DEVELOPMENT

In response to Antonio Lopez

An element of Antonio Lopez’ work that I felt
inspired by was his collections of photographs of
his models, candid polaroid pictures of his
celebrity muses in the 70s. The photos, much like
his style of illustration, are colourful and full
of movement and document his glamorous social life
at the height of his fame. The polaroids have an
intimate feel, with close up framing and a bright
flash that emphasises their vivid, energetic
nature, almost as if the viewer is seeing the
events of the pictures in real time, through
Lopez’s eyes. They showcase a very personal elemnt
of Antonio Lopez’s life, depicting his social
circle and the people closest to him at that time
in an informal, relaxed setting. I hoped to respond
to the energy and vibrance of these series of
photographs in my own response.

Lopez’ polaroids

My response

I was inspired by Lopez’s polaroids of Jessica Lange and

responded to this in my own development by illustrating her
using a combination of ink and bright coloured pastels. I
chose a bright, eye-catching colour palette to try and
emulate Lopez’s technicolour style of drawing and bring out
the bold silhouettes Jessica Lange’s poses in the
photographs. The customary flowing, curly hair of the models
in his illustrations also inspired me to exaggerate the
shape and texture of hair, giving the drawings a more
animated appearance.

Antonio Lopez’ photography of Jessica Lange

I developed my ideas further
Polaroid I took in Brighton
by collecting polaroid
photographs I had taken of my
best friend, Minnie, on a
trip to Brighton the previous
summer. I felt these pictures
were applicable to the work
and influence of Antonio
Lopez as they similarly show
the part of my identity that
is to do with the people I
love and spend time with. The
pictures have sentimental
value for me as they not only
depict someone special to me
but are associated with happy
memories that I wanted to
celebrate in my development.
I chose a number of these
photographs and decided to
present them in the same way
as how I had illustrated
Lopez’s pictures of Jessica
Lange to show my response to
his celebration of a close
friend of his.

My response

Again, I chose to use bold, solid

colours and used inks and a nib pen
to try and copy the striking lines
seen in the work of Lopez. Antonio
Lopez’s polaroids usually have a
central focal point, with little
back ground imagery so the viewer
is instantly drawn in by the action
in the picture. My pictures were a
bit more convoluted so I simplified
the composition of the polaroids I
had taken to emphasise Minnie’s
poses and silhouettes. I used a
colour scheme which was bright and
cheerful to add to the summery mood
of the pictures. Responding to the
close relationship between Antonio
Lopez’ artwork and his personal
life, I wanted to explore other
ways of celebrating the people
important to me in my development.