I have been following the UKCPS (United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society) for a while because I like seeing new and different colored pencil drawings. BUT recently I saw a blog post there that mentioned there would be an "Eighties Themed Prize" at their next member's show. I couldn't contain myself and joined the UKCPS even though I am a bazillion miles away, just so I had an excuse to make an 80's piece!
I've gone for the
early eighties, even though I was young in the early eighties, because that is what people think of as "80's" now. I think my young age then has influenced what I chose for props however! I went on an eighties search for props in town and ended up buying this old Polaroid camera at the Salvation Army. I LOVED the rainbow on the front of it and that set the whole theme of the still-life. My daughters did an eighties makeover day with glasses, pink hair, and loads of eye makeup and I spruced up an authentic photograph of me in the late eighties (which will be seen soon). I've added a few other little eighties props, lipstick, those gasket-like rubber bracelets (I remember Madonna wearing) an authentic 80's rainbow teddy bear pin (my sister sent), a beaded necklace, a smurf, and the Cars cassette Heartbeat City. Like I said this still-life might be influenced by my young age in the early eighties. I did leave out the scratch-and-sniff stickers... but not much else.
I decided to do it on Pastelbord in case it does get in the show, so I don't have to send a picture under glass. As you all know my works on Pastelbord get varnished instead of sealed under glass. This will make it cheaper to ship and I won't worry about glass breaking along the way.
The short side of doing this on Pastelbord is that I don't like the way portraits look on Pastelbord with the graininess of the board and the inability to get really subtle changes in value/color or details for that matter. It is also hard to make corrections on - which I always need doing portraits to get the likeness just right. I'm plugging my way through however as the picture is so much fun.
If you want to enter this contest and join the UKCPS to do so, you can on their site (links below). The closing date for entry is 23rd April 2011 and they are only selecting 24 pieces! Eek!
Work in Progress!
Heartbeat City
6" x 18"
Coloursofts and Prismas on Pastelbord
