Building The House Of Dracula Part 3

Now I've begun to apply thicker paint to each area of the painting. The colors are stronger and more defined, but I'm still holding on to the tones I created in the previous step. I work my way around the entire piece, never spending too much time on a particular area. This keeps the painting consistant, and keeps me from "finishing" one area while the others are ignored. I finished this session by taking a fan brush and lightly softening everything.

Fanning sets up the next step, which is to dig into the more detailed areas. I'll be using smaller brushes from this point on.

The next step: Finessing!

Building The House Of Dracula Part 2

After the sketch has been sprayed with fixative (an important step, otherwise the sketch will be destroyed by this phase!), I begin painting in the tones - light, middle and dark values - which will help me keep the depth of the painting throughout the process. Again, no details required at this point, they'll come later.

I've added just a hint of dulled-down color here, but the real goal of this step is getting those tones in. As I progress, the paint will be applied thicker and the true colors will be introduced.

The next step: Thicker paint!

Building The House Of Dracula Part 1

I've been commissioned to recreate an oil painting I did several years ago, the castle from ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. This is a perfect opportunity to show you the process, step by step. So first up is the charcoal sketch, done on the canvas. I use vine charcoal, which is very easy to correct - that is to say that it erases easily. It also smudges easily, so one has to be careful not to rub an elbow or palm against it until it is sprayed.




You'll notice that the sketch is rather rough. Details are unnecessary at this point, because later I'll be covering all of this with paint. The sketch is just the foundation on which to build. It's important, however, to get the proportions correct at this stage. They're easier to fix now rather than later.


The next step: Painting in the tones...

The Ink Of The Bride Of Frankenstein

While watching THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN with my daughter Tabitha this past Halloween, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed doing simple pen-and-ink drawings of the wonderful characters that inhabit James Whale's film. These are all from around 1999, and most appeared in the very first Sketchy Things volume. Is it me, or does my Bride look a bit like Scarlett Johansson? Attention, Universal Studios casting...

Never Fear, Smith Is Here

When writing screenplays, I often assign an actor's voice to a character to help me write his or her dialogue. In the script I've recently been commissioned to write, I'm using Jonathan Harris to help bring a certain character's words to light. Having his voice in my head brings back fond memories of not only Dr. Zachary Smith, the conniving gadfly he portrayed on LOST IN SPACE, but of Jonathan himself. I appeared at many conventions with Jonathan, and I still miss his sly, curmudgeonly grin and sweet/sour disposition. Seeing him drinking his tea in the morning, before the floodgates of autograph hungry fans were opened to descend upon him, always made me smile.

Thanks for everything, Jonathan Harris (1914-2002)

New Western Horror From Larry Blamire

Exciting news from my friend and director Larry Blamire - a collection of western-themed horror stories. Besides being a terrific filmmaker and talented artist, Larry is a masterful talespinner, and here is an opportunity for you to read for yourself. Here's what Larry says:

"TALES OF THE CALLAMO MOUNTAINS gathers all my western horror stories and slams them into one handy trade size paperback, with a cover by me (how convenient). These tales are lousy with atmosphere, creepiness and suspense and stuff, with a hearty helping of the twisted and bizarre. Pretty traditional in a way--low on gore and violence..."

I highly recommend this book to all of my own friends and fans. You can order it here:


http://www.lulu.com/content/3875805

Frank with horror authors (and best pals) David J. Schow and Larry Blamire.

THE LOST SKELETON PREMIERES!

This past weekend, Bantam Street presented the world premiere of THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN! at the Mill Valley Film Festival, just outside of San Francisco, California. The movie was received with great enthusiasm and loads of laughter. We are all happy and proud of our film and it's creator, writer-director-star Larry Blamire. Following the screening, a Q&A was held with most of the cast and several of the crew. It was a magical night.



Producers Mike Schlesinger and Sara Van Der Voort, Bob DeVeau, cinematographer A.J. Rickert-Epstein, Trish Geiger, Brian Howe, Larry Blamire, Fay Masterson, Frank Dietz and Andy Parks. The 3 in the front: Susan McConnell (head turned), Dan Conroy and Jennifer Blaire.