Work of Art

Have you seen Bravo's latest competition show? They can cook, they can sew, and now, they are making art. I love Top Chef and Project Runway, but I think my favorite is Work of Art. A bunch of artists are brought together to participate in challenges, like the aforementioned shows. The difference here, is that the set of skills is much more varied. There are so many different outlets for art that you could be good at one and fail the next challenge because of your style or skill set.

This was evident on the last episode - which I watched last night on DVR - when the guy who won the previous challenge got the boot during the shock challenge. Not sure how I feel about that, especially because I did what I normally do when I watch these shows and tried to imagine what I would make. I don't think I'm very shocking because I couldn't come up with any ideas. So, not much to say about that episode.

The previous episode - the book challenge - though, I have some comments and ideas. The book challenge was actually the first episode I saw. My friend told me about the show and wondered why I wasn't watching it. I was very happy when I saw covers for books that I loved hanging in the gallery. Unlike the contestants, I had read most of the books there. The only deficit in my knowledge was Jekyll and Hyde. My luck, that's the cover that I would have been assigned if I was on the show. Still, I think I would be more familiar with the story than some of the folks seemed to be.


To comment to the work, I agreed with the judges completely. But, like I said, I always sit there and try to figure out what I would've done. And, then I looked at the book I was (re)reading - The Scarlet Pimpernel. This is a favorite that I was introduced to in high school. I don't think I've had my copy quite that long, but the poor thing was in pretty bad condition.

With the critiques in mind - that the cover should be something that draws you in and catch your eye in a crowded bookstore but also illustrate the story, I got out some supplies and sat down. Unlike the artists, I didn't have an additional budget to get fancy supplies, so I used my Crayola watercolor pencils, construction paper, tissue paper and my computer to come up with this.

I had to break the word Pimpernel because I have unofficially referred to the book as The Scarlet Pimp since high school. There is the flower and my tissue paper attempt at the French tricolor ribbon that all the "citoyens" wore. Yes, I purposely had the watercolor run in an attempt to show the watercolor. And, having never seen a Scarlet Pimpernel, I'm not sure how close I got on the flower. It didn't look a whole lot like the one I printed off to reference.

I really like my cover. I can't wait until I decide to read the book again. I may not have won when compared to real artists, but then, at least I've read the book.

Go to the website for the show to see other covers and other episodes. Let me know what you think.

What would you make?

Do you watch Project Runway? If you do but you haven't seen this week's episode, I promise I won't give away who won or who lost. The challenge was to create a high-end runway look based on what the designers saw at the circus.


One of my favorite reasons to watch Project Runway is that I will sit there and image what I would make. This week, I happened to have a pad of paper and pencils laying on the coffee table, so I paused the DVR playback and sketched what I would make. This assumes that I have wonderful sewing skills, so I don't have to worry about the logistics of making the outfit. 


This is my "high-end runway look based on the circus":

Like several of the designers, I was inspired by the coat the ringmaster wore. This would be a faux-shirt dress with a puff skirt. The whole thing would be skillfully constructed out of red silk dupioni (my favorite type of fabric). The top would be very fitted but have some reinforcement so that it stood up on the shoulders. To add a little sparkle, I would have an under tank out of red sequin fabric. In the back, the top would also be very fitted and scoop down in the back.

Then, I would make a pair of fuchsia satin slim pants. Almost leggings. Of course, I wouldn't have to worry about the common problems with "weird-crotch" as Michael Kors would say, because the dress would cover that portion of my model. But, what am I saying, I can sew impeccable clothing in this fantasy.

To further evoke the ring master, I think I would make a headpiece, just a flat black satin circle to sit in the model's hair.

After I was done sketching, I returned to watching the episode. You should watch the show and tell me if Heidi would have told me 'auf Wiedersehen'.