Drawings, Paintings, and other bits of art which are (mostly) related to comic books and other pop-culture ephemera. I hope to post something at least every week or two, so check back semi-often.
Click on the pictures to embiggen.
2020 Year in Review
By Bizarro
Hey, it's another "Year in Review" by Bizarro! This time, as a parody of the "This is fine" meme.
2020... What can be said about 2020 that hasn't been said by everyone at this point?
My best to all and I hope you all have a Happy New Year.
Here's to hoping a New Year sweeps clean!
* * *
Done digitally with Clip Studio Paint.
.
HAPPY MERRY EVERYTHING!
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
Here's one of the titular Martians from "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" (1964)...
And Santa from the self-same movie...
Well, because 2020 had to keep being 2020 'til the end, I was putting the finishing touches on a "Merry Sithmas" Card of Darth Talon, when the iPad ate my homework. It didn't do anything that you would expect, like just destroying the the entire thing, or even going back to my last save from the previous half-hour when I had last saved. Instead it chose to save as a previous version when I had the digital pencils finished and only the rough, digital pencils. Everything else was gone. So, not having to start completely over, but just enough back to mock me for all the work which was lost. Sigh...
Sure, there's not a specific date for Sithmas of which I'm aware, but I always presume around December 25th, give-or-take, and I have a lot of other stuff to finish up before the end of the year. To be positive about it, I guess I'll just pretend that I have an early start on next year's Sithmas Card with Darth Talon.
Instead, in a fit of desperation, I grabbed two relatively quick digital paintings I did for my other blog for Figure Drawings (which, thanks to COVID-19, is now just showing scans of sketchbook drawings since May 14, 2020, as the two Figure Drawing Sessions I used to run are currently cancelled. Mother-Loving 2020 strikes again!) I touched up the Martian a little bit and re-uploaded them here, as they kinda sorta work here, too. Kinda.
In spite of 2020, I hope everyone has a (now belated) Happy Merry Everything!
* * *
Done digitally in ArtStudio Pro.
.
MERRY SITHMAS
Trilla: Second Sister
OK, I admit to having to go to a slightly more obscure Sith-Adjacent character, just to make it interesting. She was introduced in an appearance the comic book series "Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith", and was the main villain in the video game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019). Alas, I gave up video games a long time ago, in a galaxy right here. But, I liked the look of Trilla: Second Sister and figured it would be cool to do a Sithmas card of her. And here it is.
* * *
STEP ONE: Here are the digital pencils, done in Clip Studio Paint. It is a 2,00px x 2,791px document at 300dpi. I used the Symmetry Tool to keep everything, well, symmetrical between the two sides.
* * *
STEP TWO: So I can scale the drawing up in the future without having to redraw everything from the beginning, I did most of it as Vector Graphics (Vector are mathematical lines and shapes, keeping their sharpness as they are scaled up; Raster, which use individual pixels, generally get blurry as they are enlarged). Given the lined style I normally use for the Sithmas Cards, I think it generally worked.
* * *
STEP THREE: Several Layers later--each with their own color linework--and we have the finished project. I also imported it into Photoshop so as to animate the card.
* * *
Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint (with the .gif done in Photoshop.
.
Dave Prowse - In Memoriam
The Horror of Frankenstein (1970)
In memory of the recently deceased, Dave Prowse, rather than go with the obvious, Darth Vader, I thought I'd go with "The Horror of Frankenstein" (1970). Y'know, zig when I was supposed to zag. It was a classic Hammer film (most Hammer films I watched involved Dracula, but they spread their, um, "wings" from time-to-time to include Frankenstein and his Monster as well).
I first watched this when I was a kid, so I didn't catch most of the semi-comedic hijinks until much later in life. All I knew was it seemed scary and had monsters in it, so I was all in. Yeah, I was pretty dumb and easily amused as a child... and as an adult, too, now that I think about it.
Besides, if I know me as well as I think I do, I'm sure I'll be doing plenty more Darth Vader drawings/paintings in the near future. 😀
* * *
STEP ONE: In Painter 2020 on my Windows 10 machine, I created a 3,000px x 4,000px canvas and sketched out the initial drawing using one of the digital pencil brushes.
* * *
STEP TWO: And here's the three-quarter point, done with a series of chalk brushes in Painter 2020. I noticed the left eye was a little low in the painting and corrected that, and shrunk down the ear a smidge.
* * *
STEP THREE: For the last little bit and touch ups, I imported it into Art Studio Pro on the iPad. It has a few extra brushes that I am familiar with using, rather than trying to remember where they are in Painter. Also added some final highlights and shadows. All pics were then exported at 1,000px x 1,333px and posted here.
* * *
Done digitally in Painter 2020 with Windows 10 and finished in Art Studio Pro on the iPad.
.
31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
Creepshow (1984)
Happy Father's Day... Er, I mean HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Hey, it's a reference to the "Father's Day" segment in "Creepshow". Anyhoo, here it is the end of the 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween, and I somehow managed to post all 31 Days. No one is more shocked than I am! Although, it was pretty close a couple times where I just made it by the skin of my teeth (twice within a half-hour of my self-imposed deadline of midnight of each day). So, huzzah!
THE GOOD: This year, I did take more time to do up each painting/post, so I think the general quality was improved. The practice was good and just dedicating that much time trying to paint a likeness--even though it didn't always work--was a learning experience. There were a few times when I felt like I may actually properly know what I am doing (don't worry, that feeling soon passed). Overall, I'm relatively pleased and feel like I may have advanced a bit in my proficiency. Just a bit
THE BAD: I think the Stephen King painting as Jordy Verrell from "Creepshow", while passable, is a bit flat. And, while the face of "The Candyman" is pretty good, too bad it doesn't look at all like Tony Todd. Sigh... The Babadook is a little bland and uninspired, while the post for the "They Live" Karen could have been better, IMHO.
Oopsies, on "Hellraiser IV: Bloodline" Angelique: I forgot the white highlights on her outfit I was planning on doing to show it was somewhat shiny, and I didn't finish her lips. The bent-out, top bars on The Jackal's cage got painted over and then forgotten for the "13 Ghosts" post.
THE UGLY: "The Fly" post with the "Brundle Museum of Natural History"... Ugh, it looks weird--especially the eyes which are strangely cartoony and bothers me. Blech! But, I'll leave it, warts and all.
Well, I hope to try, try again, next year.
* * *
STEP ONE: In Clip Studio Paint, I created a 1,500px x 2,250px @ 300dpi canvas, and did up the digital pencils.
* * *
STEP TWO: Here's the halfway point...
* * *
STEP THREE: And here's the finished digital painting. "I got my cake! Happy Father's Day!"
* * *
Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint.
.
31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
Zombi 2 (1979)
For this one, I will have to give a tip of the hat to my pal, Joel, who suggested "Zombie Flesh Eaters" (or, as I knew it, "Zombi 2"). As soon as he mentioned it I thought "Oh, yeah, that one had the infamous shark fighting a zombie...(and a LOT of other graphic gore which got it banned in many different countries). I will definitely have to do that one!"
My mind flashed to the shark vs. zombie scene, and I saw it as a one-page comic, with it starting with the fight and it ending with the zombie and undead shark "walking" off together--like a boy and his dog (not to be confused with the Harlan Ellison short story of the same name ;-).
"Zombi 2" (also known as "Zombie", "Zombie Flesh Eaters", "Woodoo Zombi 2", and many, many more) was a sort of unofficial sequel to George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead". I watched it when I was a young teen, with its reputation as a gross-out zombie movie preceeding it. It definitely has a few scenes which live up to that!
* * *
STEP ONE: In Clip Studio Paint, I created a 1,500px x 2,250px @ 300dpi canvas, and did up the digital pencils.
* * *
STEP TWO: This is the inked page, done for the most part with a 10pt aliased brush.
* * *
STEP THREE: And here is the coloring, done on a single layer under the Inking Layer.
* * *
Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint.
.
31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
The Void (2016)
A Lovecraftian horror mixed with John Carpenter's "The Thing" with an 80's body horror aesthetic. Hmmm, I think I need a swear jar which, instead of swear words, every time I mention "Lovecraft", "John Carpenter's The Thing", or "80's Horror Movies" during 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween, I will throw a dollar into the jug. I'd be rich!
It has cult members in triangle-shaped face masks, trying to bring about a new age filled with dark, Elder Gods which they want to summon to Earth. I think the up-facing triangles are more unsettling to me, as the eyes and nose have a sort of downward triangle aspect when you are drawing the face. The fact they subvert that--whether intentional or not--bothers me. Mostly, my sense of design wants to make turn that triangle upside down. That sense of unease probably helps make it more creepy.
If you like Lovecraft (DING!), "John Carpenter's The Thing" (DING!), or 80's body horror (DING!), then you will probably enjoy "The Void".
* * *
STEP ONE: These are the quick, digital pencils done on a 1,500px x 2,250px @ 300dpi in Clip Studio Paint.
* * *
STEP TWO: Here is the halfway point, where I just digitally painted under the pencils so I could see where the rough pencils and wrinkles would go. At this point, I didn't care if I went outside the lines all that much. I would just take the eraser and carve around the drawings.
* * *
STEP THREE: I further refined the cultists's costumes/wrinkles, and added the tentacles emerging from the open gate to another world.
* * *
Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint.
.
31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
Alien (1979)
"Alien" is a great movie, the equivalent of a sci-fi haunted house in space with the Xenomorph jumping out and yelling "Boo!" Oh, and killing people.
While trying to take a closer look at the Xenomorph, I noticed a lot more things on the costume that, while I knew they were there, it never really registered. This time, I was looking and asking myself: "Is that a dryer vent? That looks like a hex nut! Etc." All those inorganic items stuck to the costume. Sure, H. R. Giger was into a biomechanical aesthetic, but didn't realize how literal it was in the Xenomorph in the original "Alien". I guess I never looked closely enough at the original costume, but am used to the Xenomorphs from the later movies which, while it's still there, isn't quite as obvious.
If you will forgive the shameless self-promotion, I have to point out that among my most popular "Unwanted Valentine" by far is the Face-Hugger one, and turns up in some of the oddest places when Valentine's Day approaches.
* * *
STEP ONE: Here are the quick pencils on 11" x 17" toned cardstock.
* * *
STEP TWO: This was followed by the inks, done with a couple different brushes. When I was about 3/4 of the way through, I started to regret just doing the Alien Xenomorph only in ink and wishing I had just done a watercolor/gouache. Also, some of the proportions of the nick-knackery stuck to the costume wasn't quite right, but it was already inked and too late. Sigh.
* * *
STEP THREE: The brush and ink seemed a little bland compared to all the previous watercolor/gouache paintings, so I thought I'd import it into Procreate and work on colorizing it just a little bit. Nothing too fancy, just some airbrush tools and such on a Multiply Layer. I figured I haven't really used Procreate since the new update and would see if there was something new. I also thought I'd go with something that looked vaguely like a black light poster, why not?
* * *
Done with brush and ink on 11" x 17" toned cardstock, and digitally colored.
.
31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
Creepshow (1984)
I always liked reading "Tales from the Crypt" and other horror comics growing up--well, the few that I could find, anyways. "Creepshow" is a loving pastiche to those comic books directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King (a fan of his writing, too). So, quite the horror pedigree.
It sounds like I am damning with faint praise (and, perhaps I am), but IMHO "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" is probably Stephen King's best job acting. Sure, it's overly broad overacting with a stereotypical, backwoods, cross-eyed cornpone, but I found it actually funny--the day dream sequences with his visits to the local college's "Department of Meteors" make me laugh. If you ask me (and why would you?), it's the best of the short stories in the anthology. The other stories are good, but the story of Jordy's sad, lonesome death is both funny and oddly touching.
* * *
STEP ONE: The pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.
* * *
STEP TWO: And this is about the halfway point with gouache/watercolor. As usual, just trying to get a feel for the forms and lay some color down.
* * *
STEP THREE: And here's the end result. It's always tricky trying to get a likeness. A fraction of an inch/a few millimeters here or there can make all the difference. I think you can tell who it's supposed to be, but as to whether it truly looks like Stephen King, well... It's tolerable, I guess. On to the next one!
* * *
Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.
.
31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
Motel Hell (1980)
When I saw the production stills for "Motel Hell" as a kid, it disturbed me--a man wearing a pig's head wielding a chainsaw? That was a next level twisted horror, sure to make the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" look tame by comparison! Well, many years later, I finally got a chance to see it and it turns out it was far more campy and comedic--and mildly gory at times. Still, that image from the movie stayed with me as a sort of Platonic Ideas of something terrifying for the longest time. I mean, 'til I actually saw the movie in question--after which that Platonic Ideal became a shadow of it's former self (philosophy jokes a plenty!).
It's Rory Calhoun (former star of Westerns in the 50's and 60's), making Farmer Vincent's Fritters extra delicious--and you'll never guess the secret ingredient! It's Soylent Green! No, wait, that's a different movie... but the same secret ingredient!
Originally, it was supposed to be directed by Tobe Hooper (of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist" fame, as well as lots of other movies), but the producers of the movie wanted to go into a more comedic direction so he bounced on that.
* * *
STEP ONE: The pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.
* * *
STEP TWO: Here is the first pass with watercolor/gouache, just getting some color down on the paper.
* * *
STEP THREE: Getting closer... I fixed the cloudy background, smoothing things out a bit, and corrected a bit of the pig's head. I'm not all that great at drawing animals, but in this case I may have made a silk purse out of a sow's ear (I'll show myself out after that one).
* * *
STEP FOUR: Here's the finished painting. I fixed a few things which bothered me--the chainsaw wasn't quite right, for example. So, rather than trying to fit the end of the chainsaw on the paper, I decided to go the other way with it and just run it off the page. Usually, I have no probably doing that... not sure why I kept shortening it this time to fit the page. I do think running it off the page improved it by changing it from a hedge-trimmer to a crazy, scary chainsaw. Also, it may have improved the composition a bit more. Oh, well, here it is!
* * *
Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.
.
31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
Ghostbusters (1984)
I ain't afraid of no ghost! I really liked the first Ghostbusters when I watched it as an early teen, and the humor was aimed right at me. From the young college kid getting shocked during Venkman's psychic tests (both when his gum falls out of his mouth after an electric jolt and the fact he was correct in the card viewing--but just one card off each time), to the happy-faced Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man stomping through New York.
I also use "Mother Pus-bucket" as my go to swear word, so there's that, too.
As for the 1989 sequel, eh, it was OK. So was the 2016 remake--it was fine and in no way deserving of all the hate and vitriol it received; not terrible, not great, it was fine. A brief aside: I used to find nerd-rage mildly amusing (I hope you're all sitting down, but I'm a nerd, too); now that it is a cottage industry with the volume knob turned up to 11 at all times, it's wearisome and boring.
I went back and forth: Slimer or the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man... Slimer or the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man... Maybe next year, Stay-Puft.
* * *
STEP ONE: In Clip Studio Paint, I created a 1,500px x 2,250px document and did some relatively quick pencils of Slimer eating hotdogs, of course.
* * *
STEP TWO: And here is the first pass with color roughs under the digital pencils.
* * *
STEP THREE: And the finished digital painting. Slightly more detail and some texture here and there, and a slight glow added with the Airbrush tool, with the opacity of the layer dialed down to about 65% or so. Also, I was trying to make the crumbs under Slimer look like semi-chewed food which passed through him (literally, in this case), without it looking like so many, um, bird droppings.
* * *
Done digitally with Clip Studio Paint.
.
31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
The Babadook (2014)
No, it's not the Johnny Depp version of The Mad Hatter! It's The Babadook from the movie of the same name, where the monster in question is a metaphor for repressed grief.
And, yeah, the drawings from the book are probably more scary looking than the actual Mister Babadook, but I didn't want to just do a drawing of someone else's drawing. Not that I'm opposed to that (as witnessed by my Comic Book Cover Recreations), but preferred to try something different. In this case, a sort of digital scratchboard.
* * *
STEP ONE (And Only): Oopsie, I just realized that I don't have any "Work in Progress" for this one--I just started and worked on it 'til it was done, completely forgetting to stop halfway through for a screenshot/copy-layer.
I created a 1,500px x 2,250px document, doing the background black. I used the "G-Pen" in Clip Studio Paint with white lines; I used the Transparent color choice, rather than the eraser. For some reason, I prefer the wider array of brush options that gives me, rather than the limited ones for the Eraser Brush.
* * *
Done digitally with Clip Studio Paint.
.
31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (1996)
OK, Hellraiser IV: Bloodline is a bit too on the nose with the trope of "Part 4: In Space". The movie itself wasn't all that good to be honest, but there were a few interesting bits scattered throughout. Seeing the satellite fold into a puzzle box at the end was pretty clever, I thought. And the Cenobite, Angelique, caught my eye and thought she would be a good one to paint for 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween.
Oh, and for the record, I usually find "Part Blah-blah: In Space" to be generally amusing. I think "Jason X" in Space is among the best of the Friday the Thirteenth series, IMHO. Probably because it is filled with self-reference and ironic humor. I mean, it isn't great (or even all that good), but it amused me.
* * *
STEP ONE: The pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.
* * *
STEP TWO: And this is about the halfway point with gouache/watercolor.
* * *
STEP THREE: And here's the end painting. Alas, I was running out of time, so it's a bit rushed. It still took far longer than planned, but it's done enough so I can start working on tomorrow's post.
* * *
Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.
.
31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
From Beyond (1986)
I'm always a sucker for H.P. Lovecraft, being a fan of his writing, as well as the shared mythology of Elder Gods and Outer Gods beyond spacetime. This is the late, great Stuart Gordon's Grand Guignol version of of the H.P. Lovecraft short story of the same name (Gordon also co-wrote/directed H.P. Lovecraft adaptations of "Re-Animater/Herbert West–Reanimator" and "Dagon"). Of course, there is lots of blood, gore, body horror, breasts, and erect pineal glands to be found in the movie, as well.
I found the movie to be good, gory fun. After all, with an opening line like "It ate him... bit off his head... like a gingerbread man!" you kinda know what you're in for...
* * *
* * *
STEP TWO: And this is the first... well, maybe second pass as well with gouache/watercolor.
* * *
STEP THREE: After a few more passes, here's the finished painting.
* * *
Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.
.
31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
Whew! Done with several tens of minutes to spare! This is the Jackal from the remake of William Castle's "Thirteen Ghosts". I remember really liking the way the movie looked, the room setups, and some of the effects, but the story itself was OK. But, I remember The Jackal looking pretty cool and stuck with me.
Sorry to cut this short, but given the time I gotta get painting the next post! :-D
* * *
STEP ONE: The scrawled pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.
* * *
STEP TWO: Here's the first pass with gouache/watercolor.
* * *
STEP THREE: And the finished painting. Yikes, this one took a LONG time to finish... Crud, I just noticed I forgot to go back in and finish the bent bars on the top of the cage around her head. D'oh!
* * *
Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.
.
