Mistweave Musician Michael O’Shea in Concert — Commission

Mistweave Musician Michael O’Shea in Concert— Commission.

Mistweave Musician Michael O’Shea in Concert painting draws inspiration from Michael O’Shea, a musician and an RN, who the brother of Shadowmyst Art. The guitar serves as the central focus of this artwork, having been a gift from Michael’s late wife Linda. The deliberate black background and the soft rendering of the musician’s figure were employed to direct the viewer’s attention towards the guitar, emphasizing its profound significance to the subject.

Michael ordered a set of mugs each with one of his album covers printed on the mug. See the Mistweave Album Cover Mug Set in Shadowmyst Art’s “Custom” gallery.

Medium: Digital Painting | Style: Painterly Realism | Size: 11 x 14 | Orientation: Landscape | Tools: Procreate, 13” iPad Pro, Apple Pencil Pro, Giclée Fine Art Archival paper and ink | Availability: Completed Commission | CONTACT SHADOWMYST ART FOR COMMISSION INFORMATION

Artist’s Process:

Mistweave Musician Michael O’Shea In Concert was created using Procreate on a 13-inch iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil Pro. The central focus of this artwork is the musician and his cherished guitar, a Taylor, which he received as a gift from his late wife. The intentionally dark background and the musician’s attire further enhance the dramatic effect, drawing attention to his face and hands, which are all centered on the instrument. In contrast to the softer portrayal of the musician and the background, the guitar is depicted with strong and clear detailing. This deliberate emphasis on the guitar as the initial element the viewer encounters reinforces its significance to the musician.

Challenge:

The most significant challenge in this artwork was the creation of the guitar’s neck, frets, and strings. Multiple layers were employed to initially set the frets on the guitar’s neck. The strings of a guitar have varying diameters and positions compared to the other strings, so each was developed on its own layer. Initially, the base color was painted, and the spacing of the strings was set correctly. Subsequently, the layers were merged. A new set of layers was created above the foundation layer to add the fine texture of the strings, representing the metal winding of each one. Finally, layers were added to create highlights and shadows over the string surface, giving the guitar strings their rounded shape. Additionally, a final layer was added to run a thin, strong highlight on selected sections of each string,  accentuating the lighting across the instrument. This highlighting was accomplished with a modified fine pointed Procreate brush and the layer blend mode “Add” to increase the intensity of the highlight.

Subjects and Themes:

Mistweave Musician Michael O’Shea in Concert — Music —  Sentimentality — Remembrance — Taylor Guitar — Dramatic Lighting — CONTACT SHADOWMYST ART FOR COMMISSION INFORMATION