Frankenstein Returns!

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

The Creature (detail). Mixed media.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has fascinated me since I was lucky enough to be forced to read it in high school. 

As a kid, I loved the 1930s movie. The fear Karloff's face inspired remains a vivid memory.

I didn't know of Thomas Edison's movie--the first film version--until adulthood. You can see the
whole thing here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcLxsOJK9bs

Mary Shelley's description of the creature has been ignored, attempted, and also revised by movie-makers and artists, but it is definitely evocative: His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid 
contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the 
dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.

I've ignored it for my versions as well. Following is the progression of the newest painting, done as a poster design soon to be released. Hope you enjoy it!

Lots of sketches preceded the final face. Here are a few.

After a search for a border I found this copyright free design in a Dover book.

I modified it greatly as you will see.

Here's the initial pencil prelim (on watercolor paper) of the lower part of the border...

...and here's the big guy, with his initial pair of boots, later changed to somewhat goofy slipper-shoes.

Inked with both pen and brush, it's ready for watercolor.

After an initial wash of raw umber, my colors were added in layers. Striving for a monochromatic look, my palette was mostly limited to ultramarine, burnt sienna, and raw umber. 

The bits of green came from raw sienna mixed with ultramarine, but I brightened his eyes at the end by adding lemon yellow and cerulean to the initial green mixture. (Shot with a camera phone, these look more saturated than the actual piece.)

For another rendition of the creature, you might enjoy http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/2014/04/pen-and-ink-plus-franken-creature.html

As always, questions and comments are welcome.  Thanks for the visit!

Feeling, not Facts

Willows in Bloom 

Arthur Wesley Dow

Dow was a great teacher and a great artist. He taught and influenced a long list of creatives from Georgia O'Keefe to William S. Rice.

Here he is in 1890.

My favorite Arthur Wesley Dow quote: "The artist does not teach us to see facts; he teaches us to feel harmonies and to recognize supreme quality."

Dow was part of a time in history bursting with invention, innovation, and discovery, he also believed in art for everyone; one of his goals was to provide quality art at a reasonable price. Peyton Boswell, writing about Dow's prints: "They occupy a middle ground between the art demands of the wealthy and those of the poor, and satisfy both. Although not costing much, they are real art and fulfill their mission to be decorative and bring happiness."

I offer the following artworks by artists taught and influenced by Arthur Wesley Dow. They are some of my favorites. I've learned from them as I've learned from the works and words of Dow. 

They give me feeling, not facts. I wish the same for you.

Untitled 

Alice Ravenel Huger Smith

Telegraph Poles 

Clarence H. White

Lamp Base 

Newcomb Pottery

The Pier Alvin 

Langdon Coburn

Paris Rooftops 

Max Weber

Thanks for reading!

Pinocchio Versions from 1883 to 2014

Roberto Innocenti, 1988

Pinocchio kills the talking cricket.

 

Yup, Pinocchio smashes the cricket with a mallet in the original tale by Carlo Collodi. I like Disney's version, but am pretty much enthralled by Collodi's book. Unlike Disney's interpretation of a naïve and gullible Pinocchio, Collodi's puppet is a saucy, selfish, woodenheaded brat throughout most of his horrific adventures, which include being stabbed and hung by the fox and cat.

 

Roberto Innocenti's illustrations remain favorites of mine. They are gorgeous, dramatic watercolors that don't shrink from the violence within the tale, and also celebrate the evolution and eventual redemption of Pinocchio. Check out the atmosphere in these:

 

Pinocchio meets the fox and the cat.

 





Pinocchio is hanged by the assassins

 

The magical piece of wood from whence came Pinocchio.

 

The book is tough to come by, but be sure to see more of  Roberto Innocenti's artwork at http://www.robertoinnocenti.com/

 

Many illustrators have tackled the irritating little puppet's story. Here are a few of my favorites, which range from early black and white engravings to lushly detailed paintings:

 

 



Enrico Mazzanti, 1883

 

Carlo Chiostri, 1901

 

Charles Copeland, 1904

 

 

Attilio Mussino, 1911

 

 

Luigi Cavalieri, 1924

 

Gianbattista Galizzi, 1942

 

And last, this inspiring, fresh illustration by Kayla Edgar, 2014.

It blew me away when I first saw it!

Please enjoy more of Ms. Edgar's amazing work at http://kaylaedgar.com/ 

 

Thanks, as always, for reading!

 

*Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi, compiled by Cooper Edens,

was my source for most of the illustrations in this post. You can buy it used at

 http://www.amazon.com/Pinocchio-Classic-Illustrated-Carlo-Collodi/dp/0811822834/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407873433&sr=1-1&keywords=Pinocchio+cooper+edens 

 

 

 



Heinrich Vogeler

 Die Hex mit Eule (The Witch with Owl), by Heinrich Vogeler, etching, 1895.

Recently ran across this work by Vogeler, which was unknown to me. Not only am I drawn to images of witches, ghosts, and the metaphysical, in this particular case it was the placement of the bright whites of the hair, trees, and toadstool. Check out that serene but creepy smile on the witch, and that exquisite door. 

Heinrich Vogeler

More on Vogeler: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/631806/Heinrich-Vogeler

Thanks for the visit!