ICONIC HORROR
For my final project I have chosen to do iconic horror as it is something that really interests me as I am a huge horror fan and I thought that I would do the horrors that helped make the horrors we have today. I have decided to look at different aspects of the iconic horrors including: the films, make up and SFX, iconic actors, directors, artists, cinematic moments and horror inspired fashion. I have chose to do different subjects to make it more interesting so that its not just focused on films but also the people and work that goes in to it. I have also chosen this project as it is something I enjoying doing I my own time and have created my own pieces of wax independently at home and I think that could be useful in this project.https://www.facebook.com/Laurens-art-884194791632745/?ref=hl (My Facebook page)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7Ukq73WeLM- top 10 ionic moments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXp0PssYZHc
I started my sketch book by creating a mid map of the different possible ideas that could go into he project including different films, directors, actors, artists. I added a little more information than I originally thought and I also added some extra ideas so that I can keep referring back to them. I used red gouache and a screwed up piece of blue roll to dap the paint on to the page to make it look a little like blood spatter.
I started with the classic Dracula (1932) portrayed my Bela Lugosi I have chosen this film in my iconic horror category because even though its not the first Dracula movie it is defiantly one of the most well known ones as it stares Bela Lugosi who continued to feature in some of the biggest horror films of all time. for this page I used white and black wall paint (emulsion). I used this media because I didn't want the paint to blend as well as acrylic paint would but I also wanted the colour to be strong and I thought that the wall paint would be perfect. both colours are so pigmented that they over the each other evenly so they don't blend perfectly. I feathered the painting out to make it look more abstract as well as give it an interesting ending instead of just a block line. The hammer poster I used to annotate is one that I had done for part of the zene that we did at collage and I thought that it would go great for this project as it is a hammer horror poster and hammer horror is one of Britain's biggest movie company's, as well as it also being great primary research.
My second page was Boris Karloff's Frankenstein (1931). I chose to do this movie because he is the first real Frankenstein that we saw on television, there had ben others before but none mad it big like Boris Karloff's. I think that it is a true classic as it really set the bar for future Frankenstein's and even though Frankenstein's monster is depicted from a book, new and improved Frankenstein's haven't strayed away from the classic looking monster of Boris Karloff's. for this I set down multiple layer of masking tape and stuck down my secondary images with it. I then used a black biro pen to draw the monster using a cross hatching technique. I think that it looks really effective and sketched. I think that it really fits with the theme as the movie was in black and white and was rough as it didn't have the technology that we have today. I really like using pen to draw because I like the look it gives but I tried something different by using the cross hatching technique and I really liked it. I then used black paper and a yellow and white pencil to draw the shadow of his face from the original poster. The effect that coloured pencils have on black paper gives a really great solid effect and I think the bright colours on dark paper looks like traditional classic horror. For my primary research I have a book by John Landis about 100 years of movie monsters and I ripped up the bit about frankenstein and stuck it in by book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN8K-4osNb0 - trailer
I then decided to do a more recent film. The nightmare on Elm street (1984) I have chosen this because even though it isn't that old, I feel as though it is still iconic as Freddie Kruger is one of the biggest horror villains ever and every one knows who he is. For this I started by using water colours to paint Freddie's face however I really struggled to do it as the burns and the position of the face was too complicated. I changed my mind as the watercolour painting went too wrong so I painted the damsel on the front cover in watercolours in stead. I chose her because the blue tones in the picture were really effective and I think that it represents a lot as if I was her I would be feeling a bit blue and depressed due to the fact the there is a crazy psychopath aster her. but it also gives you the chills as blue is a dull colour and I think that is what is needed in horror films.. dullness and eeriness.
I then did the devil rides out, which is an old iconic film but not that well known, for this I used watercolour pencils, I really like these pencils because they are really pigmented and I a little bit goes a ling way and give a really bold effect.
I then did the original house of wax form 1953. I first saw the remake of this film and loved it and it made me want to watch the original which it also very good. it stares Vincent price and have a really great original story line. I used oil paint to paint the woman tired down, I chose to do oil paints because I wanted a bright bold block colour as the poster is very vibrant. I am very happy wit the out come. I found that using oil paints on paper is quite difficult because it doesn't blend properly and it takes a lot of paint to get a good coverage. for my annotation sheet I used an open flame and exposed my sheet to it so the scorch marks make a pattern I think it looks really effective and unique. because its the house of wax I decided to drip the wax from the tea light candle the I used for the flame an ddrip in down my page so it looks like its melting like in the film. I think it looks effective however the wax keeps snapping off and dropping off due to it being hard when the paper bends.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhgrPoVvQC8- trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WtDmbr9xyY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JUS23RCOfc - head spin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMspVKv56vQ
https://www.universalorlando.com/Shows/Universal-Studios-Florida/Horror-Make-Up-Show.aspx (Universal horror make up show)
https://www.youtube.com/user/MadeYewLook (MadeYewLook)
I started my doing Jack pierce this man is responsible for creating and bringing to life the Wolf Man and more well known Boris Karloff's Frankenstein. I think that these prosthetics were great and considering they were made in the 1930's and 40's I think that it is great that back then that's all they had, they had make up and prosthetics whereas we have CGI now and I don't think that it has the same creative effect that make up has. I think Pierce his a great make up artist and is well known for creating one of cinemas most iconic popular monsters and is known as the 'maker of monsters' I used acrylic paint to re create the poster of him. I was really pleased with the outcome however I think that the top of his head it out of proportion so I think that I should have been more carful on that bit. however I am a huge fan of the colours as I think that contrast well and really make the yellows stand out.
I then did Rick Baker as one of my special effect artists as I think he is the great effects artist ever, he had created some of the most iconic characters ever and I think he is very talented. the most popular works he has done is the werewolf from ' American Werewolf in London', he assisted in the head spin on the 'Exorcist film, and some of his works wasn't just in the movies as he created the 'werecat' in the Michael Jackson Thriller music video. for this page I drew out the 4 steps of David transforming into the werewolf in American Werewolf in London I used a 4B and 6B pencils to do this. I ripped 4 pieces of paper and attached them to the binder using cotton. it started out as an animatronic helmet that made the nose grow. it then had teeth added and the face began to expand. the hair then started to grow as well as the rest of the teeth, the spinal column began to stick out and the hands and feet began to grow. finally he became the werewolf that had transformed in screen for the first ever time. on the page underneath I did a step by step diagram of the stages and annotated it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvXw1Nm0rFs- where I got inspiration.
I then moved onto horror inspired fashion. I chose to do this as a subject briefly because it interested me how horror can inspire something that we use in our every day lives. of course the top designers that create these clothes don't make then everyday clothes but one of a kind model clothes and I think that is what makes it unique. I looks at Thom Browne, I looked at his horror winter collection. from the images that I chose you can
see who and what had inspired him for his designers. the striped jumper reminds me of uncle fester from the Adams family or possibly Frankenstein's monster. the black veil and gown could be inspired from the woman in back, I think that these clothes are so unique that they can be put to different characters.
I then started my actors, directors and influential people. I have chosen to do this as a subject because these films wouldn't exist or be as good with out the people behind it or staring in it. I started with Vincent Price, I have chosen him because he has stared in many iconic films including house of wax 1953. For this piece I chose to use water colours as I really like the effect it gives when the colour dries on top of each other creating that spotted blobbed effect that makes it really pop.
I then chose to do Stephen King, I chose him because I think that he is one of the most inspirational and influential people in the horror business. His books have such great story lines that are really meaningful as we all have our inner demons. his books are great and the adaptations of his books into movies are really great and really do the books and King justice. For this I made a collage of book covers and film cover for Stephen King. I also used a inspirational quote from king. this quote is just one of many as he has so many inspiring quotes and I think that he is a real horror legend.
Bela Lugosi. I chose him because I think that he is one of the most iconic Dracula's there is. as every one knows him from the film Dracula but also his other films such as: 'the body snatcher'. ' The wolf man', and 'The Raven'. I think that he himself is iconic and not just the characters he plays. I think that he is a great actor and bring all of his roles to life. For this page I only drew his eyes as his eye are really distinct I think and I think that they look really effective and mysterious on there own, for this I used a black fine liner and multiple strokes to just make different marks to draw his eye area.
I chose to do Edgar Allan Poe because I think his work is amazing as they are poetic and deep but also have a great screen play. you can see from his films that Poe was a poet and a smart man as all his works have a great and creative story to them. some of his works include: 'The Raven', 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and ' The Black Cat'. For this page I used charcoal pencils and a tortillion to do a really simplistic portrait of Poe as well as the ravens behind him . I chose the ravens because I think that it is the film most people know him for so I though that it would be a good symbol to represent him.
Christopher Lee, I had to do him because I thought that he was a great actor and defiantly had a huge role in the Hammer horrors as a lot of his films were made by this production company. I think that he is most know for his role a Dracula but also some of his many other roles as he was a great actor who really brought all his characters to life. For this page I used a 4B pencil do draw the centre of his make making sure not to finish it, as I wanted a mysterious ghastly effect. so for this I didn't end the face and made sure to only use my pencil lightly.
I think that Boris Karloff was a must as he is the face of iconic horror. I think that one of the most iconic character in horror is Frankenstein, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein has influenced so many films and squeals but in these influenced films and squeals, the monster has never lost the general look of what you expect him to look like, and what we expect him to look like is Karloff's monster and this is because it was one of the first times we saw the monster. I think the producers have done a good job at sticking to the look and I think that Karloff is a great actor and is defiantly an iconic legend for his roles that he has played.
Guillermo Del Toro, I chose to do him because even though his films aren't old enough to be iconic I still think that they are beautiful and have a very unique poetic feel to them. for this page I used the technique, continues line drawing. I used a black fine liner and I wasn't very pleased with the outcome, I don't like this technique anyway as I don't think that you can get a neat drawing out of it as all of the back tracking you have to do messes it all up.
Wes Craven was a must do, he is responsible for two of the most famous horror characters there is. these characters inspired sequels and series as well as characters for people to fan about. scream and Freddie Kruger are iconic characters and are terrifying in there own right. they have great and unique characteristics that craven really brought to the screen. For this page I used yellow emulsion and card to gently drag it across the page to create a thick painted impasto effect. I then used black drawing ink to draw screams face. It didn't work out the way I wanted it to as the paint resisted some of the ink, however I think that it still looks effective .
I think that Alfred Hitchcock is defiantly one of the most iconic directors there is. he is responsible for numerous iconic films that have great story lines, great characters and great iconic scenes. I think that Hitchcock is responsible for some of the most iconic scenes and characters. scenes such as: 'Psycho's' shower scene and 'The Birds' telephone box scene. For this page I used different coloured fine lines to abstractly draw his face. even though it doesn't exactly look like him I was still pleased with the outcome as I feel it is something different that I have never done before and I quite liked doing it as it took me out of my comfort zone.
As part of my primary research I went to the Civic exhibition to see what was there. there wasn't any thing that was relevant to my project, however some of the work really caught my attention, works by Rob and Nick Carter. They used certain famous people and painted them through the ages but did strips of there faces in each age. it really fascinated me, as I wondered what I could do that would relate to my project but also relate to Carters work. I used to idea of different iconic characters and use the different versions of them through the years to create the same effect as the ones in the exhibition. I was really pleased with the outcome as I think that they looked really effective unique. I think that it really captures the essence of the iconic stages of each character. I used Dracula and Frankenstein as my characters and used all the different actors. I was really pleased and I defiantly something I would look into in the future.
The first mood board I did was in black and white and I di it based on the characters of iconic horror because these are essentially what makes the films. for the characters I picked my favourite plus the most popular so it contains Janet Leigh's, Norma Bates from the movie 'Psycho', 'IT;'s' Pennywise, Christopher lee's 'Dracula, Stephen kings 'Carrie' Boris Karloff's 'Frankenstein and ' the shining's' Jack. for these I used acrylic paints expect for Dracula and pennywise I used black and white gouache paints. I think that the black and white has a really great effect as it gives off the old retro look as well as showing how old they actually are. If I was to do it again I would not have used gouache as the consistency didn't match the acrylic paint and I think it ruined the mood board.
For my second mood board I used acrylic paint to paint chucky peaking through broken wood, this idea is copied from one in my home sketch book but is shown in my FMP sketchbook. I used acrylic paint because I wanted a smooth texture as chucky is a doll and I wanted it to have a doll like look. I then used a black biro pen to draw the top of the Amityville house and black gouache to paint the silhouette of Nosforatu, I sued gouache because I wanted a solid block colour. I then used water colour to do 'The Fog' poster, I used watercolours because the colours gradually get lighter in colour and they go back and I thought watercolour would be the perfect media for this. the main feature of this mood board is the embroidery of Frankenstein that I sewed into the paper. this embroidery was originally for my fashion section in my sketchbook, however because I sent so much time on it, I wanted it to be part of my mood board. it took me about 16 hours over the course of a week and a half and even though it was really time consuming I am really pleased with the outcome and glad I did it.
For my third mood board I used coloured pencils to drew the damsel from the 'House of Wax' I was really happy with the out come as it the first time I have used pencils and blended them together rand I really liked the outcome I think it has a really solid finish. I then used water colours to paint Jason Vorhees and the werewolf from American werewolf in London. I used watercolours because I wanted a subtle approach as I didn't want the attention to be taken away from the girl. I then used a black biro pen to draw the girl from the exorcist and a church that I had taken a picture of, (Saint Mary's), I used a series of scribbles to draw then inside of a solid line to make it more interesting and this way it is more in the back ground than in the foreground. I was really pleased with the mood board as I used a mark making technique that I never really use even though it looks effective and it has made me want it use it more often.
For my fourth mood board I used acrylic paints to paint Janet Leigh's classic and most iconic scene, which is the shower scene, I chose to do this because I think that it is one of the most popular horror scenes and I think that even if you don't like the movie then you have to like the director as Hitchcock is one of the most popular horror directors ever and has done some really great and classic films. I then drew David the werewolf from American werewolf in London, I used a 4B and a 6B pencil for this as I wanted it to be a really strong drawing and really strand out so I mead sure to press my pencil right into the paper to get darker shades. I then used different colour fine liners and water to draw the Camp Crystal Lake sign from the movies 'Friday the 13th'. I used this logo because I think that it is one of the most iconic settings in the horror history as everyone knows where Jason Vorhees is seen and no one should go, especially with friends. bleeding ink with water is one of my most favourite techniques I think it looks really effective and that's why I chose to do it. However the logo was only a background for my intentional idea which was to cut out Frankenstein's head just like I have in my sketchbook. I did this an di was really pleased with the outcome, however I wish that I would have drawn it out first as it is a little bit out of proportion as I free handed it.
For my final mood board I used photocopies from books that I had found in the library and primary photos to make a collage for my mood board, I used things from the books that were really relevant and I found them really useful as every book contained great imagery and information, it was hard to chose that to photocopies. I chose things that people would know and things that were iconic to my theme. I think it looks really effective because it is in grey scale. I think this is effective because back in the day grey scale is all they had and I think its good to be true to the time. I also used a photo of the exorcist make up I had done on my friend.
For my first artist research I chose to do an artist that I have looked at many times before and he is defiantly one of my most favourite artists, Chris Kuchta. I think that his work is pure classic horror, the colours he uses are the same as they used in the past, the bright colours and dark back ground really define the classic iconic horror. in the present day horror films are perceived as dark eerie and spooky posters where as the classics were colourful image son dark background and were also really graphic and detailed making that scary in there own way. I think Kuchta really grips this essence in his work and I think that is what really appeals to me. I chose to do his bride of Frankenstein as I think that the whole picture is a work of art I think that the colours contrast so well and capture he beauty but also the dark side of her. for this I use acrylic paints as Kuchta uses Prisma colours which I don't have as they are really expensive. I used acrylic paints and I was really pleased with the outcome, however in some places I wish I would have made some of the gradients more smooth an not just blocks like near her left eye.
For My second artist research I chose to do Shawn Conn as even though his work isn't specific characters to the movie industry, his work really appealed o me as the colours he uses are really abstract and eye catching and not colours you would expect to go with the genre of which he is painting. I chose to do his bold vampire because I think that blue tones that he uses are really great and really add emphasis on the blood around the mouth. This really interested me because I think that the thing you associate the most with vampires is blood and I think that it is great the contrast of the pictures helps to add emphasis on the mot important thing. For this I used acrylic paints as I could find the media that Conn used. I chose acrylics because this is the media I felt most comfortable with for blending such bright colours.
For my artist research I chose to do artist called Chogrin I saw this piece of work on the internet when I was browsing and it caught my attention straight away. I think that it intrigues me because it fascinates me how this artist turn something scary and terrifying into something cute and animated. I think it is a new twist on the horror genre and I think that it is really unique. Chogrin did these with prints, but because I didn't have a printing press at home I chose to use wall paint/ emulation, I chose this media because they are really pigmented and block colours. they give the look of a solid shape and solid pigmentation just like a print would give.
My fourth artist was a Hammer horror artist called Tom Chantell I chose to do Chantell because I think that Hammer horror is one of the greatest horror companies and it is British so it is great to know that we are responsible for that. I chose Chantell because his posters were for some of the big films for Hammer and his solid shapes are really intricate and effective. I think the simplicity of his work is what fascinates me as they are just simple shapes and lines with no shading but because they are on black background and are bright they are really effective. the bright colours grab your attention and it really gives the classic horror look. just what you would expect from Hammer Productions. I couldn't find the medium that Chantell used so I decided to use emulations as I wanted a solid block of colour just like Chantell uses. his work is almost like pop art and I thought that emulation would be the best media as it doesn't leave brush strokes in ti like acrylic and water colours and it is also really bright and pigmented so I think that I made the right media choice for this piece.
I chose to do Chris Weston as another one of my artist research because I wanted an artist that was an illustrator and I couldn't find one that was related to horror, I found Chris Weston and even though he's not an illustrator I thought his work looked quite illustrated and that really caught my attention. the piece I chose to do was really detailed and to keep up with my time management I didn't want to do it all so I chose different aspects of it to do. I chose to do the banner and NOSFORATU, but I enlarged him to get rid of the negative space. I also did the title, I think this is what drew me towards this piece as the font of the title really interests me as it is spooky but it really gives a horror/ thriller vibe to it and I was really fun to study and recreate. I used black drawing ink for this piece as I didn't know which media Weston used and I thought this would be the best to give it the illustrated look.
I then did Ashley Thorpe, I found this artist when looking on the Horror artists top 10 artists and I found her work was really abstract and vibrant but also held a eerie spooky classic feel to them. My favourite was the Christopher Lee painting she did, I chose to do this one as my critical study. I used oil paints to do it and I was pleased with the outcome as I like using oil paints on paper because of how they blend together and the texture it makes. the brush strokes are always left in and I think it looks really effective. However you need a lot an di ran out of black paint. I tried to blend it into the sheet o add to the effect however I didn't think it looked right. I was going to finish it when I got to college however I chose to leave it as it is a great example of some thing I could have done better and a way to annotate it in a constructive critized way.
Laz Marquez is my 7th artist I looked at , his interpretation of 'The Shining' poster really caught my attention as the dimensions and position of the man made it really spooky and eerie. I used gouache paints to do this critical study as I couldn't find the media that he used. I really regret using gouache as they dried patchy and made it look bad. I also struggled with the dimensions as all of the carpet is all out of proportion and made the study look wrong. I wasn't pleased with the outcome and if I was to do it again I would have chosen a different study by Marquez.
For my final artist research I used the artist Simon Bisley. I chose to do him because I think his work is very graphic in animated kind of way, like something you would see from a graphic novel with all the bright colours with abstract shading and highlighting. This really caught my attention as I found it really abstract and eye catching, I think it looks really effective and creative. I chose his 'Alien' because quite a few people in my questionnaire said that it was there favourite movie and also it had some great special effects as well as a great horror aspect to it. For this critical study I used acrylic paint and I made sure apply it really thickly on the back ground to add to the effect and also I really like the impasto technique as it is really fun to do but also looks really effective.
For my final piece my idea was to paint to torso of a mannequin and build up the head with prosthetics. I think this would be a really effective idea as it would be something different and really take me out of my comfort zone as it would be bigger and a completely different canvas.
For my first artist research I took inspiration from the plague of the zombie. I started by sketching the outline of the head and torso and used acrylic paints to paint my idea. my idea was to keep it like a traditional unrealistic zombie as that is what they used to be like in the past. so for this one it is a green/grey colour as it is different to our modern zombies. I then also made it so that the bottom half of the face was missing and that the teeth were showing. This would be dine using latex and cotton, I also made the tendons in the neck and collar bones more prominent as I think that they would show more if you were decaying. I added little fly's as I thought flies are attracted to dead thing which would make the piece more interesting. For the torso I used the faces of the Exorcist and Bea Lugosi's Dracula. I used these three characters I thought that they are the three main contributors to horror: Vampire, possession and zombies. I don't like that the body is black and the head is colour and I think that it makes them both stand out when there on there own but I thin together they will contrast too much with each other and then neither will stand out. In conclusion I don't like this design as I think that it wont be very effective and I think it would be quite dull.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAQiTb6EX28. - Plague of the zombies trailer.
http://www.apocalypse-soon.com/the_four_horsemen.htm- The four horsemen.
I started to lay out my design sheets differently as I realized that I didn't like they way they were looking so I started putting the torso and head separate. I think this way it looks more professional and easier to look at.
This Design is done in pencil and is based on the horseman Pestilence (illness) I chose this horse man because illness is a horror itself as it is one of the main killers in this world, but also illness contributes to horror quite a lot as it is viruses that create zombies and spread the disease. For this design I used the idea of boils and sickness. I wanted the boils to be the main part of the design so I made them quite big and very prominent, these will be done using a clay mould and latex. it would also have a really pale gaunt colour with a pink flush as this is the look you tend to get when your ill. I made it so that the lips were very pale but dark in the centre so this was it gives the illusion of cracked lips. Once again I made the collar bone and tendons prominent as I just think that it looks really effective. I made this design with the intention of making the mannequin look ill and I think that very little hair would help add to look. I want his person to be so ill that they are losing there hair and I think that it would look really effective with just a few strands.. I think that this design is really effective as there isn't too much to look at so it doesn't distract you from the rest but I would also go with any body as the head is really simple.
This design is inspired by the phrases 'see no evil' and 'speak no evil' I chose to do this because every horror film contains something evil, weather it be an evil human, creature, monster and entity. I thought that it would be a good thing to incorporate into my work as it can be something that you can interpret into your own design. My Idea was the mouth and eyes being sewn shut this way the person can hear or see. this would be done with both latex and cotton, however im not sure it would work as it would depend if the mannequins eye are closed as if they are open they wont be able to be sewn up. I really like the idea behind it and the meaning however I don't think that it would be realistic to put on to a mannequins head. For the torso I used multiple different characters from the genre, I don't like this design at all as I think that it is too busy and really takes your eyes off the g=face, also you don't know where to put your eyes as there is so much to looks at. I don't think this design is effective. I used Janet Leigh, the damsel from house of wax, werewolf, Nosforatu, Frankenstein, and it as well as Bela Lugosi's eye. I used fine liners and water to bleed the ink. tis is one of my favourite techniques to use I think that it looks really effective and I really like the way the blend in together but dry quite a harsh line.
This design is based off some of my favourite and most popular characters. I chose to do Frankenstein, chucky and house of wax because I think that they are some of the most popular characters as well as some of the most iconic. I then chose to do David the werewolf from American werewolf in London I chose to do this because it is one of my favourite films and I think that it is defiantly classed as an iconic film. I really like that it is grey scale and all of the characters over lap I think that it looks really effective and a lot like a horror design. I think that this design would look good with a really simple but effective head. I think that this is one of my favourite designs.
This design is based off the plague of the zombies and also the actual Y- Pestis plague. I used elements from both illnesses to create this look. I used the zombie infection to give the pale skin complexion as well as the ripped open mouth, I don't think nay zombie is complete with out some thing missing and I think that the mouth looks really effective ripped open. I also added a bite mark on the shoulder as this is how the infection is spread from patient zero to the rest of the world. Then for the Y-Pestis ( bubonic, pneumonic, septemic plagues) I used the symptoms from them for the rest of the look. I added rosy cheeks as every one of these plagues has a fever an flu as a symptom and then I used puss/ blisters for the air Bourne bacteria droplets that start to form. I then added swollen lymph glands and broken capillaries all over the face as bleeding under the skin is one of the symptoms. I also added a locouts as this is how it was spread in the past. I think this design is really effective and I was really pleased with the out come I think that it not only looks good but it also has a real reason behind it, It is a real horror as every one fears losing a loved one and illness is one of the biggest killers. I think the minimal hair really adds to the effect as it makes her look more ill.
I then did a mood board/ design sheet of different head designs on A5 pieces of card. I did nine of them and stuck them all down on the sheet. these designs all varied and I got all my inspiration from different places and ideas such as: death, horsemen, rabbits, films, devil, bible. This designs were just rough sketches of different ideas and some of them weren't really realistic as they had horns and really big prosthetics which I would have time to make or have the resources to make. however some of them I really liked as the some of them I made in to A2 design sheets and some I used as ideas for my torso.
For my design development I started by using my plague of the zombies an Y-Pestis and I drew the same head three times and developed the media. I used water colour pencils, water colour paints and fine liners and water to bleed the ink. From looking at this sheet I can see that I like the water colours best as they dry saturated which gives a really great feverish, burst capillaries look. you can also have them as opaque as you want which is really handy as I wanted a pale colour as the person is suppost to be really ill. the water coloured pencils didn't give enough definition as they stayed the same concentration and because of this stayed the same colour. they also blended together too well and some colours over powered others. the Fine liners left pen marks in the design as the water didn't get rid of it and it was all so too bright. in conclusion I think that the water colours is the best as they have the perfect effect for this look.
For my second design development I used my pestilence design to develop. I started by drawing out the original head in the middle and then I drew them again except this time I changed the size, and position of the boils. I think that the original is still the best as the one on the right has too many boils and looks too busy which takes your attention away from every thing else in my exhibition. the on eon the left I don't like the position of them as I feel like they are too precise and neat. in conclusion I think that the original is the best as it is more laxidasical and more natural looking with just enough boils.
For this design sheet I used coloured pencils to draw my Frankenstein and Carrie torso design I changed the position of each character as well as change some colours, in the end I found that I still liked my original design better as I think that it wasn't too crowed like the developments and also it didn't take too much attention away from the face.
For my other torso design I used my chucky, Janet Leigh starvation design. for this one I started by putting chucky on the chest area and Janet Leigh behind the ribs. I really liked this idea as I changed the colour scheme of the face and used red, blues and purples. I really like this colour scheme I think it looks effective and doesn't clash with chucky too much. I really like having chucky on the top as you can see more of him and I think I looks really effective. the other design was chucky behind the ribs like in the original design, however this time instead of Janet Leigh's face it is just the ' No Vacancy' sign. I think this looks really effective as it isn't too much to look at and really makes chucky stand out and has a really simple chest area. I used oil paints for this page and it made me realize how much I like using oil paints on paper and not just a canvas, I really like the brush stroke effects you get. in conclusion I think that my original design for this was better as I think it stuck true to the iconic theme and still looked effective.
In a lot of my designs I used David the werewolf from American Werewolf in London, so for this design sheet I developed the painting I did of him. I started with the original face and did it with the original grey scale colours. I think that I t looks really effective like this as he was grey and I think that the grey really makes the tongue and teeth stand out against the dark colours. For the development I changed the colour scheme I used the bright iconic colours that they would have used in the past. I used blues, yellow, orange and purples. I think that it looks better than the original design as the colours really make it stand out and look just like an old horror film would have. however even though I think it looks better I still think that the original would be better for he final piece as the colourful one is really in your face and would take your attention to that instead of everywhere.
This design development sheet is a development of my iconic ( grey and green scale) plague of the zombies design. I used acrylic paint to paint out the faces again except tis time I changed the shape of the rip in the mouth and also added a brain on one of them. the one on the right I didn't really like as I think it was too much like the original and the original was better. however the one on the left, I really like I think it looks really effective with the brain showing but also has quite a comic effect as it is very bright and outlines. I think that if I was to do it again I would have tined down the bright colours. I would have still left them bright but I think that at the moment they are too bright.
For my creative business cards I used the idea of coffins and I thought that it would look effective if they opened. I used two coffins per card. I used a small split pin at the top of each coffin to attach the two coffins together. I them bought some adhesive square stickers to use for the crucifix. I used six in total to create the cross on each card and then individually wrote in the information in each. I was really pleased with the outcome and even though it was really time consuming I think that it was really worth it as I think that they look really quaint and effective.
For my company bussiness cards in used white card and a photocopied version of my design. The design I chose was a shillouette of Frankenstein because I think that he is the most iconic horror character. Once I had photocopied all of my designs I spay mounted them on to the white card. I didn't want to hand rite them all as it is very time consuming and doesn't took very professional. So problem solving I wrote out my information and photos copied them on to sticky labels. It was a difficult process as we had some trouble lining the photo copied information lined up with the stickers and still in the end they still wasn't lined up properly. How ever in the end I was happy with the out come and pleased as it was my first attempt.
For my samples I used one of the arms that came with the mannequin to paint on. I used three different media's. I started with emulsion as I think that it is really pigmented and looks really bright and bold which is the look I was going for. When I painted on to the arm it was really bold and bright and stayed that was when it dried as well however when it dried if you scratch it the paint does come off. It was also really easy to apply. The second one I used was acrylic paints which didn't apply as good as the emulsion as it was streaky and need about 3 coats. However it was bright and stood out but just like the emulsion it scratched off. My third sample was gouache which didn't apply easily as it had to be really thick to stay on but it was bright and bold. However when it dried it was fine and then about 5 minutes later it started to peel and crack off not leaving much paint behind and if you touch it it comes off. In conclusion I think that the emulsion was the best media to use as it was bright and bold and easiest to apply and I think that a setting scary might not make it scratch off and if not I hope no one will Scratch it.
For my final design sheet I used gouache paints to do it in. I chose to do my plague of the zombies and Y-Pestis inspired head and my multiple different character body. I think that these were the most effective and the ones that represented my project the best.
To start the final piece I started by making my boil moulds. I did this by using a different mannequin head to the one I want to use as my final piece and used oil based clay to build up the desired effect. I used oil based clay this way it doesn't harden and can be used again and also it wouldn't stick to the latex and the mannequin head. Once I had done all of the clay work including some on a plastic tray for the body. I then covered the clay in latex using a soft disposable sponge. I used thin layers of latex and did about 7 to 8 layers just to make sure It wouldn't rip. Once died I then used clear translucent power and powdered them and gently pulled the latex away from the clay and you should be left with a latex prosthetic.
Once I had done that I stuffed all of the latex moulds with cotton wool to make sure that the prosthetic wouldn't collapse on its self over time. I then used a flesh coloured pencils and placed the prosthetic when I wanted on the head and body and drew round them. I added spirit gum from my Mehron special effects kit to the designated areas. Spirit gum only becomes an adhesive when tapped so you have to tap it to activate it. I them stuck down the latex moulds where I wanted them. Getting the edges smooth the surface of the mannequin was quite difficult but I managed the best I could.
To paint the boils I used grease paint and my bruise wheel from my Mehron kit to paint and shade the boils. I left the top of the boils as they already had a yellow tinge to them so them I started to add dimension and shade in between the boils with a cream colours, then red, then brown and them a really small amount of black to add to the sunken in effect. I then used my bruise wheel to cause irritation around the boils making sure to leave a gap between the boils and the skin as a highlight to make it look like the skin is raised a little bit. I did this for two reasons one because you would actually get irritation of you had boils and two because it was a way to try and make the edge of the prosthetic less noticeable. I used the same bruise wheel to create dark circles under her eyes and discolouration to the cheek bones and the back of her skull to add to the dead effect.
For the mouth I used cotton and latex to create the skin around where the mouth had been ripped open. I then used false nails as the teeth. This is the first time I have ever done this and I wasn't very pleased with the out come as I found it really difficult to work with and the teeth were too far apart. I then used cotton and latex to add some details in such as the comes and different random pieces of skin that would be left behind when the mouth was ripped off. I left the mouth there as I decided that I wanted to paint the mouth last as I want to add blood in it and I don't want it dripping down the body before I painted on it. I used my Mehron setting spray to set all of the make up.
For the body I used a pencil to draw out the design before I started painting. I used emulsion samples that I bought from Wilkos. I used here because there are really pigmented and thy over lap each other well as well as blend together easily. I painted using g different size brushes to achieve different details and to cover large surfaces. I made it Bright and almost cartoon like as the old iconic posters contained bright and surreal colours. It wasn't intentional for them to look cartoon like bit I think that because they are bright colours that it just makes them look cartoon like with the he black outlines. If I was to do it again I would have tried to make the character less cartoon like by using less out lining and more realistic colours. However I feel like. It would have been difficult to get realistic colours as they are not realistic characters. I think the hat it looks really effective when you look at it in person, however when you look at it on a picture it loos really distorted and out of proportion as it is on uneven surfaces. Which I think makes it more interesting and more relevant as horror us all about the unnatural and the disturbed.
The Base was really bare and so was the back and I really didn't like it. She has boils going down the back of her shoulders but then they just stop which I don't like bit I think if I add move it will ruin it by having too many boils. So I have decided to use different calligraphy and size to write different quotes on the Base and have them coming up her back in a random packed din fashion to add to the effect but to also get rid of the negative space. I was really pleased with how this turned out as the writing really blended well with the body as I used the same colours and I think it looks effective as the font and sizes aren't the same so it makes it a little bit more interesting.
For the mouth I used the red from my Mehron bruise wheel and painted the whole mouth red. I then used brown and black to add dimension to the outer part of the mouth and under the skin as well as in any crevasses that were made in the mouth, I did this to add dimension and make it look more realistic. I then use three types of blood from my Mehron kit. the first one I used was squirt blood which has a really thing runny consistency and I used this to cover the whole mouth and get a base for the blood as there would be blood everywhere as the mouth has just been ripped off. I also put it behind the teeth and in the mouth as this would have been the centre point for the blood. the second blood I used was stage blood which is thicker and stickier so I used this in placed where I though needed to be more effective, so under the 'skin flaps' to add dimension as there would still be skin and flesh under there realistically and I put some on a scrunched up paper and dabbed it around the mouth as there would have been a spatter and I put come down the neck a swell. I then used coagulated blood which is really thin and has almost a jelly texture to it. I put this in small amounts everywhere as there is a lot of blood and that blood would have started to congeal over time just like really blood, I also put some of this down the neck to make it look extra gruesome. I then added some of the Mehron fake hair to her head. I only added a little and did it in clumps and attached it with spirit gum. I only did a little because I figured if she had been sick with the plague, then died and then got reanimated then she wouldn't have much hair left.
I am really pleased with how this turned out as I think that it looks really effective and abstract with the animated body and colourful body but a dull pale head. I also really enjoyed doing this project as I got to do my special effects which is a hobby of mine and I also got to try out new techniques for the first time and I am really pleased with the out come.
Evaluation
During this project I
think I managed my time well as I managed to complete most of my sketch book to
a standard that I was happy with during the holidays before we came back to
college. I limited my time to make sure that I did a certain amount of work a
day and I think having my time management diary really helped with keeping my
time. I also think that I managed my sheet work time as well as I did some of
them in college but I also did a lot of it out of college, I balanced it out
between my social like, work life and college and I am really pleased of my
time efficiency. If I was to do it again I would have made sure to have my
final piece done before I had as I only allowed myself one day extra to sort
out all my work.
My main theme was
‘Iconic Horror’, I chose to do this because it is something I find really
interesting and is a big hobby of mine. I find horror really fascinating as it
is part of our human nature to be scared and having that adrenaline rush of
fight or flight. I chose to do Iconic Horror because of the simplicity of it
all. Today’s modern day films are eerie and dull where as old films had bright
coloured posters with a lot of pop art inspired effect to them. I also chose
Iconic Horror because the simplest things were used to make the films scary for
the time that they were made, and a lot of movie makers in today’s generation
have just hyped up the Iconic ideas and made them duller to make them spookier.
Iconic Horror had all the original ideas and a lot of horrors what we watch
today is inspired or derived from the old ideas and concepts. My main focuses
were painting and special effects. I chose painting because it is something at
I feel comfortable in and knew from the beginning that I wanted to paint, I
just didn’t know the media I wanted to do it in. I then chose special effects
because it is a hobby of mine that I find really interesting, I love the idea
of something as simple as latex and shading can make a gruesome cut and that
you can change an appearance of a person with just make up, so I knew I wanted
to include it in my sketch book and possibly include it in my final piece.
For my primary
research I looked at some special effects that I have done over previous
Halloweens and what I had done. A lot of them were inspired by zombies which
fitted really well with my project. I also wanted more primary special effects
research so I did another one based on the make up from the exorcist. I chose
to do exorcist for my sketch book because it is one of the most iconic special
effects make up in history and is well known for the ‘pea’ vomit and the iconic
head spin. I also did a lot of secondary research based on special effects by
looking at the makeup artists and their work for my sketch book. I looked at
Horror inspired fashion, I wasn’t too thrilled about doing this but it was
recommended to me, however when I started looking I was really intrigued, I
really like that the clothes’ are inspired and not exact replicas, this way
they are still wearable, unique and keeps you guessing. Most of my research for
the fashion was secondary, however I had some primary research as I used my
prom dress as an example as my prom dress was a Hammer Horror comic inspired
dress. As part of the observational research I decided to draw a scenery I
stead of a still life. I got a lot of primary images of old churches and
minsters as they tend to be the base of a great Gothic Horror set and used them
in my sketch book. I used my local church as the target of my observation drawing
because it was local but also looks really gothic and has been standing for
over 200 years. I visited the civic art gallery and even though the exhibition
in at the time had nothing to do with my project I still found it fascinating
and I thought I could incorporate it in to my work which I did by doing a
horror inspired version of the work exhibited.
My research developed
over the stages of my sketchbook and sheet work. I used different themes to
develop my work whilst still staying on topic. My research developed as my
project did, as my project went on I found new things to add to my research
further developing it, things such as exhibition visits, new artists to look at
and new possible ideas.
For my artist
research I looked at eight different artists. I looked at Chris Kuchta, Shawn
Conn and Ashley Thorpe. I chose to look at these artists because the pictures I
chose were all portraits of iconic characters or inspired by. They all have the
same graphic abstract look to them which really interests me. They interest me
more however because I think that they are set just like an old iconic posters.
The bright surreal colours used to paint the portraits on the dark back ground
really reminded me of the old posters which I think fitted with my theme perfectly
so I used them as part of my project. Other aspects really caught my attention as
well, such as the brush strokes in Thorpe’s portrait I think that it looks
really effective and I wanted to try it out for myself. I then chose to look at
an artist called Chogrin and Tom Chantell, these artist interested me because
they have used art in a way that is not scary or in the style of something
else. Chantell’s work is from a Hammer Horror poster as that is what he did. However
the piece I chose is a solid block portrait on a black back ground and it
reminds be a lot of pop art, which is not something you would associate with
Horror which is why it got my attention. Chogrin takes Horror characters and
turns them into adorable cartons which interested me because I like the idea of
taking something scary and making it into something cute and childlike when it shouldn’t
be. I then looked at Chris Weston, I chose him because his work is very illustrated
and I found it really interesting because of the mark making techniques he
uses, there is a lot of pen strokes and cross hatching which makes it look
really effective. My final artists were Simon Bisley and Laz Marquez. These artists
are every graphic and colourful which is why I chose to do them, there work is
really abstract and bold that you can’t help but look at it and I really wanted
to include them in my project. I tried to do critical studies of all my artists
however some of the resources I didn’t have and neither did college. I did
however do critical studies of Shawn Conn’s monster portrait, Simon Bisley’s ‘Alien’
and Chris Weston’s ‘NOSFORATU’.
When I started to
design I had a good idea of the things I wanted to include in my development and
designing. I already knew that I wanted to take forward my special effects idea
as I has too much fun doing the sample in my sketch book to not continue the
idea forward. I also knew what characters I wanted to take through to my design
stage. I knew that Frankenstein, chucky and David the werewolf from ‘American Werewolf
in London’ would have to be in my final piece as I think that Frankenstein and
chucky are really iconic and distinctive where as I don’t think a character
like Dracula is due to there being so many. I also chose David the werewolf because
it is one of my favourite films but also contains some of the greatest special
effects ever which links to my project. Many elements influenced my development
stage. My theme was one of the main influences, as I knew I wanted to do iconic
characters on the torso, but I needed a theme to match with the special
effects. The audience also influenced my development as I didn’t want to do my
developing to lead to my final piece to scare people, however I wanted to get
the gore and Horror across without being too scary and in your face.
I think I had some
constraints when doing my final piece as even though it wasn’t vocalized, I didn’t
want to make it too scary that people wouldn’t want to look at it, but I also
wanted to make it scary enough to get my point through about Iconic Horrors
being scary too, so this was defiantly a constraint. Another constraint I had
was money as my final whole project cost quite a lot of money and I found it
quite difficult to only buy the things I needed and not the things I wanted. Time
was also a constraint as we had a time limit to complete this project and even
though I managed it, there was some points when I thought I wouldn’t.
For my
experimentation I used one of the arms that came with the mannequin to sample
different media, to see which is the best one to use for my final piece. I used
Gouache, acrylic and emulsion. The acrylic and the emulsion were very similar,
they both were bright and bold and stood out. However the emulsion was easier
and less streaky to apply whereas the acrylic needed about three to four coats
to get it even. The gouache however applied straight away evenly, however once
it had dried it peeled straight off. In conclusion I chose to use emulsion as
it was the easiest to apply and had the best coverage, it also had the best
pigmentation and boldness I wanted for my final piece. I also did some lino
prints of Frankenstein and a werewolf for some experimentation, I really liked
how they turned out I think that they looked really effective and abstract. I did
some on paper, newspaper and calico, I think that the ones on the calico looked
the best as it was different and had more of a unique look to it.
I had a lot of
problem solving to do when it came to making my business cards. The stickers I used
to photocopy my information on for my cooperate business cards were difficult
and I had quite a hard time with them. Getting the information to line up with
the stickers was really difficult and it took quite a few tries to get them all
in the stickers and in the end we used a light box which made it a lot easier
due to the fact of being able to see the sticker outlines and the information together.
For my final piece I chose to use a mannequin,
this way I could do my painting and my special effects idea. For the torso I used
Frankenstein, Chucky, the damsel from ‘House of wax’ and David the werewolf
from ‘American Werewolf in London’, because they are iconic and I think that
they look really effective together. I also used quotes on the base of the mannequin
and going up the back as it was just negative space and I thought it was a
really effective way to fill it. I used different size and different font calligraphy
to write them and I think it looks really abstract as it is the same colours as
the torso. For the head and prosthetics I based it on Y-Pestis (the plague) and
the Plague of the Zombies. I chose this because I knew I wanted to do a zombie
look and I thought the Plague of the Zombies was the perfect film to base it
around. I also wanted to use the idea of the real plague (Y-Pestis) because that
was a real horror in itself. The idea of the mannequin was that she got the
plague, died and got reanimated. I was really pleased with the final outcome as
I really enjoyed doing it and I got to use a lot of techniques it haven’t used
before. I think it looks really effective and I think that it shows my theme
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