Day 01: Return of the Fly (1959) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2022

31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2022:
Return of the Fly (1959)

Oh, hi, I didn't see you there.  It's time again once again for "31 Days of HELL-O-Ween" in which I try to do 31 pictures from various horror movies--posting daily--in celebration of HELL-O-Ween!  And, of course, each year something seems to come up which adds further obstacles to finishing this self-imposed challenge, and this year I have several.  We shall see if I prevail or I get to use the much-threatened blank page of "The Invisible Man" or "Slenderman" as a stick figure.  We shall see!  Hmmm, Y'know I sure complain a lot for someone who has no one to blame but himself for all this...

Anyhoo, this opening bit involving myself as the human-headed housefly from the 1959 movie, "Return of the Fly" (don't worry, in the movie he gets better).  Sure, the original "The Fly" had marginally better effects (and was shot in color, as opposed to "Return of the Fly" in black-and-white), but the fly head in "Return of the Fly" will always be the iconic one I think of when I think of this movie series.  "But," I can hear you asking, "If the movie is black-and-white, why are you in color in the bottom panel?"  Good question!  And the answer is...  (mumbles and incoherent muttering)

I have an inordinate affection for crappy B-Movies--I watched them as a small kid every chance I could get.  Anything involving monsters, aliens, or robots, and I was all in.  Yeah, it really doesn't say much for my upbringing.  But, it was either that or go play outside.  I stand by my choice!

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31 DAYS OF HELL-O-WEEN:
The Take-Home Game!

Once again, here are some logos for those of you who (for some dumb reason) want to play along at home!  It doesn't have to be daily--heck, just do one or two for the entire month--that's just as valid.  I'm just a dum-dum that does stuff the hard way.  There's no glory, no fame, and no fortune (trust me, this is the fourth year and none of those are anywhere to be found).  It's just for fun.  Sorry, I meant "fun".  If you do wind up using them or posting anything, send me an e-mail of the link and I'll check it out!

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STEP ONE:  Here are the first pass with pen-and-ink and gouache (opaque watercolor) painting.  I had some pencils, but I did them so light they didn't scan for sour apples, so here's this stage, instead.

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STEP TWO:  And this was the finished painting/pen-and-ink before I imported it into Clip Studio Paint to colorize the bottom panel and engage in some digital chicanery to clean it up a little bit.  I did include the word balloon which was done in CSP.

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STEP THREE:  And here's the finished image.  Onward to tomorrow's image!

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Done in pen-and-ink and gouache on 11" x 14" (140#) watercolor paper and some digital fixing and coloration in Clip Studio Paint.

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Day 04: Blood of Drcula (1957) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021

31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021:
Blood of Dracula (1957)

Hey, now, this is getting ridiculous, I know--another movie reference to a character I've already drawn.  But, this time it's because I happened to see they were playing the movie on "Svengoolie" last week.  What's a guy to do?  So, of course I had to do it for the Blog, too.  Tomorrow, something new, I swear!

In this case, a female vampire with quite the set of eyebrows and is in dire need of some dental work.

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STEP ONE:  Hey, more pencils on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock!

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STEP TWO:  Here's the first pass with black-and-white gouache.

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STEP THREE:  This time I decided to finish it off with some digital chicanery.  I created a new layers over top and decided to see if there where some neat things I could do digitally.  I used a variety of Normal Layers, along wiith a Glow Layer, as well as a bunch of different brushes.

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This was done with black-and-white gouache, and digital overlays in Clip Studio Paint.

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Day 03: The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021

31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021:
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

I know, I've already done a couple drawings and paintings of "Bride of Frankenstein", but Elsa Lanchester's image as the Bride is rather arresting.  Perhaps it's the Marge Simpson hair... who knows?  So, here she is again!  In the book, Dr. Frankenstein builds the Monster's bride-to-be, then desroys it as the last minute in a fit of regret.  (The book is very different from the movies and the popular conceptions of Frankenstein's Monster--it was something of a revelation to me as a youngster.)

And, it's another movie which seemed like a horror movie when I was a kid, but looking at it now is unbelievably campy and borderline comedic.

And, yes, Frankenstein is the name of the scientist and not his creation; the REAL Monster is the one who points out that pedantic point.

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STEP ONE:  Here are the pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.

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STEP TWO:  And here's the first bit done with black and white gouache, working on the lighting of the face.  I was half-tempted to just wash out a few areas and touch-up some highlights and keep it as is.

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STEP THREE:  The large black areas where done with ink and brush, and used the black-and-white gouache worked a little more to model the face and hair and called it done.

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This was done with ink and gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned carstock.

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Day 02: Nosferatu (1922) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021

31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021:
Nosferatu (1922)

Well, since it seems like I start every "31 Days of HELL-O-Ween" with the creepiest vampire out there, Max Schreck as Count Orlok/Nosfertu--so, why break from tradition?  I mean, a tradition that is all of three years old.

Because I wasn't paying attention, I scribbled out the rough drawing in pencil and then started working on it with black-and-white gouache, with ink for the large, black areas, and forgot to scan in the progress until it was pretty much done.  So, for those of you interested in the process shots, sorry, better luck next time!

Two days down and... (counts on fingers) 29 more to go!

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This was done with ink and gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.

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Day 27: Creepshow (1984) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020

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.

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STEP ONE:  The pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.

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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.

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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!

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Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.

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Day 26: Motel Hell (1980) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020

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.

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STEP ONE:  The pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.

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STEP TWO:  Here is the first pass with watercolor/gouache, just getting some color down on the paper.

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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).

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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!

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Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.

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Day 23: Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (1996) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020

 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.

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STEP ONE:  The pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.

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STEP TWO:  And this is about the halfway point with gouache/watercolor.

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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.

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Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.

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Day 22: From Beyond (1986) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020

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...

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STEP ONE:  Here are pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.

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STEP TWO:  And this is the first... well, maybe second pass as well with gouache/watercolor.

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STEP THREE:  After a few more passes, here's the finished painting.

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Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.

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Day 21: Thirteen Ghosts (2001) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020

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

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STEP ONE:  The scrawled pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.

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STEP TWO:  Here's the first pass with gouache/watercolor.

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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!

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Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.

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Day 20: Candyman (1992) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020

31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
Candyman (1992)

Based on a Clive Barker short story, "Candyman" is a series of Urban Legends brought to life.  In this case, it's Bloody Mar... Er, Candyman, where if you say his name five times, he shows up with his hook for a hand and will kill whomever called his name.

I've always had an interest in Urban Myths and and assorted folklore (as well as regular myths and mythology), so this was sort of right up my alley (there's a pun in there involving "alleys" and urban settings, but I'm just too tired to think of it right now).  I also find the shared storytelling that develops into a mythological continuity with many different people working together as a sort of shared hive-mind.

For example, much of the Lovecraftian Mythology was a sort of open-source story, picked up by August Derleth and Brian Lumley's "Titus Crow" series, for example.  You can also see it turbo-charged on the Internet and see it form right before our eyes: Slender Man, Zalgo, and other Creepypasta creations; before long, what was a brief story builds up an elaborate backstory, with one person adding something over here, and another adding a story thread over there, so it becomes a shared myth.

Hmmm, btw, how many times did I say "Candyman" in this post?  Three?  Four?  I think I should probably say it one more time juusssstttttt to be sure.  "Candyma--..."

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STEP ONE:  The scrawled pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.

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STEP TWO:  Here's the halfway point, give-or-take, with the first pass with gouache/watercolor.

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STEP THREE:  All done.  I figured I should throw in some bees here and there--after all, it was part of the motif.  So, I wanted plenty of bees, but not so many as to block out the rib cage I had painted.

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Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.

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Day 19: The Return of the Living Dead (1985) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020

31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

It's the Tarman from "The Return of the Living Dead (1985)".  I found this zombie particularly creepy-the melted way he looked, as well as the strange way he moved.

One of the best zombie movies (right up there with "Shaun of the Dead"), which was co-written and directed by Dan O'Bannon (who also wrote screenplays for "Alien", "Dark Star", "Lifeforce", "Invaders from Mars" (the remake), and "Total Recall").  Satirical and clever, and good movie which happens to have zombies in it (although, the punk characters are a bit broad and stereotypical).  Come to think of it, I also liked George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead (1978)", which had the zombies return to doing what they remembered doing in life: Go to the Mall.

In "The Return of the Living Dead", I chuckle every time I see the scene with one of the zombies using the CB Radio in the ambulance to call for supper delivery: "Come in, dispatch... Send more... paramedics."

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STEP ONE:  The pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.

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STEP TWO:  Here's the halfway point, give-or-take, with the first pass with gouache/watercolor.

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STEP THREE:  And here's the completed painting.  Lots of pushing the darks and lights, and some little white, specular dots all over the place to make it seem like he was set and slimy.

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Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.

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Day 17: The Fly (1986) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020

31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
The Fly (1986)

Is this a self-portrait of me on my birthday?  No, but it sure feels like it some days.  It's the 1986 remake of "The Fly", by David David Cronenberg.  Another movie from the 80's filled with body horror and updating an older, slightly more campy, 50's horror B-movie into something more modern and bloody.  Hmmm, I'm sensing a pattern here.

This is from the scene where Seth Brundle loses pieces of himself (in this case some teeth), but has something new to add to his "Brundle Museum of Natural History".

With a tip of the hat to Lao Tzu/Zhuangzi, one of the best quotes from the movie (and most horrifying, in an Existentialist sort of way): "I'm an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it. But now the dream is over...and the insect is awake."

Although, there's also "Be afraid.  Be very afraid!" is also pretty good.  And good advice, sometimes...

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STEP ONE:  Here are the pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.

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STEP TWO:  And the first coat with watercolors.  Unfortunately, I think I used a little too much Casein Fixative, as the watercolors weren't sticking to the paper quite right and would dissolve a little too much when re-wetted with another layer of paint, leaving parts of the cardstock beginning to show through.  Although, it did resist enough to give a little bit of an interesting texture here and there.

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STEP THREE:  I imported the scan into ArtStudio Pro and began working over top of the image digitally, while trying to to keep as much as the interesting watercolor textures.

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Done traditionally with gouache/watercolor, then digitally in ArtStudio Pro on an iPad Pro. 

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Day 16: Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020

 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2020
Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

Hey, Lookit me pretending to be pretentious and highfalutin by doing a foreign, black-and-white movie!

"Tetsuo: The Iron Man" is almost a bio-mechanical version of "John Carpenter's The Thing" (Eesh, I keep bringing that movie up a lot this year... I mean, it is a great horror movie, but you'd think I should give it a break!).  It's filled with body horror as people begin to merge with machines like some sort of David Cronenberg amphetamine-fueled fever dream.  Frenetic, frantic, and chaotic.

And, yes, nerd that I am, I always think of Marvel Comics' Iron Man every time I hear the name.  The "Iron Man" part of the title; the "Tetsuo" part makes me think of "Akira", of course... and it does seem to have a few themes from "Akira" woven in, as well.

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STEP ONE:  Here are the pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock with a black colored pencil.

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STEP TWO:  And the usual halfway point or so.

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STEP THREE:  Here it is about three-quarters of the way done.

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STEP THREE:  Followed by the finished painting, with lots of pushing lights and darks and painting the various bric-a-brac.

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Done with Watercolor/Gouache on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.

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