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.
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| 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.
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| 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).
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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 17th, 2024 and finishing July 20th, 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.
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| 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 26th, 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.
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.
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