Stiles of Art: April 2023

Thursday, April 20, 2023

@$$, Gas or Grass

I usually get most of my invitationals to participate in shows at one time, but occasionally a gallery will reach out to me with a request, and I unfortunately have a problem turning down an opportunity to showcase my work. This was the case when Hero Complex Gallery reached out to me regarding their flagship show ‘Righteous Rides Again!’. The show was the gallery’s first exhibition, and this ‘sequel’, landed on the exact same day (week and date), as the original, commemorating their 10^th Anniversary. Now, this specific occasion really challenged me as the deadline between the notice and show was less than I usually need to prepare (work habits). I was also in the process of finishing another work for a different show. Feast or famine, no?

Initial digital sketch for the retro-style poster.

Upon finishing said previous illustration, I set work to quickly coming up with ideas for the exhibit in question. The show was based around the theme of ‘rides’, or vehicles, transportation of some kind, to be illustrated by various artists. I looked over the email from the gallery, and it was such a broad concept, I had trouble narrowing down what it was I wanted to do. Eventually, I settled on one of the examples listed from the correspondence with the gallery, and set to work. I chose ‘That 70’s Show’or specifically, ‘Eric Forman’s’ 1969 Oldsmobile ‘Aztec Gold’ Vista Cruiser. I’m not sure what exactly drew me to the selection, but I immediately had a ‘concept’ in mind when I saw it on the list. I was never a massive fan of the show, but it was constantly on in syndication, had a huge fan base, and I had seen enough episodes where I felt I could capture it’s spirit.

As with most projects, I started out as I usually do, gathering image reference for my design, while trying to settle on a color scheme as I had my layout already in mind. In retrospect, I think I took some inspiration for the layout, from a piece I had done previously celebrating the franchise ‘Supernatural’, in which I depicted the Winchester’s iconic 1967 Chevrolet Impala, and to be honest, if I had more time, I think I may have chosen to retool that image instead, as I was/am a fan of that franchise. I however don’t like to revisit the same subject because the world holds way too much content as it is, and I’d rather try my hand at something new or different for several reasons. Eventually I found some psychedelic vintage posters on the web which provided the inspiration I needed. It took me longer to find decent reference for the Vista Cruiser as so many shots in the show either obstruct portions of the car, or its physical appearance changes depending on the scene (driving versus being parked), which tracks for a show of this design. I always try to remain as true to the subject matter as possible that I am depicting, and that also means paying attention to the details even when taking artistic license. I felt that if I got close enough to the real deal the admirers of the show will hopefully appreciate it. This reference challenge however also cost me a bit of time, which I was quickly running out of, and made including any other details impossible.

With my design locked in, I began to sketch the Vista Cruiser from various reference shots in Procreate, and eventually piecemealed together what you see in the final version. Thankfully, cars are primarily symmetrical so I could simply sketch, copy, flip, and be done with it. I knew I was short on time, so ‘graphic poster’ was the style I went with. Once I was done with the sketch, and made sure there weren’t any anomalies, I dropped it into Adobe Illustrator, and began to vector the main components of the sketch, as I knew in order to save time I could ‘fill’ these areas with color and take them back into Procreate to digitally paint over and add some elements to make it look less flat. I also vectored the swirls, and the sun in the background (both of which went through several revisions themselves due to spatial conflicts within the image), filled them with color, and took them back into Procreate as well. The swirls were left as a white outline, as I determined that having the edges ‘bleed’ back into the image background gave it a closer look to the original source material. The fill was also done with a gradient in Adobe Photoshop, and then adjusted manually in Procreate to fit within the swirls confines. I had to make several adjustments to both the sun and swirls, eventually settling on the final layout. The last detail I had to include was the license plate, which was made entirely in Adobe Illustrator, with some shading done in Procreate.

With the image done, I sent it to print, and thankfully it needed no major corrections (I’m getting good at this finally), so I requested a set for the gallery. I should note that I did have one minor fix, but it was easily taken care of and wasn’t a color correcting issue thankfully. The gradients inside the cab of the Vista Cruiser didn’t overlap correctly creating a distinguishable cut-off on my proof. I fixed the issue, resubmitted the image, however, I unfortunately did not make the gallery’s deadline but they were kind enough give me an extension. For me, the problem was two-fold, I was going out of town the same day it was due, and I had cut the whole execution process a wee bit too close. Ironically (?), the images were ready before the deadline, but I was already out of the area by the time it was available for pick up.

WOMP WOMP.

When I returned, I headed straight to the printers and got the work to the gallery before the end of the week, which was the premier of the show.

Oi!

Was I stressed?

Oh god yes.

Did I enjoy my time away?

Yes, but probably not as much as I could have IF I had my $4!+ together.

This friends, is a perfect example of me overwhelming myself to the point of misery.

Don’t be like me.

I had so much anxiety, and the worst part?

I was also working on another project whose due date was quickly approaching, which also overlapped, with another show I had agreed to also participate in which I hadn’t even started.

Yikes!

Did I succeed?

The next two blog entries hold the answers!!!

Final 18" x 12" image

I started the project on April 10^th, 2023, and finished it on April 20^th, 2023 (coincidently). I’m not entirely sure how long I spent on the project hours-wise. Adobe’s software makes it difficult to determine time frames, unlike Procreate which has a build in monitoring device (so helpful). From what I can determine, I spent five and a half (5 ½ ) hours in Procreate sketching the layout and vehicle, followed by vectoring out the car in Adobe Illustrator on my iPad, spending almost an entire day (likely close to eight to ten hours [8-10]) going back and forth between my iPad and desktop refining it. The color process took almost eleven (11) hours to complete, with the Vista Cruiser being the bulk of that time. I then spent a few more hours in Adobe Illustrator developing the background and font for the image. I used Hobo Std Medium as my base font, and then altered it to fit within the parameters of the solar body. It's not entirely what I wanted, but I think it works since the type reflects the shows credits. I then spent some time in Adobe Photoshop adjusting the image scale, and placement before sending it off to print. Originally, the plan was to add some distressing in order to give it a vintage look, as well as add some peace signs, or flowers, but time did not allow. Perhaps I can revisit the image one day and include some of these details.

The 18” x 12” image (printed on 100lb Cover, thank you SGX), was made for Hero Complex Gallery’s ‘Righteous Rides Again!’ a group show dedicated to the beloved ‘vehicles’ of film and television which opened May 6^th, 2023. At this time the prints are exclusively available via the gallery, so please check their website for all remaining works related to the show including mine.

For more information, or to see a catalog of my other work, please visit my online store here.

You can also find me on various social media platforms below doing a multitude of other artistic things that include hand lettering, and the occasional sculpting, crafting or painting.

Website: www.michaelstiles.com

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Sunday, April 9, 2023

CASTLEVANIA 64

One of my favorite shows to do all year with Gallery1988 is their annual-ish ‘oNE Sheet’, which requires participants (like moi), to choose a game from the early era of home consoles. Initially I wanted to do a follow up to my piece from last year which centered around my love for the Final Fantasy franchise. While I always enjoyed the initial outing I chose for last year’s contribution, the sequel (Final Fantasy 2* for the Super Nintendo), was by far my favorite. The only issue was, I wanted to do the game justice, which would require (for me), a play through. The problem was however, I couldn’t lock down a version that I could play through quickly enough, so instead I pivoted to another favorite that I could recall more clearly, Castlevania.

(*Final Fantasy 4 as it is now commercially known. It was the second installment to hit the United States but it was actually the fourth installment in the franchise overseas.)

Original concept for oNE Sheet based on the 1st installment of the Castlevania franchise.

While I had a sketch for the original ‘Castlevania’ by Konmai on the NES that I had loosely developed, I decided instead of portraying the ‘original’ outing I should pay homage to one of my favorite adaptions in the series, and quite possibly one of the most despised, ‘Castlevania (64)’, and it’s companion ‘Legacy of Darkness’. While the prior was simply known as ‘Castlevania’, for clarity purposes I added the 64, and I should also note, ‘Legacy…’, was what now would be referred to as an ‘uncut’ or ‘director’s cut’/‘complete’, edition by today’s standards. It is also the first installment to break the trend of it’s brethren, moving us into three-dimensional space (much like Mario did on this system). Since this piece consists of so many characters and elements in the game, I’ll briefly discuss the story as best as possible without ruining so many of the elements it introduced that were unique to it’s design, but there might be some spoilers.

First pass at Reinhardt Schneider.

In the opening of the game we are initially introduced to two playable characters (and possibly cousins given their linage). One should look familiar as the traditional whip-wielding/sword swingin’ ‘Belmont’, who for the first time, is not a ‘Belmont’, but a ‘Schneider’, ‘Reinhardt Schneider’ to be exact. Our second adventurer is a young girl named ‘Carrie Fernandez’, who unlike her counterpart, uses magical homing energy bolts to dispatch enemies, in addition to a set of rings for close combat. Both of their respective connections to the franchise is the speculation of many fans, but most likely, ‘Carrie’ is a descendant of ‘Sypha’, although much like every ‘Belmont’, she too is the last of her clan (an implied trope). Here I could tell their tale, but since I am including a nod to ‘Legacy…’ in this piece, it would only make sense to explain how that comes into play. According to what I was able to untangle during this game’s development, a third playable character was supposed to be introduced, and perhaps even more than that. The additional character was a shape-shifter by the name of ‘Cornell’, who’s adventure takes place as a prequel before that of our heroes. Still with me?

A small collection of the vast cast of characters from the game (Renon/Death/Cornell/Tower of Sorcery)

Good.

Okay so, let’s start chronologically to avoid confusion. In ‘Cornell’s’ storyline, his sister is taken for a sacrifice by ‘Dracula’ and his cronies. This requires our hero to infiltrate the compound and take her back. His questline sets us up for the next two adventurers, and includes a few new areas, bosses, and alternative routes through previous environments in the original version of the game. In both of our vampire hunter’s quests, their agenda is simply the dutiful destruction of ‘Dracula’ himself, however, each encounters a unique character on their journey further complicating their success. Each one also has a few of their own levels, and an antagonist in addition to the proprietor they will encounter throughout their journey. The game also features an element of time which can be puzzle dependent, and a few other surprises as well. The cast is also fleshed out with some supporting characters such as vampire hunter ‘Charlie Vincent’, the tortured soul ‘Rosa’, ‘Malus’ the lost child, the mysterious merchant ‘Renon’, ‘Actrise’ the witch, our old pal ‘Death’, and ‘Dracula’ himself. Most, are represented if not outright depicted in the illustration.

Carrie Fernandez, our heroine and Belnades ancestor.

With the story elements in mind, I turned to my iPad, and began developing the image. I wanted the image to look like an epic poster insert, or perhaps an animated series promotional. I had an anime inspired style when sketching, and to keep myself in that realm, I made sure to have a lot of the medium playing the background. Luckily, I also had all the source material I would even need as I still retained the strategy guide from when I purchased the game back so many decades ago (1999). It proved to be a great resource, especially when attempting to design the specific parts of the illustration like the castle, or detailing the clothing on the characters.

'Malus' the lost child, and the Tower of Sorcery.

I went through several variations of layouts, going back and forth between a horizontal and vertical orientation. I envisioned the piece vertically, but during development, it was obvious a horizontal design would work better for how this piece was progressing. I also ended up redrawing ‘Reinhardt’, multiple times before finally settling on a pose I was satisfied with. Over time, some of my decisions helped make others easier in choosing what, or who, to depict, and how. For instance, I knew both ‘Reinhardt’, and ‘Carrie’ would need to be front and center. I found ‘Carrie’ to a more interesting design, so she got center stage, and ‘Reinhardt’ was essential in framing many of the transitional vignettes I wanted to display. I kept many of the stereotypical elements in a ‘Castlevania’ image like the moon, title (which is a direct reproduction of the ‘Legacy…’ title color palette), and castle. Most of the images are strict character designs, but in order to keep the image from getting to cluttered I figured some more symbolic representation might be in order. For ‘Rosa’, I used ‘Reinhardt’s’ whip as a transitional device, and had the tail end of it become a rose vine, connecting back to when the players first encounter her in the castle. The crystals, as most players will recognize, are only found in the lair of ‘Actrise’, and also provided me with the option of introducing more contrasting color into the piece. Thankfully, the whip, and moon designs help look a viewer back into the image, and offer continuous eye movement. One element that I did retain from the original concept was the level inclusion. Originally for the NES piece I wanted to include a nod to each stage or boss in the game, here, in the 64 edition, I was able to do that since it primarily takes place in the castle, who’s design and structure I was able to replicate. The only part of the game to take place (outside of the ocean voyage taken by ‘Cornell’ in ‘Legacy…’), were the forest and villager scenarios, both of which I included. While the sewer levels are essentially subterranean, and not easily depictable, I figured I could indicate them with the ‘waterway’ openings I took the liberty to add.

The vampire hunter Charlie Vincent , and Rosa's garden.

The entire piece was developed in Procreate on my iPad which I started on February 5^th, 2023 (the initial sketch I mentioned prior was drawn on August 30^th, 2021), and I finished the piece on April 9^th, 2023 (at 7:43pm to be exact). I clocked in approximately two hundred and sixteen (216 ) hours, and eighteen (18) minutes working on this piece. Most of that time was sketching, with a handful of them (about three), in Adobe Illustrator to create a few of the icons on the bottom of the poster. Originally, I only wanted to include a few icons, but the ones I did have made the image unbalanced, and I was required to add more to reestablish symmetry. Some time was also spent in Adobe Photoshop, editing the piece before sending it off to print.

This generation's Belmont heir, Reinhardt Schneider.

The 12” x 18” image (printed on 100lb Cover, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ‘oNE Sheet’, a tribute show to video games from early days of the home console. The show was originally scheduled to run from May 12^th, 2023, through May 27^th, 2023, with all remaining works available on the gallery’s website. At this time the prints are exclusively available via the gallery, so please check their website for all remaining works related to the show including mine.

Final 18" x 12" image of 'Castlevania 64'.