Taking reference photos

In order to do my painting ideas justice and bring them to life in a way that aligns with the images I have planned for them in my mind, I need to take photographs of myself that mirror the figures in my sketches. To do this, I asked my friends to help photograph me in certain positions so that I have the exact reference image needed for each painting idea I have planned out. In addition to this, I also purchased a collection of body paints in several different colours, as I like to paint the nude figures in my paintings bright colours such as reds, blues, oranges and pinks; again, to give the image an abstract essence and a celestial feeling of belonging to another world. 

For 'Gehenna', I painted myself red all over and posed nude for the photographs while wearing a dog lead (as this was another vital part of the reference image in aiding in visual symbolism for the final piece). It mattered to me that the reference photos were both of me and directed by me, as this added an authenticity to the process. The stories being told within the images are extremely personal and having somebody else as the focal point/ reference would have felt somehow wrong. The process of painting myself and posing for the images felt as though I was partaking in a performance of some kind, which made me intrigued to potentially venture into performance art in the future.

My friends and I eventually managed to take several hundred photos as I flicked through my sketchbooks along side, getting myself into the appropriate positions to mirror each sketch. For this painting in particular, I wanted the subject (representing me) to look particularly dishevelled, hopeless and lost. I am now in a position where I am able to start drafting the painting onto a much larger surface with a reference image to work from along side.