Starry Night Photo Shoot Prep

My third large scale freelance project after leaving Anthro was an exciting and new adventure. Thanks to the magic of Instagram, I was contacted by the art director of Charlotte Wedding Magazine, to collaborate on their fashion shoot for their Winter Issue. I painted a 10x12 foot backdrop to look like a swirling midnight sky, and also created a giant moon for the model to sit on. I shared some of the process below!

Painting a rather large surface may be easiest outside. I laid down a plastic tarp and used painter's drop-cloth for the actual backdrop.

I worked with two colors, a deep navy and an off-white, watering both down and mixing some for a middle tone. I painted in circular strokes to slightly blend the colors together into a cloudy atmosphere.

The upper right corner was lightest, and darker as I worked outward.

The tarp took 12-15 hours to dry (which could have been due to the humidity and dew that set overnight).

Drying backdrop from other angle- you can see the swirling colors a bit more.

I used 1/2 inch sand ply for the moon. I purchased a 4x8 foot sheet, but knew it wouldn't fit in my car, so had it cut down to a 3 foot width and used the extra piece to extend the point of the crescent moon.

The pieces were supported from the backside with 1x2 inch pieces of wood that were glued and attached with small wood screws.

The front surface was then primed with Kilz and then painted with the same off-white used for the sky.

A sunny yellow was used to add surface texture and color variation to the moon.

The yellow was mixed slightly with the off-white and pounced onto the board.

  

As the paint dried, I sprinkled a fine pearlescent glitter over the moon and then sealed with polycrylic.

I used 2x4's to built a small bench, about a 2 foot cube, that the moon was attached to with screws. The 2x4s were painted the same color as the backdrop to blend in. I used foamcore for clouds and dusted them with a little spray paint for color, and a thin chipboard cut into stars painted with silver and gold. The addition of both these elements helped create a nice depth within the shallow space and gave the shot a little more playfulness. 

I'll be sharing the final shots from the magazine soon, so be sure to check back!

Birdhouse Playroom Bookshelves

A couple months ago, I completed a project for a playroom. The client was inspired by a cubby structure I had built at Anthropologie that staggered up from the floor with birdhouses mixed in. She was looking for a modern, but playful take on bookshelves for a play area. She also wanted it to be sophisticated, as it opened up to their foyer. We worked to chose the pop colors of the birdhouses, and matched the white to the Ikea cabinet with the birch doors. While I was packing up, the little girl was already working to move her toys into the bins, and deciding where to put her toy birdie, so I would say it was a successfully completed job!

And here's a bonus: what my living room looks like when I work on large scale projects!

Graffiti Wall Mural Behind the Scenes

Last summer, I had the incredible fortune to be asked to do a custom mural for a kids bonus room. The owner was a dream to work with, as she brought incredible artists and inspiration images to our first consultation. We worked from images of Banksy's work, as well as Mr. Brainwash, building upon a London Underground, hard rock theme. I worked on sketches and upon her approval, began to prep the repurposed images and source a drum set on craigslist. I had the month of July to create the piece while they were away, and completed it just in time for their return! Here's a peek behind the finished product!