Lady In The Red Dress

I've always had a fascination with Noir art. Never in my life did I think I would ever attempt it.

What is Noir?

In French, the word noir means black, but film noir began in the early 40s to 50s with crime films stylized with dark scenery and shadows.

It was after World War II when movie makers began switching gears to a more mature audience with killer suspense, crime and drama. The common themes come from stories of doomed romance, desperation, lost innocence, and barely-kept sexuality.

Femme fatales, cynical detectives, and reluctant or disllusioned heroes mark the major characters. [citation]

But when it comes to the art style of noir, the look is bold with sharp contrasts an literally changed the landscape for artists and illustrators. No longer was it necessary to include the entire profile. Making the center focus an arched eyebrow or puckered lip, or a man barely seen in the shadow of lamp light was enough to fuel the imagination and get the point across. With a single vision we know he's dangerous and she's sexy and probably up to no good.

I was just starting to color her in with my new red acrylic marker...and realized I have very little patience for the paint to dry!



And here I am posing with the finished piece

Is she in trouble or is she trouble?

I'd like to hear what you think.

---

Your comments, upvotes and shares are always appreciated. Thank you.

For older content, visit my Steemit blog page

Request your own verification badge @ Steem.chat

---

Wall of Steemit love:

Name in peppers by @papa-pepper	Beautiful art by @poeticsnake
Name in silver by @neoxian	8bit avatar by @williambanks

Follow Meredith Loughran on Twitter & SnapChat or LinkedIn