Marcello Buffa - Opera Whale

Marcello Buffa

Marcello is a talent beyond compare.  With the natural singing abilities from both his Orca and Humpback whale heritage, and his human attributes allow him to tour on land.

Below are various stages of the development of Marcello on location  or on stage.

Marcello's outfit was from from a scanned picture of an opera singer.  It was then enlarged and opened up at the top to accommodate his large frame.  Accent trim is to give highlights on the black tuxedo.

Marcello Buffa's right fin is that of a Humpback whale.  It gives him the ability to physically express himself (especially during high notes).  I chose to use Marcello's Orca shape (over his cousin Mario's Humpback shape) because it is easier to see the facial features of the Orca, and they are so photogenic.

Mr. Buffa is a bit of a contradiction in that Opera is serious, and the term "Buffa" refers to "light-comedy opera".  Nonetheless, the approach for this poster is "highbrow" and so the text will not be presented in a nickel (5 cent) style, but more like that of a worth of $ 0.50.  Image, Image, Image!
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                           

Orig  scanned image of
Tux for Mr Buffa

Orig background for first
sample



Second generation with stage green stage curtains

Below is a more complete version of Mr. Buffa on stage with green curtains.
  Later a purple backdrop was added behind the "opacity adjusted" green curtains.  This gave a glowing purple curtain effect and worked well with the yellow, pink and orange lettering and the green boardering.
Later versions were to eliminate the visible "Figaro" lettering and to tie the more important text to Mr. Buffa.




This is the presentation version

 

The presentation version now has a satge, solid red curtains with black shadows, additional details on Mr. Buffa's tux, contained informational text (from the show's sponsor), directional pointers (to direct focus from the "Come Here" lettering  to Mr. Burffa), a yellow image border, and a decorative outline.

If time for adjustments were availible, changes for this poster would include a more streamlined and flowing (less chunky) look for Mr. Buffa, and a better fitting tux.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                          
                                                                          
                                                                                          
                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                         
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                          

Roughs for Art 141 Last Project

Zappo the Great

The three roughs I have include one  singing whale, an some acrobats, and Zappo the Magic Rabbit.

Singer

Acrobats and Zappo

The challenges for this project include accessing a suitable stage area for any of the  posters, as well as merging a whale or rabbit to a person.  So far I have not found a suitable full figured male singer.
The possibility for the singer could be an Opera or a Blues singer.

The Theater, Nature and Beyond

 The Theater, Nature and Beyond

This is a composite picture that brings together contrasts.  

The seagulls (from nature) are accepting the space of man made area, while the greenery is about to overrun it.  The mountains of nature appear to be the strongest, yet are dwarfed by the vastness of space and the quantity of stars in the sky.  The stars cover all dark space, even the space in between the greenery.  The thought that the stars might actually represent molecules and that things that we believe are solid are made of small molecules becomes present.  The water drop represents the link between the water (in the clouds) and the life of nature.

To achieve this composite, many layers were used.   For the greenery, both color (tints) and distinct plant types were used to create a deeper sense of depth.  Smudging and some softer focus bushes were used to minimize harsh and distracting edges of the mountains and some bushes and trees.
The stars are visible in the electronic version, but will need to be modified for print (so they will not be consumed by the intensity of the black sky).

Enjoy