Seven year itch
It won’t take a close reading of this site to see that I am a big movie buff. While I consider myself pretty “well read” in the domain of cinema, I have to admit to some real blind spots in the movies made before I was born. The Seven Year Itch with Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell is one such blind spot. Searching for it, I see it is the origin of the single most famous image of Monroe, that of her dress being blown up by a passing underground train.
This image, however, is referenced from a piece of key art from the movie. I found it looking at the day’s movie bargains. I was inspired. I jumped into drawing it right away.
Partway through, I became unsure why I was doing it. This was promotional art. Sure, it’s well done, but what was I going to bring to it? How did it reflect me in any way? Was it just a skill building exercise? There’s nothing wrong with that, but I thought I should aim higher.
I got the sketch into good shape, made the initial steps to start a paint-over, and almost immediately stopped short. I turned the sketch red and it just jumped out at me as “done”. It had the properties I should be looking for: detail where I want the viewer to focus, and a basic mapping of values. The likenesses were there, proportions were solid. Even the shapes were pleasing.
I may come back around and do a painted version later, but for the moment, I think this piece stands on its own.
Medium: Digital
App: Artstudio Pro
Tools: Crayon pencil