper that involve: a VariEZ Canard airplane logo, wolves and horses for a pickup truck,  4 nature murals for a nature/daycare center in WI, a grim reaper t-shirt, dolphins, parrots, flames, retro flames and skulls…so I have to switch gears from children’s illustration to biker to wildlife…all in a day’s work!

Each of you is a unique and special individual with your own life stories to tell, and make sure your “dream” bike reflects that individuality. Think about what is truly meaningful to you when you decide to customize your ride!Until next time, peaceful journeys,
Eclectic Dawn

Filed under: art, motorcycle, custom paint, airbrushing, nature | No Comments »
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