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Vanitas by =kalicothekat:iconkalicothekat:

Categories Traditional Art > Paintings > Still Life

©2008-2009 =kalicothekat
:iconkalicothekat:

Artist's Comments

Edit: 10/4/08: new photo :)

Vanity of vanities; all is vanity!

I wasn't sure if I was going to upload this...but why not XD.

A still life using my newest purchase: a replica, plaster human skull 8D! When thinking of compositions, I remembered one of my favorite art movements, the Vanitas (see [link] for more details). I decided to do a more modern take on one of those paintings XD.

They often had wine glasses, watches, and musical instruments to symbolize the shortness of life and other such depressing things; instead, I have a Starbucks cup, a digital clock, and an iPod XD. The candles and skull, as well as the dark color scheme, are there to provide a link to the Veritas paintings.

I used a student grade canvas (about 20 x 24, I think?) on accident...a mistake I'll never make again |D. REALLY bad grain D:. It made my life hell while painting this~

And for some reason, the photo came out a LOT blacker than it really is. Actually, I didn't even use any black--just burnt umber (brown) and ultramarine blue XD. The Starbucks logo didn't photograph well either, but man that was complex/fun.
....Maybe I'll retake the photo someday soon.

Acrylics (also a mistake--should've used oils u_u)
Manyyyy hours

Picture is © to me. Please do not use, period.
Comments=:heart:?

Comments


love 2 2 joy 0 0 wow 0 0 mad 0 0 sad 0 0 fear 0 0 neutral 0 0
:iconiwannabesquid:
~iwannabesquid Aug 8, 2008, 8:04:17 PM
Love it

--
a heaping bowl of hilari-O's!
:iconteblad:
=teblad Aug 8, 2008, 8:07:49 PM
i love this modern version of a classic theme :D clever ^^

--
:plotting: . o O (:tea:)
:icontruthaboutjudy:
~truthaboutjudy Aug 8, 2008, 8:09:39 PM
when I looked at the thumbnail of this painting, I was like "What is that? An iPod and starbucks next to a skull?" But, now after reading the description, it makes much more sense. I appreciated reading about your struggles because I am having a hard time learning how to paint... it always seems so easy when you see someone else do it. But anyway, I like the painting. The lighting from the candles is very nice, and so are your details, like the reflection of the time on the iPod. I like i like.
:iconmeradragon:
*meradragon Aug 8, 2008, 8:21:14 PM
I really, really love the skull here! Now, with all of these, they look really good individually (although the starbucks cup looks like the ellipsis might be off...) but my biggest qualm is that... nothing seems to be entirely grounded, or all put together. I see the shadows, but they still almost seem to float a little. It is really good, though.

--
English doesn't borrow from other languages; English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over, and sifts through their pockets for loose grammar.
-James Nicoll

I am the butter on the toast of lies!
:icondeath-pony7:
~Death-Pony7 Aug 8, 2008, 8:22:01 PM
Great "retro" look! The colors actually look the way you describe them on my screen, and the Starbuck's logo is very clear.
:iconzack-sr:
~zack-sr Aug 8, 2008, 8:27:12 PM
Why is cheap canvas marked student grade... :paranoid: They should get the best quality to bolster confidence!

This is a really cool juxtaposition. Congrats on pulling it off with subpar materials!

--
Nature of Nature's Art
:icontaho:
=taho Aug 8, 2008, 8:34:44 PM
I still prefer acrylics over oils. Great job! I especially like how you painted the skull.

--
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" - John Lennon
:iconkalicothekat:
=kalicothekat Aug 8, 2008, 9:10:02 PM
Thank you so much for the crit! I totally agree with you--something has felt really off since I decided to stop painting it. It's not quite finished in my eyes, but I couldn't see what else to do--maybe a break and a DA post was what I needed XD.
I really want to go back into it and define those shadows further (especially since the still life is still set up in the corner of my "art studio" of sorts XD). The table they're on is reflective, and I tried to capture that, but I think I lost a lot of the shadows.
The cup gave me so much trouble XD. Which part looks off to you? The top or the bottom =P? I'll try to fix it :heart:! :D

--
~kalicoart.com~
:iconkalicothekat:
=kalicothekat Aug 8, 2008, 9:10:40 PM
Oh, awesome! I'm very happy to hear that :D. This old monitor makes everything look dark, and my laptop makes things too light, so I'm never quite sure XD.

--
~kalicoart.com~
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Details

August 8, 2008
147 KB
147 KB
750×627

Statistics

48
71 [who?]
1,225 (0 today)
16 (0 today)

Camera Data

Canon
Canon EOS 30D
1/4 second
F/4.5
31 mm
125
Sep 11, 2008, 4:36:41 PM

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