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!

Objects, and the Thingness of Them, etc.

www.tomsarmo.blogspot.com
Special Rum. Mixed media.

Two, related subjects: The importance of being bushwhacked, and the importance of a "thing".

First subject: I'm constantly sucker-punched by new art discoveries. I admit to then getting easily sidetracked. But it's a wonderful thing! This past year I was blindsided by some amazing still-life works by French artist Guillaume Mongenet*.

But as I wrote in my previous post, I've not been one to happily draw objects myself until recently. Mongenet's approach to objects is an example of what a creative person can do with them--taking them far beyond mundane studies.

An example: Lantern (used in Mongenet's catalogue above) now hangs in my studio. I was thankful it was still available. It is beyond visual; it is tactile, filled with spirit, and it inspires me to try harder.

Look at this detail of Mongenet's Lantern--gorgeously haunting. What use of mixed media, and what a cool treatment of Object!

Now I've also been recently blindsided by object art digitally created for video games. Many of those artworks are wonderfully rich, with the same appeal as the objects drawn for classic Disney animated films many years ago. Between Guillaume Mongenet's objects, and game-artist's objects, I'm hooked on making a bunch of my own.

Here is Special Rum, prior to the addition of color. I am enjoying drawing objects immensely.

Second subject: I thrive on actual objects. One-of-a-kind things; vintage objects with wear and tear and age have always attracted me, and art objects have the same attraction. Both types are things, but special things that enrich my living space and my life. For me, neither objects nor art need to be expensive or large--they simply have to have a soul.

Now I am not one to dismiss digital art, and never will. Art is art, period. I admire and am intrigued by so many great people who create amazing artworks via digital media.  But I will always want the "thing"--the one and only, made-by-hand, piece of art. So while I'm incredibly inspired and in awe of digital art, it could only sit there on my computer screen, or come to me as a print. And a print hasn't got that "thingness" that will breathe its spirit into me.

This view of Mongenet's Lantern gives you an idea; the achingly-marvelous, tactile surface of the original. No print can affect me like this--the real, handcrafted thing.
 You can accuse me of being elitist or a materialist. I don't think I am. Art is art--it doesn't need labels or corrals in order to be legitimate. But for me, the unique piece with the hand of the artist or craftsman stamped on it is essential.

*And check out more works of Guillaume Mongenet!
http://art-comtois.fr/artistes/index.php?p=mongenet

Thanks for the visit!