When I first developed this website to offer my skills as a traditional artist for hire never did I imagine that I would be asked to collaborate on a film!   So then I was very pleased to accept the commission of a billboard design which will be part of the closing shot for a film called Fate.  The film is a production made by Transcendent Films, a UK television and film production company based in Spain. 

The film is to be entered as Chapter 4 of an ongoing film-making contest being sponsored by Canon USA and Vimeo called Beyond the Still.  Each contestant is required to create film chapters based on the final still image of a previous film-maker’s chapter.  Each month a winner of a chapter is chosen with seven chapters planned to complete the contest.  I am, of course, very hopeful that Transcendent Films Chapter 4, Fate, is chosen to be the winner.  Not only will my art work be part of the winning chapter, but as my billboard is the final still in the film it will automatically be included in the beginning of all entries for chapter 5! 

It was the director Kris Koster’s idea that the final still image of this film be of a retro-styled billboard.  I was asked to create the billboard which would include a portrait of the young boy chosen to act in this chapter.  Using photos of the boy then it was a bit of a challenge to make, as the director required, this sweet boy look mischievous and even a bit sinister, all while keeping the wholesome tone of dental hygiene and the retro-style.   Below are my first attempt at the portrait, trying to be faithful to the photos, and also the final version as per the director’s suggestions.  The portrait was done by hand using acrylic paint and pencil on Bristol board.  The billboard background and text were made using Photoshop and and final version of the portrait was then added.

This month’s chapter contest has closed as of midnight last night.  Within a week the film should be available for viewing.  I’ll keep you posted on the results and add will add the still to this post when it becomes available.  Good luck to Kris Koster and to all the other collaborators of Fate.  I am very honored to have been a part of the team!

Postscript – 5/5/10:  The film has been released online at Vimeo and here it is:

The Story Beyond The Still: Fate from Kris Koster on Vimeo.

To make sense of the complete short feature made to date you can view this and all prior chapters at Vimeo using this link:   

http://www.vimeo.com/groups/beyondthestill/videos/11445196

For more information and to see all chapter winners and finalists go to:  http://www.vimeo.com/groups/beyondthestill

Trancendent Films has already done well in the contest to date.  Their Chapter 2 entry, The Mob, was chosen as one of the top ten finalists.  To find out more information on Transcendent Films Spain visit their website:  http://www.transcendentfilms.com/canonvimeo.htm

 Kathleen Benton

© 2010 All rights reserved Kathleen Benton | You Can Hire an Artist

All comments are moderated.   Only comments expressed in English will be considered.  Please allow twenty-four hours for your comment to appear.  

Custom art is sometimes commissioned for one’s own satisfaction, say  to create paintings based on a theme for decorating a room in one’s home.  But just as often projects are requested as a gift to others, such as a drawing for a retiring colleague, or a special birthday portrait.  Custom art becomes more meaningful to the recipient because the content will have elements that have personal associations.  This content can be as simple as a favorite color or as complex as the documentation of entire family reunion at Disney World.  Any subject can be the basis for a custom art project.  All it takes to get started is to contact me by email with a description of your idea. 

I thought an explanation of how some projects have come about might help illustrate how the process of creating a custom request begins and the results that follow.

Another way custom art projects begin is by a client’s expression of his or her own interests.  For example I made several paintings for a family to decorate the rustic-looking home they were building in Colorado.  They requested that I make some work influenced by Native American Art.  I did some research into some old authentic Native American drawing styles and symbols and used that information as inspiration.  The clients request was that all the pieces be four feet square so there was some continuity in the format and the installation.  The results are three paintings and two relief collages on wood.

For this project then there was no initial photograph or memorabilia from which to begin the project.  I was given a genre and needed to develop the art work subjects.  After some research and preliminary work, I presented some sketches with detailed explanations to the client which were approved before the final paintings were begun. 

I presume each custom art project I take on might be a bit different and require a new approach.  That possibility is challenging but it also makes my work fun for me.  So let me hear from you and let’s see what we can do.  Describe to me what you might want to consider for yourself or someone close to you.  

Kathleen Benton 

(Click on images to enlarge and read details.  Click again to return to page.) 

Bus photographs used with permission of the photographers. 

© 2008 All rights reserved Kathleen Benton | You Can Hire an Artist

All comments are moderated.  Only comments expressed in English will be considered.  Please allow twenty-four hours for your comment to appear.