Happy Birthday to Me, 2009!

So amidst all of the craziness this last three months hath wraught, I happened to hit the half-century mark. I turned 50 years old in October, which is still hard for me to believe. But my friends did their best to make my transition to a pentagenarian a smooth and painless one.

Below are a few of the treasured gifts I received from my rather notable friends.

From Bernie Wrightson and his lovely wife, Liz - an original birthday sketch:

From LOST SKELETON director Larry Blamire - my LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN character gets his own vintage comic book! Or at least the cover...

From my other pal, David J. Schow - the limited edition hardcover of REYNOLD BROWN, by Daniel Zimmer and David J. Hornung, which showcases the artistry of the man who created all of the cool sci-fi posters of the 1950's.

Great gifts from great friends.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Interview

Shout Factory's recent release of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 Volume XV features a rather special extra...an interview with me and my co-star Thor on our feelings about our cult classic ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE, which is one of the episodes included in this set.

ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE has been regarded as one of the very best episodes of this terrific series, and I was more than happy to share my recollections of the experience, and my insight as to why our bad movie works so well in the MST3K format. All the reviews of this new collection have been glowing, so join the Satellite Of Love and pick up your copy before Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank find a way to sabotage its wonder...

"Who put the 12-year-old in charge of the investigation?"

Unmasking Dr. Phibes Part 2

Okay, so now it's time to let the lights shine. I squint at the reference photos to determine where the light areas really stand out. Squinting makes it easier to recognize the tones as either light, middle or dark. Using an electric eraser, I begin by blocking out the areas that are going to be lighter. You'll notice that these are mostly small areas. In the following step, these will be softened to create a real sense of depth.

Now a kneaded eraser is used to gently soften the edges of the highlights, and lighten up larger areas. This often requires a good amount of push-and-pull, but the end result creates the illusion of depth that is vital to a pencil or charcoal sketch such as this...

Finally, some last minutes rendering of the darkest darks...and a fair amount of erasing to clean up the areas surrounding the character(s), and the sketch is complete. Oh, except for the signature, of course...

...and the notorious Dr. Phibes rises again, to be matted and framed in the den of a very happy client! Thanks again to Sketchy Things fan John Lee for his wonderful taste in subject matter!

Unmasking Dr. Phibes Part 1

A terrific fan from Kentucky just recently gave me the opportunity to create a truly unique sketch of Vincent Price from one of my favorite films, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES. John Lee of Bardstown commissioned a drawing based on his own concept...the hideously scarred Anton Phibes holding up the mask of his own visage. I immediately loved the idea, and began the process of bringing John's concept to visual life. It began, as always, with a rough sketch, to determine the composition of the piece...

Once I was certain that the proportions were correct, I began filling in a middle tone over the entire drawing. This was accomplished with a Mars Lumograph 100 B pencil, the only pencil I would use throughout the entire sketch. The tone is gently feathered in, and then rubbed down with my fingers to acheive a nice soft and even middle tone.

Once that is done, I begin to render in the darker tones, and commit to the holding lines that will define the contours of the character. It is important to keep the entire drawing at the same level of completion. Not to finish one area and then return to the rest. This is a sure fire way to insure that each and every part of your sketch relates to the entire image.

Up next...the application of the lighter tones...

"Little Monster, Big Dreams" Sells At Halloweentown

This past weekend I was part of a terrific group gallery show at Halloweentown in Burbank. The theme was "Every Day Is Halloween," and I was joined by such impressive genre artists as Gris Grimly, Robert Lizzarado, Eric Pigors and many others.

My entry was called "Little Monster, Big Dreams," and was rendered in pencils. It sold early during the opening night party, to a vintage Halloween enthusiast. I was happy to see it go to a good home!

Delbert Winans, 1949 - 2009

I got home from dinner Monday night around 11 pm to find a message on my phone. It was from Scott MacQueen, asking that I call him upon getting the message. He sounded serious, so I called immediately, at which point Scott informed me that our friend Delbert Winans had passed away that afternoon. I gasped, because I had just received an email from Delbert earlier in the day, and had spoken to him on the phone the night before.

I have been working closely with Delbert for the past eight months, on the project Gary mentions above. Now it was called the MONSTER BEASTRO, and we were well along in it's development. It appeared that Delbert was finally going to see his dream come true.

I'm still in a bit of shock. He was so very happy with the artwork I had done, and how the website was coming. Not only that, but a major cable network was interested in filming the creation of the restaurant as a reality series. That he has left us now seems so unfair.

Delbert had a collection of posters and lobbycards that any genre fan would be envious of. Almost all of the ones on display in his office were signed by the original stars. He was so proud of them. He also produced a great number of spectacular sculptures, working with Henry Alvarez and many other talented artists. Many were created for Disney's catalogues.

Delbert was sweet, funny and very passionate about classic movies. He had made plans for us to visit with Ron Borst later this month. He was, indeed, a true Monster Kid.

I didn't know him for very long, but I know I will miss him for much longer.

Lon Versus Jack!

While appearing at Eliot Brodsky's terrific MONSTERPALOOZA convention last weekend, I was reminded of one my of my all-time favorite "Sketchy Things" caricatures. Ron Chaney (grandson of Lon Jr.) and his lovely family were there, and my friend Perry Shields performed his one-man show tribute to Jack Pierce, the Universal makeup genius who created the look of the classic monsters. All of this brought to mind the drawing below, which was commisioned several years back by Wonderfest Program Director Dave Conover.

Based on a famous "gag" photo taken on the set of FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN, it jokingly refers to the alleged combative relationship between Lon Jr. and Pierce. It still brings a smile to my face...