Dame and LInda: August 2008

I just went in for my second session 8/27. It lasted 3 hrs, and was more painful than the first one. The areas under my elbow, wrist and inner bicep are pretty tender spots. But, I made it through ok and I'm really happy with his work. I have one more session for the outlines, which will be my upper shoulder, and inner bicep/armpit area (OUCH!). After that we will start to fill it in with shading and color.
Just to give you a brief description of the artwork. Its a scene from the Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo. At the top of my shoulder is Christ the Judge. At the base of my arm, wrist, is Minos, the judge of Hell (morbid I know, but it ties in). On a side note Michelangelo painted Minos as a likeness to the Master Of Ceremonies to the Pope at the time. He made him a demon, because he demanded that Michelangelo cover the nudes, and they were always at odds with each other. Soon after Michelangelo's death his own pupil, Daniele da Volterra, was commissioned to cover the nudes with vestments and loin cloths. This earned him the nickname "Il Braghettone" ("the breeches maker").
Any way, you'll also notice the souls ascending to heaven some struggling and Angels reaching down to pull them up. Still to come are the Angels carrying the Cross (above/behind Christ) on my upper shoulder and the Angels carry the crown of thorns (to the right/behind Christ) in my inner bicep/armpit. I guess its an appropriate placement for the crown of thorns, since its really going to sting. After all is said and done, it will be full color. He laid the sleeve out to symbolize the artists intent. Implements of suffering are behind Christ, and everything flows downward to the right. This is the best image of Christ that I have found, I like the fact that he is so powerful, yet still has a peaceful look on his face. I also like the way the artist showed the struggle of getting to heaven and how the angels are pushing hard to get us up.

Christ the Judge