Photographic artwork · Digital painting · Print production
Lip study.
from photograph to canvas
This project began with a tightly framed photograph of a client's lips and ended as a one-off physical artwork. The image was retouched, colour-shaped and gradually rebuilt with translucent washes, softened detail and painterly texture before being prepared for reproduction on canvas.
Project details
The useful
particulars.
- Client
- Private commission
- Role
- Photographic artist & print designer
- Status
- Completed
- Year
- 2025
- Place
- Toulouse, France
- Disciplines
- Photographic art direction · Retouching and colour grading · Digital painting and compositing · Large-format print preparation
The problem
A small photographic detail had to become convincing at a much larger physical scale. The artwork needed enough texture and visual depth to hold attention on canvas without obscuring the natural shape, softness and intimacy that made the original photograph compelling.
The approach
The source image was carefully cropped and retouched before its colour and tonal structure were rebuilt. Photographic detail was selectively softened, while translucent washes, splashes and layered digital marks introduced the irregularity of watercolour and pigment. The finished file was then balanced for the texture, scale and tonal behaviour of canvas printing.
The result
A tactile, large-format artwork that sits between photography and painting. The final canvas preserves the recognisable character of the original photograph while giving it a softer surface, greater visual depth and the presence of a unique commissioned piece.