Making a new one

The next few pictures i'm going to post show how i go about a new painting. In this case i photographed myself to get the pose right. I don't usually do this, as I like the feeling of creating something absolutely from scratch, from the pose to the lighting. But i'm not a fundamentalist so when i feel the need, the camera goes to work. Though, even using a photograph, ill just make a few sketches from it. Some artists, like to plan everything in detail, using a model and taking great care with the lighting. I'm thinking off an artist called Alex Ross, he works (as far as i know...) mainly on comic books. If you look at his work you'll see what i mean. I love his work, and i've even tried adapting to that sort of method ( work method, not style!), but it just doesn't work for me. Partly because i don't have the skill to do it that way. I have to admit i'm a bit chaotic, as the idea is always adapting. Besides, seeing what works and what doesn't, is something that you can only truly find when making the final work. Painting is in essence a changing process so i feel very comfortable with the lack of "pre-production". As long as the main part of the original idea is still there, it's alright to let room for improvisation. A mouse accidentally turning into an elephant might be a little bit too much of a change.