Artists in Common

Someone very special to me posted a blog asking a few questions of me. Mascarandy is the blog to be viewed and to sum the question up they were asking about the characters I paint. Do I connect with them as a character and how do I feel about them as I view them?

First of all though lets go back to Mascarandy. This outfit is designed to give you an inside peek into the world of all creatives whether you are a writer, musician, artist or whoever. The said article on the blog is looking at how people in general view other people and how Mike Appleton (Mascarandy himself and a published and talented writer) and other authors view characters.

For Mike it links into the creative process. Not only is the way others view him and the way he sees others a part of his consciousness when he is walking down the street, but it is something that I think helps him when he is scribbling away creating another highly detailed character.

Characters are evidently important to Mike, it is one of the things that struck me when I read his very first book Tony Hand, A Life In British Ice Hockey. Mike was the ghost writer on this novel and suberbly crafted the character of Hand in a way that a rare handful of writers can. When reading the audience immediately recognises a clear personality portrayed by Mike.

So the question Mike asks of me as an artist is do we work under the same format?

In a nutshell we do. When commissioned the task at hand is not only to get a good likeness for the client, but to translate their personality onto the image as well. Not only is it important to the customer, but it is an important skill that can set you apart from other artists. It is not for me to judge if I have this skill, but for a viewer to judge and I hope it is something I have.

The picture Mike highlighted was of my cousin Lydia (mentioned in an earlier post on this blog). Mike asks am I thinking about the personality behind that smile? As an artist you have just got to, and honestly it should come naturally to concentrate on these aspects of a subject, as it sets them out as an individual. As Mike rightly says you can tell alot about someone by just looking at them. So that first moments judgement for me needs to be suggested in paint or pencil.

So I am going to throw Mikes question out to the audience just as Mike did and ask, do other creatives do this? When musicians write a song about someone, do they bring out aspects of their personallity in their lyrics by sometimes merely looking at them, do actors do the same when playing a role? K M Turner and Mascardany want to know!