Building your piece
Techiques and design choices
Learning to go with the flow
Utilizing proven methods
Follow Me On This Journey
Background
I have worked at Jersey Mikes over five years. One day the idea to do a related piece came to me. Coicidently a manager of mine wanted to commission something for our franchise owner.
planning
It was up to me to pick the right path. However, I wanted to push myself and try something different than what I was used to. I chose to go with a semi realistic style based of a photo I had taken of the store I work at.
The Process
I am a firm believer in the power of experimentation and play in the artistic process and know the best work oftne involves taking risks. I love to utilize new methods and mediums in big projects like this. Being quick thinking and resourceful lead me to take a unique approach.
the goal
I was aiming for a direct representation of the original photo (see top). I wanted the piece to be realistic in style but still bare resemlance to many styles and works I've done in the past.
favoring my Style
The Jersey Mikes project was heavily influenced by a past comission I did of part of the Chicago skyline. This painting used acrylic paint and paint markers for final details. I wanted to use similar methods but due to the level of realism I was going for, I needed to implement something more.
Thinking outside the canvas
I utilized a projector to create an outline from the original photo to build the line work. The first step was getting each shape placed perfectly onto the canvas.
pushing myself
Once I had the easy part out of the way, I could move on to the hard part. For a project like this, I was going to have to push my limted color theory skills and knowledge to get the right colors, angles, tones, and shadows.
getting results
The timeline of this project spanned just over a year and some months. My manager and I agreed there was no rush and the journey would happen as it did..
a job well done
The time came when I was putting finishing touches on the piece. After months of paint stained skin and much artistic development, I had a beautiful piece to give to my boss. The process of making the painting allowed me to build a bond with it which made it difficult to let go of in the end. Thats how I knew I had done great work! It was time to give it to my franchise owner. The process was long but the end result made me a better artist and gave me new tools and techiques to implement into futue work.