Glamour with a Giggle

I spotted this unique project by Arizona artist Carmen Benoit on her Carmen Illustrates Facebook page. I thought it was fantastic and one to share with you, dear Readers. Here in her own words, Carmen gives us the deets on the commission — executed for a fashion-forward teenage girl — along with some extra pics. Are we all ready for our close-up?

Upon beginning this project, I had it in my head that I wanted to do something truly unique for Lana – a strong, focused teenage girl – something that was going to captivate her as she bridged into the next chapter of her life. We discussed her interests and passions, and it turned out that she absolutely loved fashion and glamour – but then again what girl doesn’t, right? I felt as if I had just been given a challenge from Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum and the Project Runway gang.

We started with the main accent wall behind the bed, inspired by a Pucci scarf. I loved the colors and movement and thought it would be the perfect anchor pattern for the room. The swirls and abstracted paisley forms are accented with gold and silver metallic paint along with pinks and fuschias (acrylic and latex paint), crystals and of course, mirrors.

(above) A close-up shows the crystal and mirror details.

Since the main wall was rather saturated in color and shape, I decided to feature faux whimsical paintings for the adjoining walls with stylish women strutting their stuff as if snapshots from a runway were frozen in time. These faux paintings represent Lana in all forms of dress and I involved her by having her select all of the jewelry, clothes and accessories. Each was painted in a whimsical, sketchy technique and finished with crystals for a reflective quality. The result was a very cool stylish vibe.

(Fauxology Note: To see a closeup of the left image, click here. What a beautiful girl!)

The wall opposite the framed models needed to be softened, therefore I painted trompe l’oeil silvery-grey drapery. Faux drapery rods were also painted to add to the illusion and finishing off the drapes was real fabric trim. For a more dramatic 3-dimensional look, real black tie backs were added at the end.

At the center of the room is the ceiling which houses all the logos for the various fashion brands. All were transferred with tracing paper and then handpainted. The white of the ceiling was first treated with a candlelight finish and quartz crystals for an iridescent quality and then bordered by a metallic gold stripe. It was finished with black tassel fabric trim.

Generally, my painting style leans more toward photo realism so this project was very freeing and bold for me. Thanks to Modern Masters for their luxurious metallic colors and to my bold and beautiful client Lana for trusting me with her space!

How’d you like the project? Incredible, right? I especially love the added touches of crystals, mirrors and fabric trim along with her attention to the tiniest of details. If you’d like to see more of Carmen Benoit’s wonderful work, please check out her company website and be sure to take a “liking” to her Facebook page, Carmen Illustrates. Thank you, Carmen, for sharing your artistry with us!