I have been falsely accused

[ProfessorGreibowitz]

I am sad to say someone whom I thought was a friend has sent an email accusing me of lying about painting my first airbrush portrait. They say I did it in a paint package on the PC. I am TOTALLY hurt and had to post here. I will not say the name and I will not post the new pics of my studio and the portrait as it now hangs in my moms living room AND the email addresses of about 10 people at work who held it and saw it in person.

I will wait and see if this accuser will reply to my several attempts to email "them". If they do contact me, they will receive the pics and references privately as I don't care for soap operas or hurting people but I am so hurt by this. While reading the email I started getting so physically nervous my hands were sweating.


I talked with Mr. Burkett via email and he advised working this out privately and I will try that route first. But if not, I will have to post these pics and emails of my friends who saw it. I will even take it to school tomorrow and take pics of it with my students and the president of the school.


I cannot believe this. I'm sorry I am having to post this but I can't sleep right now and I have to tell somebody. I'll wait until tomorrow night and see what happens.


Thanks you all for the understanding.


Tim

[coherent]

Hi Tim.. sorry to hear about this. I fail to see how someone can say such things without actually knowing. I've seen a number of your works both here and via private email, and they were fantastic. Personally, I would just shrug it off and consider the source, as with any bs, it's not worth the time and effort. Some folks just enjoy making waves (and not with their airbush).
Take care,
-Marc

[ProfessorGreibowitz]

Marc,


Thank you. Here is a link for more pics and a link to the original thread. Let the viewers decide. Did I do any or all of this in Photoshop? Or did I really airbrush it with an HP-SB???

More pics:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162882

original thread:


http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=157384



Tim

[greymist]

Hi Tim,

I enjoy your work, and appreciate you sharing your knowledge with everyone, as I am trying to learn to use the airbrush myself and can use all the help I can get. Please don't be discouraged...

Lisa

[ProfessorGreibowitz]

Thanks Lisa!


I am still in disbelief but I will be over the initial shock and hurt of it soon. Tomorrow is a new day and I am not a crybaby but it really felt as if a brother or sister had stabbed me in the back.

I really appreciate your support and if anything I post helps you I'll feel like a real pro! I'm "fairly" new to airbrushing but have done it a few times years ago just goofing off. I am hoping to get the portrait thing going.


Thanks,
Tim

[airjames]

Tim,

I've only been a member here a few days (lurking), but your portrait WIP was amazing and inspiring... I've only been airbrushing a short while, and I'd be glad to do half as well as you did on that work... (Or even to spray w/out spiders on posterboard :) ) And messing up w/ the clear in photoshop would be kind of difficult... :)

The accusation was most likely brought about by jealousy... Someone who's been AB'ing for quite a while, and can't believe that someone's first attempt at a portrait would turn out so well, and so lifelike...

Why don't you "expose" them??? Probably don't need to... I think people will be able to tell from your past threads who's not being chummy w/ you anymore...

It sucks that someone you considered a friend would do that, but i guess they aren't, eh???

You are an awesome airbrush artist, end of story...

James...

[asy]

Hiya Tim...

I don't airbrush, but it fascinates me, and so I look at the work in that forum.

I read with interest the goings on in the original post, and was amazed at your work.

Here's one my mum used to say:

They only tease you because they are jealous...

I'll let you borrow it.

Another WIP please...

asy :D

[ProfessorGreibowitz]

James,

I always say that the proof is in the tasting. Anyone who really knows Tim Simmons knows I am extremely detail-oriented and I try really hard when I set my mind to it. I have no time at this juncture of my life to be lying in a forum for false praise. I am an award winning [locally] artist! hehe I won firat place with a watercolor and many honorable mentions and have produced an instrumental guitar CD that was highly acclaimed [12 out of 10 stars!] in the '95 issue of Recording Magazine, played in studios and on several CDs and in several bands, mastered several CDs, published articles on music theory, published several articles [web and hardcopy] on religion, teaching computers at college, won many awards at FedEx as a programmer, so why do I need to fake a pic here? None of the facts line up and I am sure anyone who actually views the relevant threads can see that.


This person would not tell me what they thought I did to digitally create the pic and did not want to talk about it in the emails so I needed to vindicate myself to "them" via this forum and also let anyone else see, who may have doubted I actually painted it, it is for real. If it turned out nice, why is that hard to believe? I have been dabbling with art for years, the airbrush for several years, used a projector to get the outlines in place and used a slow, controlled layering to create it AND repair the nose damage I caused using a wet q-tip.



Thanks for you nice words and I can only hope that I [we all] can get over this and get back to being friends who don't accuse each other of lying.

If this person does have the goods on how i managed to deceive everyone here but ... "them", I wish they'd post it. Don't hold your breath.


I have been through hell before and this is not much but it did catch me totally off guard. I'm aight.


Thanks again, James and I hope you find many friends here at WC! I've seen some that are just plain rude but for the most part, I really enjoy this site.

This forum [AB] is really good and many people know more than I and have been there and done that. I hope my next portrait is as good as the first. Sometimes we also forget about beginner's luck! ;)

Tim

[ProfessorGreibowitz]

ak! :eek:

Sorry, asy, I didn't see your post until long after I posted.


Thanks for the compliment and it's weird that people are now calling that thread a WIP when it was really me just posting the results of what was really an experiment that I never expected to turn out so nicely. I talk [too much, I'm sure] out my thoughts and try to reason and learn and take some things people here say and try them and I bought 3 airbrush videos that helped me a lot. [yes, watched them each many times] If you can get some good videos and hang out in this forum, buy a book or two on it, etc., you [I mean anyone, really] can learn to airbrush and get better with it much quicker than just dabbling on your own [like I did for about 6 to 7 years]. After watching the videos and reading about art in general and wanting to get serious I gained insight into the processes of creating the airbrush portraits and illustrations. When I saw Fredrickson and Astrachan do the portraits I said "I can do that." I hadn't DONE any but I knew my time would come if i stuck with it. I'm stubborn but in a good way, I think. I am opinionated but try to give people their space. I know many in here do that, too. It's good to qualify with "this is how I do it" so you don't come off sounding like a snobbish know-it-all.


So, everyone here should know that I am no expert and don't pretend to be and I am learning as I go but the better I get and the more i know the less malleable (heheheh) or moldable I become and the more opinionated I will get. If that doesn't happen, maybe you aren't really getting to the truth?

The "future portrait" thread was not intended as a WIP and I'm sorry if people thought I was some airbrush expert. I posted a few pieces prior to that one that didn't look as realistic but when you use a projector for the main features of the face, all you have to do is color between the lines and copy the photo. No drawing skills needed and I am very poor with sketching.


So, my fingers are acting up a bit but I will try to paint some this weekend on my co-worker and his wife. It is not a WIP. I have never painted a portrait with teeth, jewelry, lots of hair, glasses, and frisket. I have no idea if I will encounter any problems but I intend on going slowly and steadily.


I am sure I'll be able to make it look nice. I really like the clouds I did. Printed some from a pic and tried to copy them. I rubbed a freehand mask on the sky to see how to mask the cap of the man and accidentally rubbed paint from it onto the sky. A faint line of paint ended up on it but I scraped it off w/exacto and covered white exposed board created by the exacto w/pencil. You can't tell it was ever messed up.

Tell mum I said thanks for the phrase. hehehhe

Tim

[jocelynsart]

Prof: I would not worry about it. You can tell this is done by hand. It was 100% obvious to me upon first glance. It has the physical properties of airbrush on canvass. It also is not photo realistic, like alot of work I am used to seeing in person.
This person is probably the only one who thinks this and after only seeing it online. Even online I can see that it is airbrush on canvas.
You actually could have done some more tonal value work in it. However, it is a very striking portrait and has a wonderful style to it!
Don't let this person upset you! Atleast you learned that someone was not the friend you felt they were. Keep painting! You have a beautiful subtle style. I particularly love your iceburg!!!!!!!! :)
Jocelyn

[kdkbrown]

ProfessorGreibowitz,

I can't believe this has happened to you! Your work is "Fine Art" and I'm glad you have taken the time to share it with us, I found it very helpful. Please don't stop.

I received an EMail from the person who Falsely Accused you! I was upset to have received it. I think of WC and all the forums here as a valueable resource for Art with a freindly and professional tone. I would like to see it continue in this way. This persons Email comments didn't fit into my image of WC. Such EMails privately tearing apart another artist really underminds are community.

Remember some comments and suggestions should be taking with a grain of salt.

Donna

[jocelynsart]

Hi Prof: I just wanted to stop in again. lol! I recall that thread now. It is funny, i have met three adopted people who resembled physically their adoptive parents and siblings! That is too weird. Maybe resemblances are not just genetic? Makes you think.
Anyway, I see the photoshop colouring in you did. I figured, as early in the thread that I responded, that you were going to work from your new coloured reference, at that time. I see now you worked in b&w.
Maybe the coloured photoshop reference is what is causing the confusion? Maybe it could be a misunderstanding?
Joss

[ProfessorGreibowitz]

Jocelyn and Donna,

Thanks for the support! I have made peace with "the accuser" LOL! and I want to go back in time to the way things were BEFORE I ever got the "email" and just let it be a learning experience for me. So, we can call this soap opera finished! But I do appreciate your comments and I will post more "in context" shots as I go so people won't think I just did it on the PC. Better to try nipping it than curing it, eh?

Jocelyn, I know that my portrait isn't 100% photo-realistic but I had SO much trouble on the nose that I decided to be happy with what I had and be done. But just for kicks, what areas could use help? Are the cheeks bothering you? Too light in those areas? More definition of the eye wrinkles? I like the lips a lot and the eyes.


Thanks you two!!! Don't hold a grudge against "the accuser" HAHAHA okay? Donna, since you know who it is, it'll be our secret. hehehehehhe



Tim

[jocelynsart]

Hi Prof: No, matter closed. Just thought I'd give some encouragement since you sounded very upset.
There is no need for it to be photo realistic. Actually, why should it? Just made the comment because since it was Not photo realistic, nor did it have digital properties like the colour sample you did, it would not really cause many to think it was a photo retouched in photoshop. So the accusation surprised me. However.....enough! lol Glad you worked it out. No one is perfect.
Well, I don't want to critique it any longer since it sounds like it has some physical difficulties for you with the surface and such. It is rather nice how it is.
If it were mine, I probably would have just worked further on it tonal wise, pushing it a little further. However, it was nto a high contrast reference. It was pretty low key, so adding to the tonal variation would have had to come from working from your mind. Unless you have alot of experience with lighting on the face, you'd need further reference for that.
It was a good excersize for a portrait in airbrush. I'd continue doing monochromes till you get a familiar working method comfortable to you. Then, you can try colour later if you like! :-)
I love my b&w early airbrush portraits the best of my AB work. They can easily be done freehand, no masking if done fairly large.
My b&w, I used to mix burnt sienna and altramarine blue for a sort of warm black. I never wanted to have to use white as that gave a bluey haze if I ended up having to. I used to leave the white of the canvass and just add some pastel pencil to enhance the very white highlights. With practice, I knew when I wanted to end the spray and leave the white and physically could manage to.
Take care; Joss

[ProfessorGreibowitz]

Ah, yes, I did not go all the way to black because I was happy with the dark gray but I see what you are saying. I did want to copy the photo pretty closely and so in that regard I think I did pretty well.


For my 2nd portrait, I want to push it further to black since their hair is black and his cap is black and pupils, some shadows, etc. I think that will give a more realistic look and I want to see how close I can get. Not forsaking the artsy thing altogether but just trying to learn how.



Thanks again for the comments and compliments!!!!



Tim