I discovered artist Steven Kenny’s work while browsing “Portfolios.com.” Much of his work featured at his gallery on portfolios.com is commissioned illustrations. I was immediately drawn to Steve’s work because of the depth of beauty and detail, the range of vivid colors, and the degree of realism. I wanted to present Steve and his artwork to you, so I have asked Steve to tell his story.
In describing your work, your main medium seems to be oil, and you have a preference for surrealist themes. Can you describe the different stages of a project from sketch to finish and talk about your techniques?
Each commissioned illustration project varies depending on the client, art director, subject, and timeframe. I prefer to get through the sketch stage as quickly as possible to give myself more time to spend on the actual painting. I find that my first concept (if not supplied by the art director) is the best. I also tend to start to lose interest if the sketch stage drags on. My sketches tend to be very tight. I prefer to get all the details in place up front, rather than spending time later that might interfere with beginning to paint. This also allows the art director to see in black and white exactly what the finished illustration will look like. I rely heavily on photo reference. I first look in my scrap file to see if I have images of the various elements I'll need. If not, the local library or Internet may supply what I'm looking for. If I can’t find images there I create what I need from my imagination. Photo reference is just that, I never copy exactly from the reference I use. You can tell immediately those illustrations where the artist simply inserted and arranged found images.
My illustrations are almost always painted on gessoed bristol board. This flexible support allows art directors to easily use a drum scanner to scan the finished painting (clients prefer to reproduce from a flexible surface), and when the illustrations are returned to me they’re much easier to store than if they were painted on something thicker. I project my sketch onto the bristol board and trace it. After applying another light layer of gesso over the enlarged sketch, I'm ready to start painting. I always use oil paint with liquin as my drying medium. Slow drying time has never been a problem. Even when a painting must be done in 24 hours it is usually dry by the time it reaches the client. I always mat my finished illustrations before delivering. It not only creates a professional looking presentation, but adds support when being shipped.
In describing your work, your main medium seems to be oil, and you have a preference for surrealist themes. Can you describe the different stages of a project from sketch to finish and talk about your techniques?
Each commissioned illustration project varies depending on the client, art director, subject, and timeframe. I prefer to get through the sketch stage as quickly as possible to give myself more time to spend on the actual painting. I find that my first concept (if not supplied by the art director) is the best. I also tend to start to lose interest if the sketch stage drags on. My sketches tend to be very tight. I prefer to get all the details in place up front, rather than spending time later that might interfere with beginning to paint. This also allows the art director to see in black and white exactly what the finished illustration will look like. I rely heavily on photo reference. I first look in my scrap file to see if I have images of the various elements I'll need. If not, the local library or Internet may supply what I'm looking for. If I can’t find images there I create what I need from my imagination. Photo reference is just that, I never copy exactly from the reference I use. You can tell immediately those illustrations where the artist simply inserted and arranged found images.
My illustrations are almost always painted on gessoed bristol board. This flexible support allows art directors to easily use a drum scanner to scan the finished painting (clients prefer to reproduce from a flexible surface), and when the illustrations are returned to me they’re much easier to store than if they were painted on something thicker. I project my sketch onto the bristol board and trace it. After applying another light layer of gesso over the enlarged sketch, I'm ready to start painting. I always use oil paint with liquin as my drying medium. Slow drying time has never been a problem. Even when a painting must be done in 24 hours it is usually dry by the time it reaches the client. I always mat my finished illustrations before delivering. It not only creates a professional looking presentation, but adds support when being shipped.
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