2011 is over.....

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,


and never brought to mind?


Should auld acquaintance be forgot


and days of auld lang syne?

Christmas?

80 years ago....

"It's alive! It's alive!"

Frankfurt Book Fair is around the corner.....

Although I'm not attending, it reminded me of a sketch I did for my dear friend Andreas Vollmer for his 25th anniversary working for an (better unnamed) traditional Berlin Publishing house. So you can see what constant workplace can turn you into. Brush, pen & ink, 2010.

One slimy monster more...

News from the Black Bat....

After over two years my last Black Bat / Schwarze Fledermaus painting finally made it on the cover of Vol. 3 »Die Falle« by A.S. Jones. I'm not so thrilled how they placed the title copy, so here is the unaltered illustration :

Now available (in German language) from Blitz-Verlag here.

A Gentleman from the Deep.....

A Gentleman Squid from the Deep - taking a vacation at the mountains. Mountains of Madness naturally.... From the sketchbook, brush, ink and a bit Photoshop, 2011.

Lovecraftian Monster....

It came from the sketchbook: Some slimy, cosmic god waiting to return. Inspired by H.P. Lovecrafts writings. Copics, Brush & ink, 2011.

Art Attack Bela Lugosi »Dracula« bust ...

This 1:4 scale vinyl bust was sculpted by movie artisan Tony McVey. He worked on movies like »Return of the Jedi« and »Gremlins« among others. More about his limited edition sculptures you may find here. He also created an full figure based on this sculpt which still resides mint in box on my shelf, waiting to be finished. A destiny shared with tons of others. So many kits, so little time. Painted with acrylics and pastels.

Tony McVey: Harryhausen's Cyclops

Recently finished: Tony Mc Vey's take on Uncle Ray's classic creature design. Painted with acrylics and pastels.

War of the Colossal Beast....

One recent sketch soon to be published (stay tuned!). Brush, ink & white out. Color version comin' soon......

More Vincent Price ...

As promised! Vincent Price in a non-horror part, but evil one indeed: As Baka, the Master Builder from Cecil B. DeMille's »The 10 Commandments« (1956). Brush, ink, Copic markers, colored pencils and white out.

RIP - Gene Colan (1926-2011)

I don't have many priced possessions (beside a ton of Garage kits maybe), but this piece of original comic book art is one of them. It's an action packed page from »Namor, the Submariner« issue#10. It was penciled by Gene Colan - one of my all-time favorite artists - and inked by Dan Adkins. I bought it nearly 20 years ago from a German dealer for an (back then for a student) hefty price tag. And never regretted it.

Today I learned Gene Colan passed away at the age of 83. While my taste in Comic Art has changed over the years, I still try to collect every piece of Gene Colan`s work I can put my hands on. By chance I bought the day before the cheesy Marvel Essential volume »Marvel Horror II.«, just  because it contains Gene's renderings of »Brother Voodoo« in glorious black & white.

I'll miss his moody artwork, his use of Chiaroscuro and his odd angles that makes his work so special to me. If you're a starter regarding Gene Colan body of work, get his 70 issue run of »Tomb of Dracula« (also available as an bargain Marvel Essential edition).

RIP

Tag-team of Terror! Skylla und Charybdis

The mythological tag-team of Terror! Pencil, pen, brush & ink by me, color by Levin Kurio.

»I never met a monster I didn't like!

May 27 would have been Vincent Price's (*1911-†1993) 100th Birthday. Still one of my favorite actors I celebrated at home doing this sketch (from »Tales of Terror«) made with Copics and Polychromos pencils. Thanks for all the priceless performances and characters! Happy Birthday Mr. Price!

Peter Cushing....

... would have been 98 years old today. Happy Birthday Sir Peter, wherever you are!

IT!

This sketch is loosly based on the schlock si-fy Flick »It conquered the World« and it's cucumber creature. Brush and ink, colored with Copic Markers.

The Curse of the Werewolf

My take on Oliver Reed's appereance as the cursed spanish Werewolf from the old Hammer movie. Brush & ink, colored with Copic markers.

A Blind Bargain....

A sketch loosly based on Lon Chaney's Make up from the lost silent movie »A Blind Bargain«. Done brush & ink, colored with Copic markers.

Henry Hull as....The Werewolf of London!

After a long break from coloring my stuff digitally here is another example: »The Werewolf of London«. Henry Hull in his most famous film and make up . Traditional brush & ink with Photoshop coloring. Turned out a bit gaudy.....

»The Aurora Monsters-The Model Craze That Gripped The World«

The annual Rondo Awards 2010 has been given away and the DVD »The Aurora Monsters-The Model Craze That Gripped The World« won »Best Documentary«. Well deserved in my opinion (in fact I voted for it), it's a passionate tribute to the classic AURORA Monster Kits and the talented people responsible for bringing them to life during the »Monster Craze« of the 1960s.

The documentary is written, produced and co-directed by Cortlandt Hull (who is also the man behind the wax museum called the »The Witch’s Dungeon«) and puppeteer Bill Diamond (of »Fraggles« fame). Congratulations! Their labor of love is available on DVD through his own website. Here you can see Mr. Hull with his old fiend Zenobia ....

Narrated by the legendary TV horror host Zacherly the Cool Ghoul, the highly-visual, two-hour documentary features in-depth interviews, a wax-sculpture demonstration, rare photos, sketches and promotional material related to AURORA and the »Monster Craze« of the 1960s.

The documentary features insights into the sculpting, production and marketing of the classic AURORA kits from some of the people who originally worked on them as well as memories from such fans as artist Daniel Horne, Sideshow Collectibles sculptor Mat Falls, actor/sculptor Jeff Yeagher and Moebius Models owner Frank Winspur on how the kits inspired them until today.

One highlight of the documentary is an interview with famous illustrator/artist James Bama, who created the vivid and color dripping box art for the monster model kits back then.

Now get your Paypal ready and order yours today! And the other good news is ... there is a sequel on the way already! Stay tuned!

All pictures © 2010 Cortlandt Hull/ Bill Diamond

I was a Teenage Frankenstein ...

Some might have noticed it in the past days anyway: After two years it was time to give the place here a little facelift, I hope you like the changes and bear with me that it's still a work in progress here. The buttons on the right side sends you directly to the »up-to-date« paintings, sketches and of course garage kits.

After the unwanted break my accident forced opon me I'm happy to present you the first new piece of linework: Teenage Frankenstein. Done in November as a pen & ink drawing and colored with Photoshop recently. There is more in this vein to follow, so stay tuned!

Barrymore's Mister Hyde by Dedham Pond Designs

»Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde« (1920) starring John Barrymore is most celebrated silent screen version of Stevensons classic tale. Dedham Pond Designs released an very nice interpretation of Mr. Hyde based on Barrymores performance. Sculpted by Joe Simon und with boxart by yours truly. The build up used on the box art was done by Charlie Coleman. Thanks to Todd Powell for giving me the opportunity to paint this human wreck! The model is 1/8 scale and cast in resin, easy to assemble and tricky to paint (if you want to match the fancy morning coat Barrymore wore in this scene from the movie). Get yours here and learn more about this project from Todd himself. There is even more to read about Garagekits and the people who make them on his blog »Resin the Barbarian«.

»The Black Cat«

»The phone is dead. Do you hear that, Vitus?

Even the phone is dead.«

Hjalmar Poelzig

»The Black Cat« was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, an German/Czechoslowakian emigrant in Hollywood. Here are two busts of the main characters of this 1934 Universal release sculpted by Ray Santoleri. Boris Karloff is Hijalmar Poelzig, a shady Austrian architect with an questionable past and preferences. His former friend Dr. Vitus Werdegast, seeking for revenge, is played by Bela Lugosi. Instead of the usual gothic haunted houses of Classic Horror movies, former set designer Ulmer created an modern, elegant »Bauhaus« inspired fortress as a background for his story of Necrophilia, Satanismn and treason.

Ray really achieved a perfect likeness to both actors with these sculpts. Painted with acrylics, airbrush and pastels.

»You say your soul was killed, that you have been dead all these years. And what of me?

Did we not both die here in Marmorus 15 years ago? Are we any the less victims of the war than those whose bodies were torn asunder? Are we not both the living dead? And now you come to me, playing at being an avenging angel, childishly thirsting for my blood.

We understand each other too well. We know too much of life.«

Hjalmar Poelzig

Skeksis Castle from »The Dark Crystal«

This little Gem was sculpted and released in small numbers by Swiss artist Laszlo Borka a few years ago. It's not available anymore anywhere, so don't ask. Painted with acrylics and no airbrush involved.