Process: Scandal of the Modiste 2021
The very first encounter I had with the word “modiste” was through the series Bridgerton. Yes, THAT Bridgerton.
During the Regency era, balls and masquerades were highly esteemed and ladies of the ton would go to what I call, in simple and familiar terms, “dress maker” to make the gown of their dreams.
I was fascinated by the importance bestowed on such occasions that it’s impossible to ignore the weight of responsibility placed on the modiste. As meticulous craftsmanship and fine work strongly reflects and establishes one’s wealth and standing in the society during this era, I deeply connect with the dress maker in question because as an artist myself, I know that incredible works don’t happen by chance.
Inspired by the concept, I took the liberty of composing a narrative provoking the measurements in society, the “fitting” or belonging that we dearly aspire, the set of rules we need to abide and the standard of beauty imposed upon women like myself.
Initial composition and mediocre color study on paper using ink and acrylic. This is where I typically establish values, hues, saturation, and light source.
Underpainting is one of the key techniques I use to effectively strengthen contrast. More than laying out the undertone, it builds the skeleton of the painting which guides me through the coloring process. Since I learned about underpainting back in 2019, there was no looking back. It was a life saver from applying layers after layers of paint while easily bringing volume to the surface.
First layers of color contrasting yellow underpaint with complimentary color blue to enrich saturation
It was challenging to create striking pink light source as the overall lighting would be outside my comfort zone
Honestly, this element happened by accident. Ah, the beauty of impressionism!
Using scumbling technique, I applied thin layers of paint diluted in water. I started to appreciate the beauty of loose strokes— raw, honest while it effortlessly conveys realism.
Polishing the final details and loving every bit of underlighting technique.
The final work.
By mixing titanium white and a very little amount of blue, I glazed the neck, legs, arm, under breast, jawline, paintbrushes on the head and thighs using light strokes of semi-dry brush. This was particularly a useful technique to create an illusion of distance between the focal point and the background. Moreover, it adds a touch of realism with minimal effort.
The idea revolves around some deep-seated distaste for norms and standards thus, the use of symbolisms and displacement of body parts to spark curiosity and convey disorder in a subtle manner. This painting is basically a massive outpour of strong emotions that I have felt during my creation.
My takeaway on this work in terms of color scheme is that Burnt Sienna, when applied in numerous layers brings about a striking red-like color. Learning this from experimentation makes me feel as if I uncovered a secret recipe it almost felt illegal.
