This year has been a strange and sometimes crazy year. As it started out I did a mini Mermaid Series, that then led to the idea of doing a large scale Viking Series and that gained a lot of attention and then Covid Lockdown hit. So the Viking Series was put on hold. I took a summer job outside of the studio and didn’t officially open the studio back up until September. To get things rolling I decided to do another project called the PinUp project.
As a tribute to the amazing Gil Elvgrin who made the illustrated pinup posters in 1940-60’s I wanted to photograph in the Pinup style and then turn the photos in to illustrated portraits. That was the goal. 9 ladies joined me in this project, completely trusting me with a vague idea of what I was trying to create and we jumped strait in.
These ladies came with their game faces on, we had some laughs and some fun and I love how the collection turned out.
I do love how the collection turned out, I don’t think I achieved the true look of an illustrated portrait but more of a painterly portrait. I tried to push the drawing look a little father but the more I edited the muddier the features became, so out of these new techniques I was learning on how to paint skin, hair, makeup, I found my own style. The Sherry Penner style PinUp portraits.
What I didn’t expect exactly was how much I would struggle with the extreme editing of the ladies features and bodies. I truly believe and preach that we should learn to love ourselves for who we are at what ever stage in life we are at. I know, as a woman that we are extremely hard on how we speak to ourselves regarding our bodies, our looks, our aging progress.
Yes I shaped these women and painted their skin smooth and added and took things away to make these images. And I struggled with it ethically, until I took a new look at what it was I was trying to achieve. I have no problem with creating fantasy images, if you want to come and be a Viking, or a mermaid or a wizard, I will gladly and with great excitement create a portrait for you, and it was no different really for these PinUp styled images, they are fantasy. They are fun, sexy, not completely real and amazing!
I will be adding this style to my regular Fine Art Collections, if you would like your own PinUp styled portrait done email me: sherry@sherrypenner.com
So without further ado here is the pin up project.
What is the next Project?
Well the Viking Series will be on hold for a while yet, so in the mean time I want to practice what I preach and show you lovely ladies, who are ready to fall in love with yourself, just how beautiful you really are with a Fabulous at 40+ Series Glamour photoshoot. Ladies if you are in the 40 and over club you will want to be a part of this project. There will be some amazing prizes and of course photos.
