Happy Turkey Day!

Enjoy a big, fat bird...

Back To The Watercolor!

Here's a recent commission of CHRISTOPHER LLOYD as "Doc Brown" from the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy. Richard Cromwell of Florida has hired my several times, often when he expects to be meeting a celebrity at an upcoming convention. This was created in anticipation of his meeting the talented Mr. Lloyd, and with the hope that he would sign it. I have to be honest - this was my second attempt. The first one...well...just didn't work. I had to start from scratch, and I'm glad I did. This one is funnier and the likeness works. I was surprised at how difficult this character was to nail down. I expected him to be quite easy. Just goes to show...you can never tell until you start putting it on the paper...

Classic Examples: Phantom And Phibes

In my last post I mentioned Lon Chaney's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and Vincent Price's ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES as two characters that we classic monster artists love to sketch and paint. Here's two recent additions. The Phantom is done in oils, Phibes in watercolor...

Oliver Reed's Werewolf - An Artist's Dream

For classic horror artists, there are certain characters that just beg to be rendered. Lon Chaney's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Boris Karloff's FRANKENSTEIN monster and Vincent Price's ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES are three that immediately come to mind. Oliver Reed's lycanthrope is another, because of Roy Ashton's unique makeup and the torn, romantic costume he wears. How can an artist resist a werewolf in a red cumberbund?

The proof is below, which two recent pieces from myself and the Mozart of monster sculpture Mike Hill. Mine is done in watercolors, his done in all sorts of materials. Both capture the essence of the character, who only is seen in the final 20 minutes of the Hammer film.

Mike's sculpture is built upon actor Oliver Reed's actual features, which is why is it so spectacular. Without a doubt, you can see Ollie in the eyes.

I liked the idea of making this watercolor look kind of like a tarot card. Werewolves in cinema have been linked to gypsies and fortune tellers since Curt Soidmak's screenplay for THE WOLF MAN in 1941.

A Quasiwatercolor!

After a year of almost continuous professional work, as both an artist and screenwriter, it's nice to have a few days to just kick back and do some artwork for myself. Today I broke out the watercolors and dove into yet another Lon Chaney Sr. piece. As I've said before, watercolor is probably the most challenging of mediums, as there is little room for error. But today I was relaxed, and the colors flowed peacefully. I know that after the New Year I'll be back in full work mode, so I really appreciated the opportunity to just do what I love to do.

A Nod To Jack Davis

Most "Monster Kids" will recall with great affection the Jack Davis six-foot Frankenstein poster that was sold through the pages of Famous Monsters Of Filmland magazine. It is one of the iconic visuals of the 60's and 70's when it comes to monster merchandise. Not long ago a paid a small homage to Jack's wonderful sketch with this watercolor piece. I decided to include little Donnie Dunagan under Karloff's arm, just to make it my own and pay tribute to Donnie, who has become a friend to myself and the classic horror community in general.

Unfortunately, this piece is not six feet tall. But it might be someday...