And? Had you guessed this was my springflingthing?

[beelikej]

London photos will be posted this weekend; before my little trip I had already made a draft of this springfling presentation-post, so that's what you're getting first:) In between all the lovely reactions, I've noticed an absence of familiar faces in the responses to my two latest artprojects, so I hope everyone is okay (and simply too busy with life or their own fanwork projects to keep track;). I plan to catch up on replying and commenting soon. Don't hesitate to poke me if I've missed something!

So. SPN Springfling. Not my first time participating in an exchange challenge, but for the Secret Santa 2012 I at least knew for whom I was making something and I could present the gift myself. To work completely anonymously in both directions and not being allowed to add an explanation before unwrapping totally did my head in.
I won't bore you with my insecurities, I put all of them down in the Thanks & Thoughts section. *grins* Instead, let me show you what I made and what happened behind the scenes;)

Title: A Close Shave
Challenge: spnspringfling
Prompt: "Staring down the barrel of your gun, I still want to fuck you"
Pairing: JDM/Jensen
Rating: R (naked butt:)
Medium: pencil, paint, Photoshop
Warnings: partial nudity, bit of blood (oops)
Summary: Jensen shaving Jeff
Notes: For anon;) ashtraythief


Teaser [Beware of nudity!]

The Piece
Okay, a couple of thinky thoughts beforehand anyway. (Now that I CAN explain myself, by golly, I WILL) My muse wouldn't let me create a literal visual of the prompt, but pushed me into the direction of a more subtle interpretation... Jeff is allowing Jensen to be in charge, even if that little fucker is pushing it, pressing the razor blade to his neck. ("No matter what you do" all of sudden became a bit threatening...) Aaaaanyway, here they are:


*Original springflingpost*


The Process
To keep within the "short and sweet" spirit of the challenge I forced myself to think fast in between workdays and then go for a swift execution on my day off. Initial ideas had to be dropped because of time contraints and my own artistic limitations, but once I imagined the shaving scene I knew where I wanted to go. (More on how I got the idea in the Sources & Inspiration section;)
Besides a set time, I also restriced my colour options and the amount of media to work with. Because I intended to work fast I didn't take as many photos in between arting neither. Just enough to share a step by step of my fiddling:)


First sketch and tattoo practice (Wish I had known about Jeff's new gun tattoo at the time; that would have been a lovely reference to the prompt right there! Did anyone manage to take photos of it yet?)


Final cleaned up pencil sketch; I did some digital touch ups later (Amongst other things there's something weird going on with Jeff's shoulder in the mirror and lets not even look at Jensen's foot)


"'n Kloddertje roze hiiiiiieeeeer, 'n kloddertje roze daaaaaaaar
- Sorry, Dutch joke. Messing with paint for a background.


New photo to capture the perfect pink and experimenting with a second layer. Testing the effect of brushstrokes in different directions and shades.


My workspace, with a peek at my latest paperart! Putting a pink layout on top of the image. Playing with paint patterns was supposed to be merely a try out before actually painting over the pencil sketch, which I would then refine in marker, but with such limited time I started to worry about messing up the sketch and not being able to start over...


The final paint composition test made the underlying sketch all moist (ehw) and I was glad I had remembered to take photos before I started messing with watercolours. I had to let go of my plan of making a marker version and ended up combining everything digitally.

I did a lot of experimenting with filters to get the traditional look I had intended. These are the left over layers that were combined to make the final image. I added shaving cream digitally and also a tiny drop of blood.
Since I had become quite fond of the pencil look, I decided to keep it like that.

A step by step of mixing the layers:)

The end. (or is it... I'm tempted to rework this, taking a lot more time. Suggestions are welcome! Y'all already know I appreciate all kinds of comments, right? PM me if you don't want to scold me in public;)


Sources & Inspiration

[Beware of links to possible nsfw artworks]
The shaving scene came to me thanks to a poster from Sissy-Boy that's been on the wall of my toilet in every home since university. (Well, that's where I get my best ideas :-p)

I found a near perfect reference for my Jeff/Jensen version in the Couples series by photographer Victoria Napolitano (And by 'near perfect' I mean it wasn't two men;)

For the style and colours I was inspired by this beautiful untitled painting by ssharc@Deviantart I need a lot more practice before I get even close to that level of awesomeness *hearteyes*

Thanks & thoughts
First I'd like to thank ashtraythief for the pairings and prompts she provided: I knew I liked you even if I didn't know it was you when I received my assignment;) Praise to the mods of spnspringfling for making a great match:)
I also want to give a shout out to sillie82 who was there when I needed to unload my issues.
(this is the part where you scroll down to avoid my whining;)

From the moment I handed my piece over to the mods, doubts set in and they only grew while I had to wait for them to post and then for the receiver to respond. Not being in control of any part of this process was torture.
I had to keep reminding myself that the fiddling had been lots of fun and that I had succeeded in challenging myself with new techniques and time limitations (and that at least I thought Jeff and Jensen looked rather delish together;)

I thought the double entendre title would be an extra hint to the implied exchange of power (and pain), but seeing the responses while it was posted anonymously I wonder if A Close Shave is perhaps not a universal expression of a narrow escape. Or if I messed up in my own translation. Hmmm.

As I said: for me this was mostly a technical and time challenge. I'm not completely satisfied with the result; my drawing is so very wonky. I do think it's the best I could do given my own limitations and the boundaries of the challenge. I am pleased that I managed to express my idea of Jensen messing with Jeff.

My stresslevel during this anonymous giftfest was massively high though and I now desperately wish I could have done more. Especially after finding out I had worked with a prompt from the fabulous ashtraythief I felt my art may have been too experimental a gift.

The process was absolutely fun but the aftermath was not worth it for me so this was first and last time I participated. I really loved the fast turn around but not being able to babble about my creation is a restriction I can't handle;)

For something completely different take a look at my previous artpost: animated paperworks! (featuring Jensen, Jared and... Danneel:)

J.

Oh, oh, oh, *bounces* one last thing: if you like Jeff/Jensen as much as I do, you have to check out the gift I received for springfling: Moments by alycat. So. good. Go read it. PG-13! Wahey!

Comments

[fireheart13.livejournal.com]

I never guessed this was you!!!! I loved it though, thought it was beautifully done!!

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

:-) I'm glad I managed to create something unrecognizable, heehee. Thanks!

[dugindeep.livejournal.com]

I didn't know it was you, either! But now I feel like I should have known, given the interesting color pattern and the pairing ;) Either way, you did great in interpreting the prompt! It's such a sensual moment but also with a bit of heightened concern for the closeness of the blade!

As for your feelings on the challenge, don't worry! I have felt the same way every time I've participated - not having enough to go with, not enough time, hating it once it's been submitted, etc., and so I bowed out this year. I think it's great that you challenged yourself here and found out how you feel about your time and quality for creating something you can be proud of <3

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Ha! Mission accomplished. At first I thought about doing papercutting but I really wanted to stay anonymous as long as possible and that technique would have been a give-away for sure:) I'm glad both the sensual surrender and tension came across.

Ahw, thanks for sharing that you feel the same, that makes it a little less awkward. I did like the art process a lot and the quick brainstorming was fun too. That's why the aftermath hit me extra hard.

[sillie]

I feel like I'm really getting a feel for your style 'cause I knew right away that this one was yours. I already thought it was super awesome, but seeing the thought process behind it and the work you put in makes me love it even more. :D

"'n Kloddertje roze hiiiiiieeeeer, 'n kloddertje roze daaaaaaaar
\o/ :D

I also want to give a shout out to sillie82 who was there when I needed to unload my issues.
Right back at ya. You know I had quite a lot of issues with this challenge as well, and it really helped being able to talk it out with you. <3

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Ahw, dangit, I thought I was doing something different this time, but I guess my Jeff and Jensen sketches always have the same style.

Heee, I think I was actually singing that while painting, because how could I not? ;-)

*smishes*

[ashtraythief.livejournal.com]

I had an inkling it was you, simply because it was the only Jeff/Jensen art :D There was a little bit in the drawing style that I recognized, but since I don't think I've ever seen "just" a drawing from you, I was unsure. It makes sense though with time constraints that your usual arting extravanganza wasn't possible.

As for the title, it doesn't exist like that in my native language (at least that I know of), but I am familiar with the English expression. Jeff's lucky you decided to go with a hopeful/positive interpretation of the prompt and he's getting off with nothing but a close shave :D. Looking back, I also realize that at least one of my prompts was very art unfriendly (the pretend relationship one), so I apologize for that :/

I think the title works perfectly as a double entendre, now that you say it :D Don't know why I didn't make that connection when I looked at the pic.

I don't think your artwork was too experimental at all! Challenges likes this are so much fun because we don't know who we're creating something for, so we don't go into the process with a fixed direction in mind. I think it's very commendable that you tried something new, and as always, your process is fascinating to watch! I also really liked the pencil look, so I'm glad you decided to keep that :)

I understand the anxiety, I suffer through it every time as well. (I'd venture a guess and say most people do :D)

I'm sorry to hear the aftermath was too bad for you and that you won't participate again, but knowing how big a part talking about your process is for you, I understand. I'm very glad though you participated and that I had a gifter who put so much thoughts and work in my gift! So for the more you were talking about, please don't worry about it! I know that you put love and work in this creation and that is all that matters, even if you said you're not one-hundred percent happy with it. You made me a wonderful gift!

Also, Jeff! All the Jeff :D *twirls you*

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

*giggles* Jeff/Jensen will give me away every time, although I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of JDM-love in springfling!

I played with the idea of papercutting (that also usually starts with a pencil outline) but for me part of this challenge was to try a different style and medium, so paint it was:)

Your prompts were great, but yeah, I had to dismiss the third one right away. That still left plenty to play with though!

Oh, I found a vid of Jeff talking about his gun tattoo. [mind your audio settings, his VOICE did things to me] Here, have a close up:

That will definitely feature in future fanart;) (and how much do I love his stripey shirt? A LOT)

I'm glad you liked the gift as it is. Thank you for your thoughtful and extensive comment. *smishes*

[thursdaysisters.livejournal.com]

Wow I love the textures :-D

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Thank you! They were a big part of the experiment :)

[meesasometimes.livejournal.com]

How did I not guess it was you???? I mean Jeff/Jensen pairing and all. The color effect. I mean now that I know it's like *bonks my head* duh.

And the title is a translatable expression here in the US anyway.

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Yay, my camouflage technique worked, heheheh. \o/

Good to know I got the meaning of A Close Shave right at least;)

[tmn1966.livejournal.com]

I was pretty positive that this was yours not only due to the pairing but because of the style and your use of color. Although I do understand your misgivings and worries, I still love the art. I think you did a great job with Jensen pushing things and Jeff trusting him not to take it too far. I'm glad you joined the challenge!!

And I will never cease to love you taking us behind the scenes with your work. It's fun and also so very interesting! ♥

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Hmm, you're not the first to point at color as my style, I never thought that would be a give-away;) I'm glad people still liked my experiment, I do love these guys so much, I'd be sad if I didn't at least to them justice.

Thank you!

[twinsarein.livejournal.com]

Jensen certainly is very happy to be where he is, although it looks as though the little bugger drew a bead of blood. However, whether it was meant to be conveyed or not, Jeff's posture screams 'in charge' - the tilt of his head, the hand on Jensen's leg, etc.

I liked the color and the textures of this, as well as Jeff being partly clothed. It looks as though, if Jeff wanted to, he could slip those pants down a few inches and show Jensen just who is in charge. :)

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I like that you suggested Jeff is still in charge, maybe that's why Jensen is taking it a little too far with the razor: he wants to be manhandled;) I'm such a fan of Jeff's hands, that could be why he ended up clearly holding on tight!