Swordfish original art ideas

[RobChapmanIV]

Hello I'm the newby on the forum

I met Mike (The Czar of the Forum) about a year ago, and was lucky enough to work with him on a piece for "Island B's"...

Now, I have a challenge...an exciting one at that :lol:

I have been fortunate enough to get the oppurtunity to create a large original artwork featuring a swordfish.
The problem is I am relatively "in the dark" when it comes to swordfishing, and possible ideas... ops:

This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance for an artist, and I intend to take full advantage of it, so I don't want to dissapoint!
I want to make this a piece that defines who I am as a marine artist, and at the same-time is something that he will cherish to hang in his livingroom forever....

So....
I am all ears!
He has given me free roam to pursue whatever concepts or ideas I might have revolving around swordfish, and I am hoping to pick your brains on the subject, and possibly gather some great concepts as well!

Thanks for your time and help.

Best regards,
RC4

[Mike]

Check out Rob's Work!

"Here are some photos of the Swordfish original in progress.
I am always asked about how I come up with a piece, or how long it takes, and the techniques I use...so this will serve as a one-stop shop for all of the answers!

These photos don't do the piece justice, b/c they are taking with a digital camera, in artificial light, and the piece is almost 4 feet long!
But they are sufficient enough to serve as a "diary" of the progress of the piece as it progresses.

It is being drawn on a jet black piece of illustration board.
I am using prismacolor pencils, in a reverse technique to create the illusion of night, and the remarkable colors that a swordfish posseses in it's natural enviorment.
There are deep, rich blues and purples that dominate the top half of the gladiator, complemented by the blue glow of a full moon light that highlights all of his outlines.

I spent over a month and a half researching swordfish, collecting photos of swordfish, squid, baitfish, night-time in the ocean, moonlight, etc, reading about swordfish, techniques to catch them, feeding habits, swordfish anatomy, etc...
By far the most valuable source I have is this Florida Sportsman Forum. I have talked with several members thru email, more on the phone, and even a few in person picking their brains on details for this piece.

After all of this research I had to come up with a composition.

Initially I wanted to concentrate on the front-half of the swordfish zoomed in with a blue runner as the bait it was chasing.
After several sketches, I came up with the layout below.

Essentially I wanted to come up with a piece that was completely original, and truly unique. There are so many talented marine artists, that I know the only hope I have is to create something that is so different and in such a style that it stands apart.
Obviously not everyone will like your work, but I never want to fall in line with the marsees, so I have decided to really take some chances...

These are photos of the original in progress, and offer a glimpse as to the time and energy it takes to work on such a large piece.

The first image is the initial design. To create a piece of work on black board without paint, you have to build up your highlights layer after layer, and work backwards. Your whites are blacks, and your blacks are whites.
There is no room for mistake, b/c nothing can be erased.
It is permanent.
Given the size of the piece, this process took close to 20 hours to complete."














High Definition Marine Art
http://www.robchapmanart.com

http://www.scubafish.com

[Anonymous]

The picture is great, I envy anyone that can draw regaurdless. I can't draw stick figures. The drawing (picture) of the sword that mike posted above is fantastic, but the keel is in the wrong place. The keel is in front of the tail, not on it or part of it.

Tight Lines,

Scott
Sword Slasher

[hannaman]

Good eyes Scott.

[J.P Freeman]

those pics look great.