Sunday 31 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 31 (Halloween)

So this is it, the final drawing, 'Halloween'. I thought it made sense, despite the fact that 'Halloween' can't really be called the first slasher movie, it's probably the one film that's influenced the genre the most. Well, despite missing a couple of days, I'm reasonably happy with how the whole SCAREblog thing went. I do feel like I've improved a bit and learned a few things. It's definitely made me resolve to draw more on a daily basis and I've already got a few ideas for what I'm going to do next. In saying that, this has really taken it out of me at times, so I think I'll take a little break for a day or two. Happy Halloween and I'll catch you later!

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 30 (The Descent)

Awesome movie. Such a creepy moment.

Saturday 30 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 29 (Ghostbusters)

Decided to try something pretty minimal with this one... I started doing the linework and stuff for this after sketching out the roughs, but it was looking pretty similar to a lot of the other stuff that I'd already done. It occurred to me that it might be cool if I had each of the Ghostbusters represented just by their silhouettes and a few blocked in areas here and there. I think it worked ok for the most part, but it's definitely not perfect...


Halloween SCAREblog- Day 28 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

First of three posts today (hopefully). Doug Jones as one of the Gentlemen, from the Buffy episode 'Hush'. I actually had another idea for a Buffy-related drawing that I was gonna do, but I knew something like this would be much quicker, which is important since I need to catch up...

This episode won some awards and stuff, and even people who weren't that into the show will know about "that one where everyone loses their voice" and as such it tends to be regarded as being the best Buffy ever got, which I'd say is debatable... As a stand-alone episode, 'Hush' is pretty strong, which definitely works in it's favour, as opposed something like 'Passion', where you need to be more familiar with the characters to get the full impact.

Friday 29 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 27 (Let the Right One In)

Only one more weekend to go, then it's the end of the SCAREblog... Nuts.

Today it's 'Let the Right One In', a really cool movie, as innumerable sources have pointed out at length. The image that really became synonymous with the film is when Eli steps into the apartment uninvited and starts bleeding all over the place. It's a nice take on that aspect of vampire lore, most of the time it's like there's a force-field or something physically preventing the vampire from entering.

Thursday 28 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 26 (28 Days Later)

Originally this post's title was going to ideally say "Day 28 (28 Days Later)", but I had to be a jerk and fall behind. It seemed more fitting to post it on October 28th, since I started this project 28 days ago... It really doesn't feel like a month's gone past at all! It's been so hectic.

Mostly taken from a photograph, the drawing's from the scene where Cillian Murphy gets chased by a dude on fire. It's such a great visual, but the reference I had wasn't great, so I mostly made up the guy in the background, apart from the basic pose. There's a lot about this I'm not happy with, but still, only 3 more days to go! Mental.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 25 (Shaun of the Dead)

Ok, the plan is to catch up with the days I've missed on Saturday, then finish up with the grand finale on Sunday. While not a great plan, it is certainly a plan...

Today it's Simon Pegg as Shaun from 'Shaun of the Dead'. He looks puzzled. Allegedly.

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 24 (Braindead)

Ok, we're now two days behind... How did that happen? Actually, I know exactly how it happened. Things right now are super stressful, yesterday I just could not draw for the life of me. Over the next day or two, stress levels will either dramatically rise or drop, so that should be bags of fun, right? It would be awesome if it could just be Christmas right now and all these issues had already sorted themselves out.

Well, that's the first whiny post... Today the 'McD! Sketchblog' became a real man in the eyes of the blogging community.

So yeah, today's drawing is of the Kung Fu Priest from 'Braindead'. He has a name in the film, but I prefer to just call him Kung Fu Priest. I knew I wanted to include 'Braindead' as one of the drawings of the day, but I wasn't sure what to do with it. Then I remembered this dude. This is a lot rougher than what I would usually post, but yeah... Stressing.

Sunday 24 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 23 (Hellraiser)

'Hellraiser' is another example of a movie where I knew very little about it as a kid, but was scared more by the idea of it than the actual film. I only ever saw the cover to the video when I was a kid and the image of Pinhead can't help but stick in your mind.

Saturday 23 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 22 (The Silence of the Lambs)

I first saw 'The Silence of the Lambs' as a teenager and was absolutely fascinated by Hannibal Lecter. He's just one of those characters. It's that mix of extreme intelligence and a strange kind of physicality that Anthony Hopkins brings to the part that makes it so memorable, every scene he's in glues you to the screen.

This drawing's from the moment when he finally escapes from his cell. It's a significant scene for a number of reasons, not the least of which is because up until this point we've only been told about how dangerous Lecter is, but all of a sudden he's out of his cage and you get to see what he's capable of. It's a scene that stays with you.

Friday 22 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 21 (Hellboy)

Another sketchy looking offering today... Mike Mignola's signature character, Hellboy. I felt like doing something a little looser and more comic book-ish today and he's just a lot of fun to draw, so that's that.

Thursday 21 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 20 (Gremlins)

Just a quick one today... A bit of a cheat at that, since this is actually a sketch of Mohawk from the second movie. Not a lot to say here... 'Gremlins' is awesome.

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 19 (The Thing)

Just a short entry today after yesterday's mammoth rant, 'The Thing' is not only one of my favourite horror movies, but one of my favourite movies period. I always remember the scene this drawing's based on, but there's so many memorable images and moments that it was hard to decide.



Tuesday 19 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 18 (A Nightmare on Elm Street)

You can't have Jason without Freddy it seems...

Right before I started drawing this I had a quick read through the entry on Freddy Krueger on Wikipedia. In it you can read about how Wes Craven's original draft of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' painted Freddy as a child molester before he was burned to death by the enraged parents of the victims. Wes Craven re-wrote the screenplay after a number of high-profile child molestation cases in California, since he didn't want to be seen as being exploitative. So, Freddy was changed to a child murderer instead. I haven't seen it, but apparently the remake of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' goes with the child molester angle.

Man, I just don't know... Which one of those is worse? I remember that a while back I was talking to a friend of mine from university (hi, Gareth) and we got onto the subject of how people can feel affectionate towards characters in film and media that are completely reprehensible. I can't think of a better example of this than Freddy Krueger, the dude is either a paedophile or a child murderer, pick your poison. When you think about it, it's absurd that a character like this has become as well-known and well-loved as he is... The dude's a paedophile for Christ's sake! In the case of someone like Jason, you can see how you could feel sympathetic towards him, he wasn't always a crazy, super-powered, zombie, mass-murderer. Freddy, on the other hand, was always a sick bastard. If there was some doubt as to whether or not he'd actually done anything wrong, that would be one thing, but when it's as cut and dry as this... Man, I just don't know.

Obviously as the series wore on, he became a much more comical character, and as John Cleese once pointed out: it doesn't matter how much of a bastard a character is, if he makes the audience laugh, they'll think that somewhere deep down he's not such a bad guy. But Krueger IS a bad guy! He's maybe the worst guy ever! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you shouldn't be allowed to make the villain of your horror film a vile, creepy, awful person; I just wonder what it says when a character like that becomes as well-loved as Freddy is.


Monday 18 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 17 (Friday the 13th)

Speaking of slashers, today's drawing is Jason Voorhees of the 'Friday the 13th' series fame. I'm bending the rules on this one slightly, since (to my shame) the only one of these movies I've seen is 'Jason X'. Also, as anyone who knows anything about slasher movies knows, Jason wasn't the killer until the second movie and he didn't even start wearing the mask until the third, so this is dedicated more to the entire series, rather than one particular movie. I'll probably have a go at this dude again at some point, he was a lot of fun to draw.

Sunday 17 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 16 (Candyman)

A horror film you don't really hear people mention too much these days, but is actually a pretty damn good movie: 'Candyman'. I remember when I was a kid me and my friends would dare each other to say his name into the mirror... We'd always hear about little snippets of horror movies and kind of build up our own ideas about what the film was really like based on what we knew. Usually the film I imagined was much more frightening than the real thing. As a character, Candyman never really became an enduring horror icon like Freddy or Jason... I guess it's because he didn't really have something like Freddy's glove or Jason's mask... He just had that weird coat and a hook for a hand... Kinda lame, really.

Saturday 16 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 15 (Ring)

Second post today! Sadako from 'Ring'. It's a great concept and really unsettling, but the whole "creepy-little-girl" angle has become totally played out and it's tough not to just groan whenever you see it in a horror movie these days. Nevertheless, Sadako is still super-creepy... I learned recently that the strange jerky walk she does was a result of filming the actress walking backwards and then reversing the footage... I love hearing about simple, effective tricks like that.

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 14 (Don't Look Now)

Yet another Friday proves to be my downfall... Curses. Well, this time I've actually managed to get two drawings done, so at least I'm still just one behind... First off, there's this sketch of 'Don't Look Now'. It's a weird film, but  it definitely deserves a watch, whatever your tastes are. It's quite slow and very much in the same vein as 'Rosemary's Baby' or 'Ring' in that it's strength is in it's atmosphere rather than outright shocks. Donald Sutherland's great in it and there's so many memorable scenes, but the opening really stuck with me and that's where this drawing comes from. I'm tentatively moving towards finally doing a full-on digital painting, which will probably be something I'll focus on more after this month's over.

Thursday 14 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 13 (Alien)

Another classic, vividly remember watching this for the first time on TV at midnight (incidentally, midnight's probably the best time to watch just about any film). Fantastic atmosphere and the best film in the series by a country mile, you can't praise 'Alien' enough. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for today's drawing...Really disappointed with how this one turned out... Tried to go for something quite stark, almost graphic, but it hasn't worked out at all. In the end I didn't put enough time or thought into it.

Never mind, better luck next time.

Wednesday 13 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 12 (Rosemary's Baby)

One of my favourite horror films of all time and another excuse to draw Mia Farrow. I love this movie, and the impact from that final scene comes entirely from Mia's performance.

There's a lot of problems with this drawing, but it's a bit of a departure from what I usually do... Really enjoyable, though.

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 11 (Evil Dead 2)

The first time I sat down to watch 'Evil Dead 2' I can honestly say I'd never seen another film like it... It was so off the wall and crazy... Not to mention genuinely frightening in parts. Sam Raimi really just let loose with this movie; the whole thing feels so wild and free, switching effortlessly between horror and comedy. It turned Bruce Campbell into a cult icon and that's who today's piece is all about. His performance is so physical, in parts he's almost like a cartoon character come to life.

Monday 11 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 10 (The Shining)

Little bit more of a cartoony feel today... I don't really know why, I just felt like it.

'The Shining' is awesome. That is all.

Sunday 10 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 9 (Swamp Thing)

I know I'd said I would upload two sketches today, but catching up is going to have to wait. I'll definitely get caught up as soon as I can, it's just been a bit of a weird day and all my attempts at drawing have resulted in a very poor showing, as this sketch of Swamp Thing will attest... NOT from the movies, TV shows or anything like that, but from the Alan Moore run on the comics. I haven't read too many horror comics, but Alan Moore really does a great job of unsettling you at so many points in his run... It's definitely a must-read.

Saturday 9 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 8 (Night of the Living Dead)

As I expected, Friday was my downfall... Bah, I'm really disappointed that the streak was broken, but that's the way it goes. I've definitely learned about how I should better schedule my time the next time I do a similar stunt. Tomorrow there will be two drawings to bring it up to date.

Today it's 'Night of the Living Dead', the first real zombie movie I ever saw. No one needs to be told what a classic it is.

Thursday 7 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 7 (The Mummy)

This drawing's based on the Mummy as played by Boris Karloff. I have to admit I was pretty disappointed with the film when I saw it, I was really hoping for more of a monster movie, with Karloff spending more time in the bandages. It's definitely better for him that it wasn't that sort of role, but after seeing some close-up pictures of him in the make-up, you wish there was more of it in the movie...

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 6 (The Exorcist)

For today's offering it's Regan from 'The Exorcist'. Again, super late with this one, but what can you really say about this movie? It's been a long time since I've seen it, but the way the movie slowly builds up the whole possession business, ratcheting up the tension and the creepy atmosphere is excellent. People focus so much on the shocking moments that they forget how the film gets to work at unsettling you right from the very first scene.

I can't remember exactly who, but I'm sure I've met at least a couple of people who claim this film never scared them the first time they saw it, generally this is backed up some stupid claim, like they were 9 years old at the time or that they actually found it quite funny. Another thing I've heard people say is something like "I'm not religious, so no film based around demons or the devil really scares me". It's probably due in part to the reputation it has as "scariest film of all time".

Here's the thing: if you say that 'The Exorcist' did not scare you, or at least unsettle you, then you are a fucking liar.


Fact.

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 5 (Wolfman)

Super late with posting this, so no long-winded post today... Just that the original Lon Chaney Jr. 'Wolfman' is awesome, haven't seen the remake, but I'm pretty curious about it. Also, this was a lot of fun to draw.

Monday 4 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 4 (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)

The first time I saw this movie it absolutely scared the crap out of me. It's such an intense movie, part of that comes from the fact that it's got such a raw, low-budget look to it. Leatherface himself is a pretty creepy dude, you see just enough of his face underneath the mask that you know you don't really want to see the rest, plus that last shot him at the end of the movie is incredible.

This drawing's a little rougher than the others, I was going to clean it up, but I got attached to the way it looked and just kept adding detail to the original sketch.


Sunday 3 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 3 (Creature from the Black Lagoon)

Colour! We haven't seen you in ages, what a welcome surprise! Come in and stay a while. Today's drawing is Gill-man from 'Creature from the Black Lagoon', a really fun guy to draw as it turns out. As far as iconic monster designs go, old Gill-man's got to be up there and I've wanted to draw him for a while now. It would have been nice to work into the pose a little bit and get the perspective looking a little more dynamic, but I've got a schedule to keep...

Saturday 2 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 2 (Bride Of Frankenstein)

Here's today's piece from 'Bride Of Frankenstein'! Definitely one of my favourites from what little I've seen of the Universal monster movies.

A little more of a comic book style on this one... Man, my inking really needs work... I've also included a couple of studies I did before I did the main piece. Elsa Lanchester has a pretty unique face, and I'm not convinced about how much the drawing looks like her, but it was a fun piece to do.

Friday 1 October 2010

Halloween SCAREblog- Day 1 (Nosferatu)...

I know, I know, the name sucks, but come on, it's 2 am on a Friday night... SCAREblog was the best I could come up with. Ok, so here's the deal: back in 2007, James Rolfe over at Cinemassacre must have thought he didn't have enough projects on the go, so he decided that he would put a short series together chronicling the history of horror films, calling it "Monster Madness". He would post a new video every day in October, leading up to Halloween, with each one examining a film he considered important to the genre, making it like a really cool little advent calendar. I don't know how he finds the time, but he's done one every year since then. It's kind of become a tradition and something that I really look forward to each October.  

So, I figured I'd join in on the fun in my own way by doing a drawing every day in the month of October, themed around some of my favourite horror movies/monsters/characters/whatevers. If old Jimmy Rolfe can do a video for every day, I figure I can at LEAST do a drawing... They're not going to be in any particular order or anything, the only criteria is that I have to have SEEN the movie the character/scene/whatever is from. Let's see how it goes... If I manage this for the entire month, I'll be astounded. Day 1 is 'Nosferatu'!


It's off to a bit of a shaky start with this one... I have to admit it was a bit of a rushed job, but I totally forgot that it was October 1st already. I saw 'Nosferatu' years and years ago... I couldn't have been any older than 12 and it was showing on TV in the middle of the day. Despite the fact that I was watching it in broad daylight, it was still incredibly creepy, the movie feels like you're watching someone's nightmare. The scene this drawing's from is where Count Orlock appears in the distance and walks towards the camera, coming in through the arched bedroom door. As a kid, this kind of thing terrified me... Being alone and completely vulnerable with this creature slowly and inevitably coming to get you. The fact that the camera doesn't move only adds to the feeling of helplessness and dread, making you feel like you're rooted to the spot, but unable to look away. That scene really stuck with me, so I figured it'd be a fitting way to start the month. As the days go on, I'm hoping to use this as an excuse to experiment a little bit with different styles and get quicker at turning drawings around. This is quite similar to a lot of other drawings I've been doing lately, but at least it gets things started!