Alaskan Artist - Elise Tomlinson
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05/31/2004: "Help with picking out images for promotional materials!"

music: Innocence Mission
technorati tags: Mellow

It's amazing how I have gone from feeling like I was WAY ahead of the game with this show to feeling like I can't believe how behind I've fallen. I should have ordered my invitations weeks ago, I don't know how I flaked on that. Anyway, I need help picking out two images from my Works in Progress gallery, one for the flyers and one for the invitational postcards.

I'm never sure if I can use images with bare breasts on flyers that are going to be hung up in public places. I think there is probably more leeway with the invitations, but I tend to always go with more conservative pieces in the end.

I've been thinking #4 for the flyers and #2 for the invitations but I'm very indecisive at this time, and I think that's why I've been dragging my feet with putting in my orders. I have to decide right now though, as in, I'm putting in the order tomorrow before I head out for conference. So any input would be swell!


Replies: 14 Comments

on Monday, May 31st, John said

#9 for flyers, #6 for invitations. I would have thought you'd be more leery of using bare breasts on the postcards as there are all kinds of rules regarding what constitutes "indecent" material that can't be sent through the mail without being polywrapped or censored in some way.

on Monday, May 31st, John said

or #7 for the flyers

on Monday, May 31st, support@elisetomlinson.com">Elise said

I guess I wasn't aware of rules regarding indecent materials in the mail but I guess it makes sense...it's just so stupid that (primarily) men sexualize women's breasts in this country and to the extent that women can be arrested for going topless on a hot day but not men. It's so silly and infuriating. The whole Janet Jackson "breast seen around the world" incident seemed insane to me.

Still, thanks for the suggestions John. Can I ask you one more thing, I really like #4 but no one else seems to. I'm just wondering what you think (or anyone else for that matter) doesn't seem to be working with that one?

Thanks, sorry I'm being so needy, I won't be like this after this month, I swear!

on Monday, May 31st, John said

In NY it's legal for women to go around topless (at the beach or in a public park), though hardly anyone ever does.
#4 looks cool, I especially like the background and flowers in the foreground, it's just that it's hard to "see the wood for the trees" so to speak, when I first looked I didn't even see a woman, and it was only after continuing to look that I noticed her. Now, given my personal tastes for extreme abstraction, I don't see that as a problem, but everything else you have on that page, while abstract, isn't abstracted out of sight. Now that I've figured out where the woman is, I can't quite figure out how I could've missed her in the first place. The otehr paintings are very distinct in what's figure, and what isn't, #4 is less so. I do like the colors you used on the woman, but I think those colors are making her form invisible. On first glance it seemed as though I were looking at a formation of rocks, or some shells, it's only the context in which I was viewing it (the fact that your other paintings on that page all have women in them) that told me to keep looking for the woman.
Does that make sense? I apologize if this isn't as well organized as it should be. And it's not needy to need input.

on Monday, May 31st, support@elisetomlinson.com">Elise said

That's funny John, I meant for the figure to blend into the background, almost as if her knees were a part of the mountains, I just didn't know I'd done it *too* effectively. I still want people to see the figure. Also, it's kindof a crappy photo, a little washed out.

I think in real life it's more obvious...but I appreciate the feedback on it. I wonder if I need to actually paint her face in? That might be what's contributing to her seeming more abstract than the others?

Anyway, I'll keep looking at it and see where it goes.

BTW, I didn't know it was legal in NY...that's so cool. It's not like I would *ever* want to do that, it's just the idea of it being outlawed that brings out the rebel in me!

on Monday, May 31st, John said

How crappy is your camera? I used to use a cheap 1 megapixel camera and I found the only way to get 'good' pics out of it was to use the flash in a room that had no lights on at night. Now, with my good 3.something megapixel camera I've found that the only way to get good pics of art is to set it up outside like I would for daylight slide film, although I imagine tungsten lights indoors would work very well too (but I haven't tried that yet). It looks as though I can see the flash in your photos, so you might try turning that off and using either directed lights, or sunlight, or using the flash in a completely dark room.

I can't imagine that it's warm enough for anyone, male or female to ever want to go topless in Alaska, but my knowledge of that state is limited to knowing that even the southernmost portion is still further north than Rochester, and it's damn cold in Rochester (except in summer, it was 80 here a couple days ago)

on Monday, May 31st, support@elisetomlinson.com">Elise said

I've been using a little Blink II for the majority of these photos, it doesn't have a flash, only shoots in 72dpi, super low res, it's the size of 1/3 pack of cards.

Photos I take for slides or for my regular galleries (not works in progress) I check out a nice 3 megapixal camera from work. They also have a light kit with tungsten bulbs so for slides I usually use that with tungsten film and my 35mm om1 camera.

But now they're not checking out the light kit at work anymore so I have to come up with another solution. Shooting outside on a bright overcast day is supposedly the best if you can't use the tungsten lights/film.

As for the temps here. It gets really hot in some part of Alaska. In Juneau it's mild most of the year. (from traveljuneau.com:

"Protected by tall coastal mountains and warmed by Japanese currents off the Pacific Ocean, Juneau's moist maritime climate is characterized by comfortable year-round temperatures. Average summer days are in the 60's with many days reaching into the high 70's and low 80's. Winter's mild temperatures average 29 degrees Fahrenheit."

The last several summers we've had plenty of days in the 80s...and to us, that feels like 150 degrees!

on Monday, May 31st, John said

I've been told that the tungsten bulbs will work in those 'work lamps' the ones with the metal reflector and the clamp.

Wow, I had no idea Alaska could be so warm. My mental image is year-long winter with snow and ice. :)

on Monday, May 31st, elderberrystudio2000@yahoo.com">Jackie said

E: My faves are 2,3 & 8, and I like 4 as well - it is a hidden nude - but that's cool! I suppose if one were concerned about the bare breasts going through the postal service, you'd have to pick those that don't show the nipples, at least. I think for art, it's not the same. But I guess I'd lean to the safe side. I think it's fine to use the same image for both the postcard and the flyers. But if you really want to use two, I'd go for 2 & 4. Good luck! :)

on Monday, May 31st, support@elisetomlinson.com">Elise said

I think you're right that the ones where the breats are not fully exposed are probably safer bets. Thanks for the advice.

Also Stacy, I started to answer your previous post about the works that you do but then it never got posted for some reason...so I'll just answer it here.

First of all, you said that you have done several reproductions, I think that's great, my advice would be to label them as such. I think that even if it's obvious to you that it's a reproduction, it might not be to some people, it's better to be safe.

I'm guessing the the Van Dyke one will sell, people love work by the masters, and reproductions in general.

My painting number 8 is called "Blue Nude Eagle Beach" because it's a variation on a theme where I incorporated a similar pose as Picasso's famous Blue Nude.

As for carrying a sketch pad, I carry my little blink II camera, which is super tiny so that I often can't even feel it in my pocket, I also keep a very tiny note pad for scribbling down ideas.

For drawing, I don't do a lot of drawing while I'm out and about. I did have fun doing all the drawings of Cillian Murphy though, I was doing about 1 a day for a couple weeks and it was great practice.

Finding a topic you love to draw makes it more fun to practice.

on Tuesday, June 1st, Howard said

I like #4 best of all. I like the figure as landscape idea.
I have a 3 mega pixel camera and I usually try to take photos in a window. It's a bit different for me since I'm trying to get light from one direction to highlight the relief of the figure, but I've always found natural light to be best.
You mention using a 3 mega pixel camera for taking slides. Can you get good slides from such a camera? I've been meaning to try it with mine but I wasn't sure of the quality.

on Tuesday, June 1st, support@elisetomlinson.com">Elise said

I think I wrote that incorrectly, I meant that I use the 3 megapixal camera for taking the high quality digital images that I use for the regular galleries on my website, and for having promotional materials printed etc.

I still use a 35mm OM1 camera with tungsten etc. for slides. I didn't even know you could get slides from a digital camera?

If you try it, let me know how they turn out.

on Tuesday, June 1st, Howard said

You can but I think you need a high end camera to do so.

on Tuesday, June 1st, support@elisetomlinson.com">Elise said

Well, I guess that will be one more thing I'll have to check before I buy a digital camera. Right now all my energy is going towards buying a prosumer grade minidv camcorder. I doubt I'll have the money to buy one of those and a digital still camera. Still, maybe some day...
sigh.