DVD model, 2 hours!

Margaret Ferguson · 10-13-2007, 02:01 PM

Hi, I was really impressed by the face of this man, who featured in a DVD I saw recently

I've wanted to try this kind of portrait for a while but had no access to models. Perhaps this is the way to go?
Not sure about copyright issues though....

Pam Powell · 10-19-2007, 01:09 PM

I know several people who take videos of the people they want to paint and then freeze the image at the most advantagous point. As you found out It works the same using a DVD. So taking advantage of modern technology can be a boon to the contemporary artist. But...

as you already wondered, using someone else's creative product as a source is at the least unethical, and at the most illegal. There are some exceptions. I don't know what the laws are in other places, but in the US you can copy others' art work for the purposes of education. If you try to profit from that same copy, then you can be sued.

Practice all you want using your DVDs, but don't enter that painting in any shows, or sell it. Nice painting by the way.

Margaret Ferguson · 10-20-2007, 03:24 AM

Thank you for the very clear advice; I had a feeling the copyright laws would cover this element of the arts,
Ah well, time to practice

Chris Saper · 10-21-2007, 12:18 PM

Dear Margaret,

I very much enjoy the fliuid feel that you have achieved here - loose strokes and lots of color.

Could you describe how you went about painting from a DVD? I ask becuse I have never attempted it, and think it might be a good idea to try

Margaret Ferguson · 10-21-2007, 01:29 PM

Hi Chris, it was very straightforward. I knew the character had an amazing face I wanted to portray, it was just a matter of playing the DVD on the computer and pressing 'Pause' at the correct moment for this expression

Hope you have fun, I found it a good way to 'loosen up'

Thomasin Dewhurst · 01-24-2008, 12:06 PM

Margaret, I would love to watch a dvd of you painting. Your marks are thrilling and I would love to see how you put them down.

It's a great idea to use a paused film as a reference because you can change the position of the model ever so slightly to re-see things like angles and shapes, and those slight movements of the model make it much more akin to like painting and drawing.