FAKE MOVIE POSTER paintings

This was the first painting I did with a reference photo. I looked at some photo reference books with tons of poses, but I couldn't find what I needed. Also the lighting direction was important to me. I eventually just posed myself in front of a lamp.


I bought a GI Joe style action figure with lots of joints (nearly 30), and it works well for figuring out the lighting on some poses. It works much better than those awkward artist manikins. I can't remember the brand of the action figure, but it has double joints in the knees and elbows so it bends like a real human.

I don't usually like to go by reference photos. They do make the lighting seem more realistic, but I think they seem less actiony. Also if I have a photo to go by, I tend to follow it rather than trying something creative.