DAYWALKER

 

When I looked at the prompt for Gallery 1988’s ’25 Years Later: Movies of 1998’, I was a bit overwhelmed.  There are dozens of nostalgic titles during that year, and I had a really hard time whittling it down to one.  My other issue was, what would I even make?  Sure I could pick ‘What Dreams May Come’, but I’ve already done at least one Robin Williams film (Mrs. Doubtfire). Or maybe I could do something for ‘Pleasentville’, ‘Practical Magic’, ‘Wild Things’, ‘Pecker’, ‘Fear and Loathing…’, or yes, even ‘Dark City’.

Yes…but what?

I mean these are all great films (and not a complete list of the ones I struggled picking), but what would I create?

That’s the pickle…

Eventually, I came across one last title that piqued my interest that I felt deserved some homage, ‘Blade’.

Now, many attribute the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Iron Man’, but alas, they’d be wrong (at least in my humblest of opinions). In reality, the first big screen Marvel comic adaptation was ‘Blade’ starring Wesley Snipes as the titular character in 1998. The production stars Snipes as ‘Blade’, a Dhampir who together with his mentor ‘Whistler’ (played by Kris Kristofferson), take on an army of vampires led by ‘Deacon Frost’ (Stephen Dorff). Snipes is also joined by a great supporting cast including N’Bushe Wright (as ‘Dr. Karen Jenson’) , Donal Logue (‘Quinn’), Arly Jover (‘Mercury’), Sanaa Lathan (‘Vanessa Brooks’), and Traci Lords (‘Racquel’), among many others.

Wesley Snipes as 'Blade'.

To properly capture the essence of the film, I needed to rewatch it, as it had been many years since I have seen it. Thankfully the film is available on most streaming platforms, but I do own the DVD somewhere, exactly where I’m not sure. 

I knew early on that I was going to create another comic book cover, similar in style to the Constantine piece I did. I created at least one or more initial sketches for the piece, but I’m pretty sure this concept took form rather quickly as I had a clear idea of my layout. I first started by collecting reference materials, and began sketching my ideas in Procreate on my iPad using the Peppermint Tool. I then layered the images according to how I wanted them to appear, changed their property to Multiply. I added an additional layer, and then began painting white (using the Round Brush), within the boundaries of each sketch. The bottom image with the DJ and famous opening scene however was a different story. I determined for the sake of balance that I would utilize black here and illustrate the scene as a silhouette considering how impactful it was. Upon completing this step, I exported them as individual PNG files (because we don’t make the same mistake twice kids), and rearranged then back into their appropriate positions on my desktop in Adobe Photoshop, rescaling them on my desktop without fear of losing any image quality. 

 

N'Bushe Wright as Dr. Karen Jenson, and Kris Kristofferson as Abraham 'Whistler'.

I determined at this point I wanted the entire image to be monochromatic with some solid black and white to balance out the variations of red I had chosen. I then applied a gradient and adjusted the layer blending options to pass through (or multiply) on all the sketched images (leaving the painted layers Normal). I then changed the gradient layer’s blending property to Multiply as well and moved it to the top as an Overlay. It had an interesting effect, and I was going to attempt to paint some slight dimensions on the figures using tonal variations (of Gray on the white painted layers) in Procreate. I then exported the layout back to my iPad, and began adding some volume to the image. 

 

Several hours later of painting on my iPad, I brought the work back into Photoshop to finish editing before I moved onto the title or other additional accoutrements.  To be honest, at this point, I wasn’t that thrilled with the piece at all, and It just wasn’t looking the way I imagined. I however was not one to be swayed, so I set to work on manipulating the image in Photoshop using different blending options in the layers panel.  For starters, I determined the gradient wasn’t working the way I wanted, so It was time to experiment.  I took the gradient and dropped it below the images (but above the background image of ‘Frost’), and changed the layer blending options to an Overlay which began picking up all the beautiful sketch lines I had laid down initially. I then took my background image of ‘Frost’ and began playing with the layer blending options there as well until I got to Difference.

BINGO.

This was it.

The sketch was showing through vibrantly picking up all the textured strokes, along with being light enough to see all the details.

Gorgeous.

Now for the other layers.

I ended up duplicating the gradient on the background and brought it up to the top of the layer order leaving it as an Overlay. This had a similar effect as the gradient did on the background image, and immediately brought some life and vibrancy to my piece. I only had to adjust the tint (or lightness), of the red I selected marginally and it was done. 

 

With the images done, I just needed to add the title, and other comic book related elements. Thankfully during my research process I was determined to keep this image as authentic as possible, and came across several images of (Marvel), comics from the decade of the movie’s release. Using these resources, I went into Adobe Illustrator, and created a mock-up design for my image.  Using the original title treatment, I also created a cleaner version for my image in the program as well. Upon finishing these tasks, I went back into Photoshop and pieced these last few elements together. I did alter the colors a bit on the add-ons once they were introduced, and eventually found a combination that worked brilliantly. Satisfied with the image, I sent it off to SGX for a proof.

 

Thankfully the work didn’t need to be adjusted so I ordered a set, and then sought a frame which seems like a simple task, right?

No.

I went through two frames before I ended up simple caving in and using the third which was not in the greatest condition either but I was beaten.

So the first frame I ordered from Amazon, simple enough, right?

Yeah.

It shows up and the cover is scuffed. Like not presentable scuffed.

As in not going to work for a gallery.

Okay.

I then contact Amazon who refunds me the money, and then tells me to keep the frame.

Awesome, I’ll just store it in all the extra space I don’t have.

I then went to Michaels and begrudgingly bought the cheapest frame I could find.

I get home, and start the process of framing my work, and the glass gets caught by one of the backing pins.

Now this particular frame has at least three of these malleable metal pieces around its perimeter on every side, so lets say nine…maybe even twelve or more altogether. It’s bound to get caught on one of them if the glass gets pushed up beyond their threshold.

A truly bad design, and my worse nightmare.

It was over my bed.

It was glass.

I ordered the plastic for a reason.

I had to ship it.

I did NOT want glass.

I specifically wanted plastic.

The glass cracked and broke over my bed.

Jesus wept.

My patience was at an end with this situation.

I grab a trash bag and managed to get all the glass off my bed and into the bag without any of it getting anywhere else. There weren’t a lot of pieces (two to three, the third being the entire plate as it was corner that cracked), however there was some ‘glitter’ on the sheets afterwards.

I carefully took some large packing tape and dotted the area several times with several pieces to collect any fragments of tiny shards.

Operation complete.

I tossed this frame into the box with the other, and then reordered the first frame against my better judgement.

The third frame arrives and is not in the best condition as there are some very minor scratches on the plastic shield of this one as well. I decide it’s worth the gamble, and package up the work to send it out.

 

I started the drawing in Procreate on my iPad, on October 18^th, 2022, spending approximately twenty-six and half (26 ½) hours rendering the likenesses of all the characters in the illustration. I then adjusted the images in Adobe Photoshop for my final layout, and exported it back into Procreate. In procreate I proceeded to spend an additional Eighteen and a half hours (18:32), hours adding ‘color’, before returning to Photoshop for final editing.  Overall I spent about Forty-Seven (47) hours on the piece and finished it on January 6^th, 2023. I worked on it in between other projects I had going on between October and January, as well as having got a really early start on it.

 

The 11” x 17” image (printed on 100lb Cover, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ’25 Years Later: Movies from 1998’, a group show dedicated to the films of that glorious year.  The show was originally scheduled to open online February 17^th, 2023, through March 4^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

Etsy: Stiles of Art

Threadless: mistiles

LinkedIN: Michael Stiles

IG:  stiles1978

TikTok: stiles1978

Pinterest: Michael Stiles

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Twitter: stiles_of_art

 

 

 

(Syrup's) Magic Shop

This piece took some time, not in execution, but in planning. Particularly in choosing a relevant subject for Gallery 1988’s ‘Product Placement’ show. Typically, when I get a prompt from the gallery, I will immediately begin to narrow down what I am going to do for the event. This one was a bit more difficult as the theme was centered on creating a poster print for a fictional product from a series or film. My usual methods are that if nothing immediately strikes me, my next option is to check in on what’s trending. When that fails, I then do some soul searching. This involves me taking in my own environment, going through old unfinished projects, or crowd sourcing ideas. All useful strategies.

Thankfully I had a few (very few) ideas on deck, and what you see was the winner. Initially, I was reluctant to pursue the subject matter of this piece  to be honest, as I had already done work inspired by the franchise ‘The Legend of Zelda’. My concept, while not entirely original, was a simple one, create a poster for the Magic Shop/Apothecary in the franchise. While my previous ‘Zelda’ inspired work drew upon the franchise ‘Breath of the Wild’, this piece harkens back to ‘A Link to the Past’ from ye olden Super Nintendo days. In that particular edition the ‘Witches Hut’ (or House), is located in a withered tree where the proprietor can usually be found stirring her cauldron. After some research, I discovered the Witch’s name is ‘Syrup’, which I ultimately included in the shop’s title. The player’s first interaction with ‘Syrup’ is in acquiring a powder (made from a mushroom), in order to continue with the main questline. This eventually opens the option of purchasing elixirs from her for healing or magic replenishing.

 

I started by sketching my concept pretty quickly in Procreate­, knowing that I wanted it simplistic, as I had plans to distress it and/or add texture afterwards in Adobe Illustrator. I also kept it very graphic so I could vector the design in AI (Adobe Illustrator NOT Artificial Intelligence, and I’m sorry I have to add this), as well. Keeping with the aforementioned details about the shop, I included the title (handwritten original font design by me), along with some Easter eggs connecting back to the game.  I wanted my design reflect ‘Syrup’s’ environment in the game, which was very swamp-like from what I recall. With this in mind, I utilized reeds for the border, a set of mushrooms (or a fairy ring if you will) to offset them centrally and included some ‘Fairies’ as well. I then placed a cauldron bottom left to offset the advert’s services, followed by a spontaneous decision to add ‘RUPEES ONLY’ on the bottom (Hyrule’s customary currency).

Initial sketch of the design for the 11" x 17" poster.

 

Upon finishing the vector work in Illustrator, it was still missing something. I then took the image back into Procreate and began playing with adding texture manually over my image using different brushes, or opacities. After several hours, I concluded that the image needed a background, as the white contrast was just too much. I went with a somewhat monochromatic scheme and selected a hue that was lighter than the font. I then roughed up the edged using different brushes. At some point I became exhausted with manipulating the image, and decided to simply have it printed as I was happy with the design regardless of what it was missing at this point. This design, along with my ‘Groundhog Day’ piece, were both due on the same day, making for a hectic dash to the finish line.  I also needed to proof both images before it got any later in the process.

 

I sent (both) images off to SGX, and the outcome was very positive. After collecting the samples, I determine that this piece is still incomplete, and took it back into Illustrator to attempt adding a texture again. I went onto the internet to see if I could find some helpful tips or tutorials on making the added filter look less plastered on. Hours later, I found a (linen) texture that worked well with the design, as the previous wood, and weathered paint textures that I had tried weren’t cutting it. With that settled I contacted the printer for another proof of the altered image.

 

The concept execution took me approximately three (3) hours sketching in Procreate on my iPad, and several more in Adobe Illustrator for iPad. The: border, cauldron, and top piece (mushrooms), were done rather quickly. I’d estimate two to three (2-3) hours vectoring.  The font was done by hand based on my own handwriting. That unfortunately took a lot longer than expected. How long exactly, I’m not sure, but I’d estimate it was at least another four (4) hours manipulating and adjusting it. Finally, I took the file onto my desktop and spent another two (2) hours making sure everything was lined up properly and even. It was at this juncture I was also attempting to add texture the first time. Upon getting my first proof I would then spend another hour after the first proof adding texture, before finalizing the image. I started the image on November 15^th, 2022, and finished it November 22^nd, 2022 working primarily in Illustrator, and Procreate, with some editing done in Adobe Photoshop. Overall I would estimate I spent about fifteen to twenty (15-20) hours working on this piece, with the dearth being font based.

 

 

Final 11" x 17" image poster.

 

11” x 17” image (printed on 100lb Cover, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ‘Product Placement’, a group show dedicated to fictional merchandise showcased in some of our favorite shows or films.  The tribute was originally scheduled to run from January 28^th, 2023, through February 11^th, 2023 with all remaining works available the following day at noon. 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

Etsy: Stiles of Art

Threadless: mistiles

LinkedIN: Michael Stiles

IG:  stiles1978

TikTok: stiles1978

Pinterest: Michael Stiles

Tumblr:  stiles1978

Twitter: stiles_of_art

Groundhog Day

 

When I received the prompt from Gallery1988 for their 30^th Anniversary ‘Groundhog Day’ show I almost groaned. I had an issue, as I had already done an illustration inspired by the film, almost a decade ago that has really never seen the light of day outside this blog. My quandary was this: I could simply reuse this image, afterall it was clever, and captured the film for me precisely, OR I could create something new.

 

If you haven’t seen the movie, the concept is what obviously inspired such knock-offs as ‘Happy Death Day’ (which was fantastic, as was the sequel, I’m just saying, know your history kids). With that out of the way, I didn’t want to repeat myself (HA), I set about rewatching the film which I honestly haven’t seen in ages. I collected some reference materials from the viewing, and the internet but nothing was really speaking to me. I then attempted to highlight the actual holiday (which takes a back seat to the plot), but after several sketches, and at least a pot of coffee, I decided to take a different approach.

 

Original broken record concept for the movie based on the prompt 'Repeat'.

I went back to my original design from several years ago I mentioned above, and thought about how I could possibly salvage, or repurpose it. It did feel a little bit like cheating considering this piece was already ‘finished’. I thought about how I could use the surface of the record as a mirror to reflect the images of characters from the film. While this concept was extremely tempting, I knew it would ultimately turn a simplistic image into a jarring cacophony of characters. The plan would be to take the record, and crack it into pieces, using each shard to depict a different actor in the film. I would have place them in accordance with how important they are to our lead man ‘Phil’ (Bill Murray), and his story (which the film centers on).

 

Instead, I took a different approach that was less bold. I decided to use an older file of the illustration I had from a backup. In this version, the record had yet to have been broken apart. This gave me more surface area to work with, and I decided that I could still get my ‘broken record’ message across with a smaller area of damage.  With the extra room, instead of depicting multiple characters from the film, I went with just one, ‘Phil’.

 

Sketch of 'Phil' (Bill Murray) from 'Groundhog Day'.

Now my only obstacle was to find an image of Murray where he really sold me on the character. In the final illustration, Murray’s expression is omitted (due to design, I did draw it), but it was fantastic.  I picked a still from the film in which he had just woken up…again, disheveled and confused, it was perfect.

 

Upon selecting my image, I got working on it at a scale that would fit the record’s surface.  It took me almost seven hours to complete the initial sketch, followed by another thirteen hours digitally inking the image, and ambivalently picking a layout. I had a very challenging time determining how to best place ‘Phil’s’ reflection on the record. Eventually I settled on the fact that his face or expression didn’t matter as both the record’s title, and defects, are enough to relay my intentions.

 

The entire (re)design took me a little over twenty (20) hours, in addition to how ever much time I spent on the original record illustration. The record was made entirely in Corel Painter, with the image of Murray added in Procreate on the iPad. The piece was then taken into Adobe Photoshop before going to print.

 

Final image (10" x 10")

The 10” x 10” image (printed on 100lb Cover, thank you SGX), was (re)made for Gallery1988’s ‘Groundhog Day’, a group show dedicated to the beloved film’s 30^th Anniversary.  The show was originally scheduled to run from January 28^th, 2023 through February 11^th, 2023 with all remaining works available the following day at noon. 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

Etsy: Stiles of Art

Threadless: mistiles

LinkedIN: Michael Stiles

IG:  stiles1978

TikTok: stiles1978

Pinterest: Michael Stiles

Tumblr:  stiles1978

Twitter: stiles_of_art

 

 

LAPL (Los Angeles Public Library)

This piece was inspired by Gallery1988’s tribute show dedicated to the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), for their 150^th anniversary. The only problem was, I didn’t have any idea of what to do. I could do an illustration, but to be honest, I grew up reading books, and while I hardly do so anymore, I do believe they are what helped foster my vivid imagination. I wanted to do something meaningful, or more specific to the topic. It was suggested we could choose to illustration something of the public domain, but I wanted to create something a bit more substantial.

 

One of the (many) finalists in the sketching fervor that ensued during development

 

I toiled aimlessly for a few days, maybe longer, trying to determine what would work for this project. I eventually decided that making a keepsake of sorts would be nice, so I went with creating another enamel pin. This would be my fourth venture into the (abhorrently expensive) field, so I had some experience. I knew that the sooner I had an idea, or solidified a design, the better as the manufacturing process takes weeks.

 

Final concept

I started by first doing some research on the internet about the Los Angeles Public Library, including its history, and locations. I was surprised to see how many branches they had (72), and just how much of the population they serve. I was perhaps a bit too focused (initially), on the beauty and architecture of the (Richard J. Riordan) Central Library built in 1926 by Bertram Goodhue. The building is a landmark, but hardly the birthplace of LAPL. It did contain several design elements that were very attractive, but I ultimately settled on imagery that was more generic. It didn’t feel right to celebrate just the one branch visually, so instead I went in a different direction.

 

I began my initial sketches on September 24^th, 2022, spending two (2) hours, and thirty-eight (38) minutes on different concepts in Procreate. It took some time, and a lot of evolving before it got to the final stages around October 3^rd. My concept was to have people ‘check-in’ at the library and ‘check-out’, some books. I had initially used a check symbol before utilizing the ‘check-in’ icon more formerly associated with technology. I then determined a book with LAPL as the title, and maybe the date of origin below to keep it very simple.

 

Teutonic Font founded in the same year as LAPL (1872)

I also set about creating a backing for the pins and went with an old ‘library check-out card’(see below), like I recall from my youth (bringing that analog to the digital and vice versa). On it, I attempted to replicate a typewriter font, along with the date of the show, its title, and my name. The back part I wanted to highlight what the ‘cause’ was about and utilized my research to come up with some historical information about LAPL.

 

Yup, that's right, they were typed, stamped, AND handwritten on and lived in a little pocket in the book

Once I finalized my concept, I decided the best color to go with on this pin was none at all. I wanted it to look more classical, or like an authentic collector’s item so I went with antique silver. I also wanted to have a limited run on this piece to celebrate the anniversary properly, in addition to having a proper backer made. I contacted my liaison with Alchemy Merch, and sent them my design, plus the additional details for my order.

 

Backer Design (front)

Backer Design (back)

The design process took me roughly twelve (12) hours from start to finish. In addition to the sketching above, six (6) hours were logged in Adobe Illustrator designing the pin, with three (3) hours more dedicated to the backer. In the design process I used Calibri Bold font for the card, and an old typewriter font for everything else. The LAPL font was inspired by a font available at the time LAPL was formed in 1872, called Teutonic.

 

Final product with backer.

The 1.5” x 1.26” antique silver pin was limited to a run of 150 in honor of LAPL’s 150^th anniversary, as part of Gallery1988’s show ‘Required Reading'. The show was originally scheduled to run from December 9^th, 2022, through December 23^rd, 2022 with all remaining works available the following opening day at noon. At this time the pins 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

Etsy: Stiles of Art

Threadless: mistiles

LinkedIN: Michael Stiles

IG:  stiles1978

TikTok: stiles1978

Pinterest: Michael Stiles

Tumblr:  stiles1978

Twitter: stiles_of_art