Stiles of Art: July 2024

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

(Get A) Clue!

Occasionally I get a very specific invite for a show that’s dedicated to a particular actor, director, movie, series, or even production company. I always enjoy these tributes, because the interpretation by each artist is so dramatically different. It’s truly like seeing a crime scene from multiple angles, which brings me to the focus of our entry today: 1985’s ‘Clue’.

While this movie was not a major box office success, it has earned a cult following that few other films can rival. Personally, my parents took me to see this movie, so I have some very fond memories of it, and I thought it was very funny if not a little odd in the most charming way possible.

The film for those unaware (not sure who that would be), is based on the Parker Brothers version of ‘Clue’, a version of ‘Cluedo’, invented by Anthony E. Pratt. The games rights have exchanged hands many, many times, (it’s been around for 75 years), and is currently held by Hasbro (I believe).

The game is a basic who dunnit, in which players attempt to solve the murder of the ‘victim’. The potential suspect list includes all six playable characters, who assume the role of detective in scouring the mansion for ‘clues’ as to the identity of the assailant.

The film (directed by Jonathan Lynn), follows a similar precedent, and primarily stars: Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, Colleen Camp, and Lee Ving.

Rough layout and placement as done in Adobe Illustrator.

Initially I had no idea what or how I was going to depict this movie.

My first step was to watch the film, as it had been ages since I’d seen it.

Afterwards I contemplated what I could do as I was still a bit lost, and eventually thought about making the piece more interactive, like perhaps revisiting the BINGO card concept. I really didn’t want to reuse the same idea for another project, so I did some research on simple games.

It was then I came across an idea for creating a paper fortuneteller.

I used to make these as a child, and then write all sorts of random weird fortunes on the inside to make it fun.

I took the concept and quickly made a prototype out of paper.

Much to my surprise all the ‘information’ for these devices exists on the same side of the paper.

It blew my mind, as I was concerned I might have to do some double sided printing which was not worth the effort in my opinion. The main reason was it would take too long trouble shooting how to line the image up properly, and time was not something I had in abundance, but thankfully it was not a concern.

Flattened final image.

I spent the days after designing the ‘fortuneteller’ in Adobe Illustrator. Initially I was tracking the time I spent working on it, but it was a lot harder to track than when I work on my iPad which records the data for me.

Once I had a good idea of how to lay out the format, the project took shape quickly.

I primarily used the fonts Neue Kabel and Gallia for the typography.

The border design was inspired by the film, as was the mansion.

I outlined the mansion in Adobe Illustrator, then moved it into Procreate where I detailed the image on my iPad.

I then returned to my desktop, and in Adobe Photoshop I added the mansion onto the header, in addition to adding the description on the backside.

Prototype of fortuneteller with header in the background.

I originally debated adding a header for this piece but decided that asking a potential customer to cut and fold all of this was unreasonable. That meant I was going to need to package it as already ‘made’, so I would need the header for the sake of presentation.

I then sent the piece off to the printers for a proof. The first proof unfortunately was printed on 100lb Cover, and proved to be too difficult to fabricate the fortuneteller out of. The second proof was printed on 80lb Cover, and it was also very rigid but workable. Unfortunately, I had no more time to troubleshoot so I took some photos of the best prototype I had and sent it off to the gallery. While the paper isn’t ideal, it would work, and depending on sales, it may not even be an issue.

I started the image on July 21^st
,2024, and finished it July 30^th, 2024. I spent approximately seven (7) hours, and seven (7) minutes working on the piece in Procreate, with an additional eight (8) hours, and fifty-one (51) minutes in Adobe Illustrator. I also spent some time editing the layout in Adobe Photoshop, but exactly how much I am unsure of. In total, the image took about sixteen (16) hours to complete.

The final product bagged with header.

The fortuneteller is approximately 8.5” x 8.5” (completely flattened), and is printed on 80lb Cover (thank you SGX). The piece was made for Galler1988’s ‘Clue’, a group show dedicated to the beloved film ‘Clue’ from 1985. The show opened August 30^th, 2024. ~~At this time the fortunetellers 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.

*UPDATE: 9/16//24

It turns out the piece was more of a success than I anticipated, and it sold out!

Website: www.michaelstiles.com

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Saturday, July 20, 2024

Precedence Day

This piece was inspired primarily by the first ‘Gremlins’ film, and it’s predecessor I did for Hero Complex Gallery, that was part of their ‘Stay Frosty Friends A Holiday Show’, during 2021. The story goes back further, but it felt natural to address the sequel as well given the chance. To be fair, when I finished the initial image I planned on creating this one as far back as 2014 (according to my file dates), however I never had the right venue nor time to properly flesh it out. Thankfully with Gallery1988’s annual ‘Crazy 4 Cult’ show, the opportunity would present itself.

A revamp that proved to be more ambitious than I wanted, and a departure from the original plan.

For context, ‘Gremlins 2: The New Batch’ (directed by Joe Dante), takes place some time after the events of the first in Kingston Falls, and we are reunited with the young lovers Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan), and Kate Beringer (Phoebe Cates) as they navigate the big city. Eventually (voiced by Howie Mandel), crosses paths with the couple, and mayhem ensues naturally. It stars several recognizable faces including: Tony Randall, John Glover (a Trumpian style mogul), Robert Prosky, Robert Picardo, and (Sir) Christopher Lee. For a sequel, it also manages to be as good as the original.

I used the layout from my previous illustration as template of sorts, and rewatched the 1990 film to curate my image references. I had seen the film numerous times, and it was still just as enjoyable as I remember. It’s one of the few films (besides ‘

Buffy the Vampire Slayer’), I recall seeing with my sister and our friends in the movie theater. At the time I had never even seen the original, as I was very young when it was released.

Second attempt at a layout.

Once I procured my reference materials, I set to work immediately, and began digitally sketching my layout images. I used the 6B Pencil in Procreate on my iPad Pro to capture the likeness as much as possible. Initially I planned on simply leaving the sketches and doing an underpainting, but I determined it was a better idea to simply paint over them in the long run. I continued to use all the sketches to line my strokes up and, in the end, I think it was the better decision. I also wanted the previous image, and this one to share enough in common for the viewer to be able to tell that they are ‘related’ (other than Gizmo, and Kate also being in both illustrations).

Third attempt at a revamped layout.

The process was a long and tedious one (color selection being a bit of an obstacle at first), with few other challenges, that is except for one. While painting the timeless beauty of Phoebe Cates, and the fuzzy adorableness that is Gizmo was not new territory, the replication of ‘Kate’s’ tragic past was as always, a challenge.

Full disclosure: both images I’ve done contain a ‘memory’ of Kate’s that is wildly inappropriate, and generally completely out of context. I went with these depictions to immortalize the film because for some reason they really resonated with me, and I found them darkly humorous (which was the intention). For some the events could be triggering as the first contains the death of a parent, and the second episode involves an exhibitionist.

Preliminary sketches of Kate, Gizmo, and the 'event'.

In lieu of actual reference material from the film, as the events are simply relayed, never actually shown, I had to opt for filling in the blanks myself. I looked at my previous work from the first film, and initially went with a more representational version only to completely rule that out after working on it for several hours. It didn’t look right, nor did it ‘fit’ the piece. Instead, I went with more mystery, and much like Kate’s descriptive retelling of events, I wanted to ‘show’, not explicitly tell the viewer what was transpiring here. I then determined using silhouettes for both young Kate, and the perpetrator was a better fit. It did require more time repainting young Kate, and some light editing in Adobe Photoshop, but it was well worth it.

Final color with adjusted vignette.

The background elements of the various floating stars, and the crescent moon were selected early in the development. I needed a transitional element like the first image (in which I used snowflakes as it takes place during winter), and there is a scene late in the film (close to the reference shot I used), in which the inspiration for these elements were taken.

With that done, the image was finally ready for proofing. I immediately sent it off (only to find mistakes and send a new file), for proofing as it was due the following week. I started the project as far back as December of 2014, only to revisit it again in 2024. I spent approximately seventy-three (73) hours on the piece beginning June 17^th, 2024 and finishing July 20^th, 2024. The first thirteen (13) hours were dedicated to sketching the images, with the remaining sixty (60) being for painting. One (1) hour was used editing in Photoshop, and creating the stars in Adobe Illustrator.

Final 12" X 12" image on White Pearl Linen.

The 12” x 12” image (printed on White Pearl Linen, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ‘Crazy 4 Cult XVIII’, an annual favorite showcasing works from several talented artists dedicated to film of cult status which opened July 26^th, 2024. At this time the prints are limited to a run of fifty (50), and exclusively available via the gallery, so please check their website for all remaining works related to the show including mine.