Extra bloopers/scenes from The French Mistake."

"An atrocity is happening." Still one of my favorite lines.

I agree so much about "the hand of the artist". Uncanny Valley was the phrase that came to mind about the art I posted above. That type of art, like a similar type of fic, dehumanizes a character rather than illuminating a previously unnoticed or unremarked facet. An actual artist, or writer, tends to reveal the humanity, for good or ill, in a character. Sometimes we don't like what we're shown, sometimes we ache in sympathy, sometimes we're angry. But I think what I want in words and pictures, pro or fan, is a resonant revelatory stroke, rather than a sympathetic idealization. Even an AU can reveal character--bring out the pirate captain, or the Reno croupier, or the driven ad exec traits. And I want that reveal through the perception of this particular artist or writer.

If all you're producing is vaseline-lens schmoop, don't bother on my account.

vaseline-lens schmoop

::snicker::

How'd the vaseline get there?

::runs away::

t /twelve

If all you're producing is vaseline-lens schmoop, don't bother on my account.

::stops drawing::

Yeah, not really. If I drew, which I do not, I'd like to think it'd be all cool and gritty. Or something.

I'd like to think it'd be all cool and gritty. Or something.

I do think that realistic art, especially photorealistic art, gets a lot of general ooh and ahh because of the technical expertise involved. I remember back in grade school that getting things to "look real" was considered the pinnacle of artistic achievement. What's funny is that sometimes in getting things to look life-like, the artist sucks all the life out of the work.

That said, there is some great photo-realistic art out there (petite_madame, anyone?) that has a lot of life to it. With her stuff, the execution as well as the subject matter tells a story, if that makes any sense.

The difference I see in the art, photorealistic especially, is that the sin isn't that it looks so real it's like a photograph, it's that it looks like a stiff photograph. It's like the difference between the two Eve's when Castiel ganks her. The lesser, prettier, actress is perfect posture, even as she's gagging for her life. Whereas Mary!Eve is a curved spine. She's not worried about good form. She's in the character, twisting and shuddering. Whereas OldNavy!Eve wouldn't know a slouch if it fell on her shoulders. It can be real, but it still needs imperfection.

That makes perfect sense, Anne. She's the one I had intended to bring up as a comparison and then didn't. Her portraits are very recognizable--but you never get the feeling she's short-cutted by digitizing over a photo. I don't know if she works digitally or on paper, but her work always has the look of pencil or brush strokes on paper. Her characters are always more the character than the actor, too, which is sort of its own gift. petite_madame may be my favorite fan artist, actually, though others are good, too.

The difference I see in the art, photorealistic especially, is that the sin isn't that it looks so real it's like a photograph, it's that it looks like a stiff photograph.

That's the thing, it's the composition of the image that gives it life. Photo-realistic execution doesn't automatically remove the organic feel from a piece of art, but it doesn't substitute for dynamic composition either.

Wow! That is one innovative teacher. Who clearly knows good TV when she sees it.

EW SPN Set picture gallery and JA previews the season. (I believe that second link is spoilery for stuff beyond one episode where link 1 is not.) I haven't read link 2 but have been told that it is spoilery.