Screenplay Process: Part Three

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The second painting for the Screenplay series is about the Editor. In the first post about Screenplay, you can see the sketch of an "editing machine" by clicking here:  

Screenplay part one

I'm not one for sticking to factual representations of anything, machinery or otherwise*. 

Here is the new version, penciled, then inked onto watercolor paper. I used a brush and ink for the outline; for the the crosshatching a Crow Quill 102 nib.

I tried out a lot of heads before settling on the one I wanted.

Here's my original composition sketch, but the expression pretty much came from...

...this selfie. Eeesh.

Penciled in and adding ink outline (sorry for the poor quality photo).

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More ink with the prelim sketch as reference. The final piece will be 12" x 12".

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And a cropped detail of the nearly finished ink drawing. There are more layers of cross-hatching to go than I want to think about. Watercolor washes will follow, and that'll be faster.

Thanks, as always, for reading!

Next up: The third painting in the series; the Projectionist.

*My resource for the editing machine

Screenplay Process: Part Two

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Cameraman. (Detail)

The first painting-to-be is about the filming of a movie.

This is a detail of the nearly finished, inked piece--pre-watercolor washes.

My resource photos are pretty basic.

For the pillars, I took a photo of a column on my porch.

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In another part of the picture, the Bride of Frank has pencilled-in shading.

My own hand as photo ref.

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After the pencil lines are drawn to satisfaction (notice I didn't write "to perfection") I lightly shade the piece with a 2H pencil. The outline inking is done with a small brush, the shading is done with a Hunt 102 Crow Quill nib...

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...and the zen-like part (notice I didn't write "tedious part") begins. Yes, I love the look--and the process of--layered cross-hatching.

After a constructive critique by some fellow illustrators, I finished the pen-work. Rather than add paint now, I want to ink up the other two drawings first, so next post will be about picture number two: The Editor.

Thanks for checking in!

Screenplay Process: Part One

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I'm charged up to be part of an upcoming show at Helikon Gallery & Studios. The theme is film, and I was struggling to find a subject for the three, 12" paintings requested by the gallery. Luckily my wonderful muse gave me time to verbalize my difficulty.  She listened carefully, and then said "What about paintings that cover the the people and equipment involved in the process of film making; camera man, film editor, and projectionist? In your style of course." Perfect!

The thumbnail sketch above was the first idea for the camera man piece--along with a ghost...

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...then I tried out some characters and equipment. This part of the process--besides getting the idea--is often the most trying for me. The idea's there, but hasn't congealed. It's just an amorphous cloud in my head. Somehow I have to give the idea-cloud form, while researching the actual details. Do I do it this way every time I approach a project? No. My process is all over the board every time.

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 This time around I did more, mostly pathetic thumbnails...

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...and then landed this one. Frankenstein's creature has always fascinated me, so he (and his bride in this case) became the film's subject. Along with some anachronistic Victoriana of course.

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Then I got distracted by the sweet machinery involved with film editing, and worked this sketch up to a finish, just because it was pretty enjoyable. So much for a logical sequence.

Next time, more progress!

 I appreciate your interest--thanks for the visit. Check out Helikon Gallery's site here 

Helikon Gallery

and if you are in Denver, check out the actual gallery!

Frankenstein Returns!

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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!