Day 09: Salem's Lot (1979) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021

31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021:
Salem's Lot

No, it's not Nosferatu/Count Orlok again--this time's it's Barlow, the lead vampire from Stephen King's "Salem's Lot".

To be honest, I am more familiar with the book, which I read when I was much youger, than I am with the TV miniseries, which I only vaguely remember watching when I was a kid.  Although, I do remember the TV commercials playing for it all the time.

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STEP ONE:  Here are the pencils, done on an 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock, don't with a .5mm mechanical pencil.

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STEP TWO:  And the first pass with acrylic paint... although, I was noodling with the face so much it's probably closer to two or so passes with the ol' acrylic paint.  ;-)

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STEP THREE:  And here's the final acrylic painting.  For whatever reason, this one scanned in just fine.  I think my scanner must hate either certain colors or paints that I use.  D'oh!  I just realized I forgot to go back in and finish some of the highlights on the collar trim... Oh, well... maybe I'll update later (but, to tell the truth, I'll probably just leave it and keep moving on).

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

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Day 08: Mars Attacks! (1996) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021

 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021:
Mars Attacks!

Hey, it's the Martian lady spy from "Mars Attacks!" (1996).  There was definitely something alien about the way she walked through the White House--I strive to strut like that through town (to no avail, of course).  And the eyeball ring was very subtle.  Very, very subtle.

The movie itself is pretty wacky and silly, and even follows some scenes from a few of the "Mars Attacks!" trading cards.

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

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STEP TWO:  The first layer of acrylic paint, again, just semi-quickly thrown down.  I didn't have to worry too much about the shading on the body, as most of it was going to be covered by the spirals, most of the attention goes to the face, anyways.

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STEP THREE:  And the final painting.  I went into Photoshop and softened the background.  For some reason, it scanned really, really poorly.  It looks semi-normal in person, but the scan was just blotchy as H-E-Double Hockey Sticks.

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This was done with Acrylic Paint on an 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock, with an assist from Photoshop.

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Day 07: Psycho Goreman (2020) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021

 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021:
Psycho Goreman

Well, one week down, 3 more weeks and some change to go...  

This time it's "Psycho Goreman (2020)".  This horror/comedy/sci-fi was something which I found delightfully silly and absurd, with a dash of gross out humor.  It scratched that 80's man-in-a-costume alien-monster-movie itch with a modern, self-aware twist.  It involves an ancient, space tyrant found by a 9-year old girl and her older brother and controlled by a space gem now in her possession.  The obvious question of "What's more evil, Psycho Goreman who has committed genocide after genocide throughout the galaxy, or the 9-year-ol..."  Oh, who are we kidding--it's obviously the younger sister.  She is cartoonishly sociopathic and there are so many things which gave me a good chuckle.  It toys with the conventions you expect, and does some subversions of those same conventions, which amused me, as well.  I say if you are looking for some over-the-top, silly, sci-fi fun, give it a watch.

Steven Kostanski also directed 2016's "Void", which I also liked quite a bit and did a great job of capturing the cosmic, Lovecraftian cults, complete with horrific body transformations.  I also give that movie a thumbs up for horror.

One of the (many) great quotable lines from the Psycho Goreman: "I do no like hunky boys!  Or, do I?"

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STEP ONE:  The pencils, done on 8-1/2" x 11" extra-heavy toned cardstock.

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STEP TWO:  First layer of acrylic paints...

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STEP THREE:  And the finished acrylic painting.  Unfortunately, it scanned a little darkly and figured I should take a few minutes and correct some of it digitally.

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STEP FOUR:  After I scanned it in, I imported it into Clip Studio Paint and did some digital work over the top, just to sweeten it up a little bit and punch up some of those brights.

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This was done with acrylic paint and digital touch-ups with Clip Studio Paint.

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Day 06: Halloween 3: Season of the Witch (1982) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021

31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021:
Halloween 3: Season of the Witch

Happy Happy Halloween, Halloween, Halloween--Siver Shamrock!

"Halloween 3: Season of the Witch" is bonkers.  It's slow moving, the plot involves evil corporations, murderous androids, and Halloween masks with a splinter of Stonehenge which turns kids into bugs and snakes when they watch the Silver Shamrock commercial?  But, it is so spectacularly strange, I find it oddly charming and compelling.

This was the very first episode of the "Halloween" series I saw as a young teen, so I was especially confused as I kept wondering where Michael Myers was and when he was showing up.  I also do have to give them credit for actually going for it and attempting to do something different with the series; They were thinking of doing "Halloween" as an anthology series, and there is part of me which makes me wonder what would have been if they kept it up.

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

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STEP TWO:  Here's the first layer of acrylic paint...

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STEP THREE:  And here's the finished acrylic painting.  After it was scanned in, I pulled it into Photoshop and used the airbrush to amp up the color in the background which was swamped out in the scanning.

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This was done with acrylic paint on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock and very minor digital correction.

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Day 05: Color Out of Space (2019) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021

31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021:
Color Out of Space (2019)

I am a fan of H.P. Lovecraft--not so much a fan of his political and sociological takes, of course.  The movie, "Color Out of Space" (2019), as opposed to the British spelling of the original "Colour Out of Space", did a great take on the ethereal dread and sense of cosmic foreboding.  A mysterious meteor crashes on the small farm of Nic Cage, and everything begins to transform and bend to the trippy, Day-Glo, horror.

Nic Cage melting down as the movies goes on?  Check.  The movie looking like each frame is shot on a series of black light posters?  Check and check.  A family's decent into madness and communion with--and conversion into--monsters?  Check, check, check.

See?  Something new!

* * *

STEP ONE:  The pencils were scribbled out on an 8-1/2" x 11" toned heavy cardstock.

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STEP TWO:  Here's the first layer of Acrylic paint.  I was almost tempted to stop here and leave it sort of impressionistic.

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STEP THREE:  Here is the finished Acrylic painting.  The scan was still a little dark and muddy in spots, and trying to get a glow effect in traditional media can be a little... tricky.  Either you use too much white and wash out all the color, or go too dark and swamp out all the color. 

* * *

STEP FOUR:  So, for the last step, I imported it into Clip Studio Paint and created an Add Glow Layer.  I tried to keep it limited and not over do it.  Maybe...

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This was done with Acrylic paint on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock and digital additions 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 01: They Live (1988) - 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021

 31 Days of HELL-O-Ween 2021:
They Live (1988)

Hey, it's time again once again for "31 Days of HELL-O-Ween"!  And done with a few hours to spare!  I guess I really must be a masochist of some sort, doing this for the third year in a row.  And, once again, we will see if I am able to keep up and do a daily Halloween-based post throughout October.  If you see a blank picture with "The Invisible Man" or "Spooky Stick Figure", or something similar, you know I done messed up.

Once again, starting on an (I hope) humorous introduction to "31 Days of HELL-O-Ween", this time as one of aliens from John Carpenter's other great Halloween movie, "The Live".  I always liked the sense of paranoia, the secret plot with subliminal messages, and with end-stage Capitalism and all the movie has more relavence now than ever.

To be honest, there's about 10lbs of excrement pushed into a 1lb bag with this one, but what ya gonna do?  Also, I have the Arial Black font with "Notice Me!" stretched out beyond all measure; it pains me!

Also, it should go without saying, but I never wear a suit.

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

And 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 or fortune (trust me, I've done this for two years for neither fame or fortune).  It's just for 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!

* * *

STEP ONE:  Here are the digital pencils done on a 1,500px x 2,250px canvas.  I prefer blue-lines for the pencils--a throwback to the days when I drew in blue pencil and then inked overtop.  I scribbled the basic script as well, which is how I normally work.  Thumbnail and possible dialog right next to it.

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STEP TWO:  And the inks and lettering.  There was some minor re-writing to make sure everything fit on the page, changes in phrasing, etc.  I thought it would be mildly interesting for some to see the writing process I use.  Very mildly interesting.

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STEP THREE:  Color!  And, in some spots, a lack thereof! 

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Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint.

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Star Wars Sketchbook - Tusken Raiders

Tusken Raiders

Hey, it's been a while since I did a "Star Wars" Sketchbook, so here's another page (well, two pages, I guess) in that sketchbook filled.  I always liked the Tusken Raiders.  When I first saw the movie as a 7-year-old in the theaters (yes, I'm that old), they were mildly-terrifying as my brain tried to process what I was seeing.  Basically, it looked like mummies with gun-barrel eyes.  There is something visually arresting about them.

The palette was pretty simple: Titanium White, Carbon Black, Payne's Grey, Naples Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue.

* * *

STEP ONE:  Here's a sketchbook page(s), using toned gesso as a ground, and the pencil sketch done with colored pencil.

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STEP TWO:  Here's the underpainting.  I thought the second Tusken Raider in the background was a little far over, so just roughly painted it over to the right to (hopefully) improve the composition.  I also gave him a more mellow pose, rather than the more agressive stance--Just to give it more of a feeling of a couple of Tusken Raiders hanging out.

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STEP THREE:  Further along in the painting process...

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STEP FOUR:  And here's the finished painting.  As always, now that it's done, I see a bunch of things I should have done to make the painting better, small things to fix and correct... But, sometimes, that way lies madness.  It can easily spiral into an infinity of "Lemme fix that"... until the painting is never finished.  To paraphrase George Lucus, art is never finished, only abandoned.  He's probably right in that.  So, in honor of Mr. Lucas, here is the abandoned painting of the Tusken Raiders.

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Done with Acrylic Paint on 8-1/2" x 11" Stillman & Brin Mixed Media (140#) paper.

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Suicide Squad: King Shark

Suicide Squad: King Shark

Hey, for fun here's a painting of King Shark, from James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad".  I'm a fan of James Gunn's work, generally, and I did like his take on "The Suicide Squad".  It was an improvement--but a lot of that may have been less interference by the studio...  The first one was just OK; the sequel/reboot by Gunn is chaotic, super-nerdy, and bloody as H-E-Double Hockey Sticks.  I know it's boring to say "You'll be surprised by who lives and who dies", but, while there are some obvious ones who live, there are some surprises as to who dies in the film.  (Then again, it's comics/movies, so some of them will probably be back.)

Most of this movie was catnip to an Uber-Nerd such as myself.  Whoever thought I'd live to see the day when Starro the Conqueror was in a movie?  Or a thinly-veiled rewording of the rejected applicant to the Legion of Super-Heroes, Arm-Fall-Off-Boy, named The Detachable Kid, played by Nathan Fillion?  Sign me up!  Polka Dot Man and King Shark?  You betcha!  All nerdy things I used to pore over as a kid... and teenager... and, um, "adult"--they are all manifesting themselves into Pop Culture!

Because I am a little slow, I assumed "The Suicide Squad" was PG-13.  I thought to myself "Huh, that's a lot of F-bombs for a PG-13 movie (PG-13 usually gets only one, maybe two)..."  Then someone's face was blown off and I realized the error of my ways.  It's not for the squeamish and definitely earns its R-rating.

While I do have a few nitpicks, overall I will give it a solid A- to B+.  Fun, violent (shockingly so at times), nerdy as heck, with a dark humor under it all--and, surprisingly, some touching bits of emotional resonance for something so explodey in nature. 

Also, I will give James Gunn credit, the soundtrack for "The Suicide Squad" slaps.  Like Tarantino, he can pick out a good collection of songs for a soundtrack (yeah, some were a little on-the-nose, but I thought they generally worked.  I may have to pick up the soundtrack).

P.S.: I must have imitated Sylvester Stallone''s reading of "HAND!" out loud about a kajillion times while painting King Shark.  It's the simple pleasures of life.

* * *

STEP ONE:  I lightly gessoed a 6" x 9" piece of toned cardstock, then used a crimson colored pencil to sketch out King Shark.

* * *

STEP TWO:  This is the first pace with acrylic paints--mostly just to establish some general colors, as well  give the overlaying paints something to stick to.

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STEP THREE:  Here is the final acrylic painting.  I imported it into ArtStudio Pro to do a little digital clean up (ie. mostly fix the shape of, and draw a line around, the word balloon; even out some of the background color; little fixes here-and-there.)

* * *

STEP FOUR:  And here's the finished painting--traditional with some digital touchups.  Alas, my scanner isn't all that high-end, just an off-the-shelf model, so flat, black areas scan poorly for some reason.  Also, I wanted to keep some of the texture of the word balloon.  TEXTure... Word balloon... there's a joke there somewhere...

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Done with Acrylic Paint on 6" x 9" gessoed cardstock and digital touch-ups in ArtStudio Pro.

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May the Fourth of July Be With You...

 May the Fourth (of July) Be With You!

OK, this is really, REALLY late for May the Fourth, but just in time (barely) for the Fourth of July!  So... yeah, it still kinda works.  Kinda, sorta.

And, of course, apparently my Quixotic Quest of seeing Jaxxon become Star Wars canon has sorta happened, with him appearing in the "Star Wars Adventure" comics aimed at all-ages.  So, I guess that's cool.  Anyhoo, I shall continue to flog this dead equine of a joke next year, and the year after, as well, I'm sure.  Onward to the next project!

* * *

STEP ONE: Here are the digital pencils, scribbled onto a 5,000px x 7,500px canvas @ 300dpi.  Why such a large canvas?  I have no idea what I was thinking...  That's probably why it took so long... 😀

* * *

STEP TWO: And here are the digital inks.

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STEP THREE: Finally, the colors and letters!  I output them as "Normal" sized 1,000px x 1,500px pictures.

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Done digitally with Clip Studio Paint.

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Sheena - Queen of the Jungle

Sheena - Queen of the Jungle

Hey, it's been a while!  A cross between being super-busy with non-art-related things, and just feeling that minor existential crisis of not knowing what to do next mixed with everything I was working on just felt like it wasn't going anywhere.  So, lots and lots of projects started and abandoned (some of which I will probably pick up again).  Of course, not being able to get anything finished also added to that feeling of just not knowing what to do next.  Ugh...  Heisenberg would be proud that I was simultaneously busy as heck and getting nothing done at the same time!

But, one foot in front of the other, it's time to get back in that saddle again, sally forth, and all that other B.S.

This time it is a commission of sorts for Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.

One of the mildly amusing things about this drawing is that while I didn't have a photo reference, by the end it looked a heck of a lot like one of the regular models we used at the Figure Drawing Sessions I used to run before COVID (alas, she moved to another state and we are still waiting to see when/if we will have Figure Drawing again).

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Done with Colored Pencil on 8-1/2" x 11" toned cardstock.

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