Bacon

I love bacon. My favorite is Pancetta, from a shop called Boccalonne in San Francisco. I wanted to draw bacon today. But it didn't come out very well, so I drew Boris Karloff instead.

Happy Holidays...

...to all my friends and fans!!!

Re-Wrapping The Mummy

A little lesson on why it is sometimes worth the effort to go back and re-examine a piece that just didn't work out the way you envisioned.

This oil of Boris Karloff as Ardath Bey, a.k.a. THE MUMMY, was my very first classic monster painting. It seemed fine while I was working on it, but I was still learning the process at the time, and so I rushed it. I didn't listen to my inner Gogos, and was too much of a hurry to see the final result. It wasn't until is was "finished" that I noticed the problems with the sketch itself - the proportions were way off, so the likeness suffered.

For almost a year that painting sat on my studio floor, and every time I passed by it I would grimace. Finally, while in the middle of another painting, I had had enough. I put the new piece aside and put this one back on the easel. Within an hour, I had captured the image I had always imagined it would be. Suddenly I loved the painting I had shunned for so long. In fact, I now liked it so much I decided to take it a step further, and glazed color onto it's Burnt Umber and Titanium White tones. The result was so worth the effort, I was only sorry I hadn't resolved to fix it sooner. See for yourself...

The original painting...

The revised version...

And the final, glazed painting.

Lesson learned.

Marker Monster Madness!

In my ongoing quest to expand my artistic boundries, I recently invested in a set of Prismacolor markers. My friend Jeff Preston is an astounding talent who produces vivid, eye-popping visuals with these often maligned tools. Classic horror fans may remember his beautiful cover illustrations for magazines such as MONSTERSCENE and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. I was shocked when I discovered these stunning pieces were created with design markers, which are as challenging as watercolor to work with, if not more so. Below is one example of Jeff's mastery of the marker...

Impressive, isn't it?

So, without fear of humiliation, I have taken the big leap, and started experimenting with this arduous medium. Here are two first attempts, Boris Karloff from BLACK SUNDAY, and Glenn Strange from ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN.

The fall 2008 issue of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS will feature a Jeff Preston cover and a Frank Dietz back cover. I'm honored to be working with the master.

Tattoo Boo

Over the years I have seen my Sketchy Things artwork transferred to the skin of many a fan. Below are two examples of how nicely the caricatures translate to body ink. Do you or someone know of have Sketchy Things art permanently emblazoned onto their epidermis? I'd love to see it, and post it here on the blog.

Mark Chan from the San Diego area has many a Frankenstein decorating his integument, including the work of two of my heroes, Basil Gogos and Jack Davis. His lower leg features three of my caricatures, all of Boris Karloff as the monster. Mark is kind of like a walking Frankenstein art museum. Now he needs a Bernie Wrightson.

From the original Frankenstein

From The Bride Of Frankenstein

And from Son Of Frankenstein

Mark's tattoos were created by his pal Guf of Tattoo Royale in San Diego. If you need an excellent tatt artist, seek him out!

Glazing Hjalmar

The oil painting technique of "glazing" goes back to the Great Masters. It brings a wonderful, unique feeling to a work that is very different from traditional oils. Here's a demonstration of how it works. Could I have a volunteer from the classic horror audience? Anyone? Ah, yes, Mister Poelzig, you'll do just fine!

Let's begin with a rough sketch, and a thin application of the three tones (light, middle and dark) with just some Burnt Umber...

Next, using only that Burnt Umber and Titanium White, the underpainting is created. The important thing in this step is to "pump up" the light tones. Keep in mind that there is going to be color paint applied on top of this, so we want everything to be a bit lighter than usual...

Once the underpainting is dry (and I mean dry!), the glazing can begin. The color oil paint is thinned out with Glazing medium, and applied in very thin layers. The paints used are referred to as "transparent" colors, such as Ultramarine Blue or Alizarin Crimson. Gradually the colors are built up over the monochromatic base. The tones show through the color, maintaining the depth of the painting. A little Zinc White or (better) Flake White can be added if needed, to lighten an area or color, or to create a highlight...

The finished painting dries with nice high gloss, and the results can be quite striking. This painting was only 5" x 7" and is now in the private collection Robert Taylor in Ohio.

Thank you, Mister Poelzig, for your cooperation.