MOTHER OF STYLE

There are a few annual shows I do a year, that I always look forward to, and Gallery1988’s ‘Idiot Box’ is definitely one of them. The show’s theme centers around television shows starting from the turn of the century, and gives me an opportunity to usually do personal fan service to a series that I love (which also works for the gallery’s clientele). My plan was to do something completely different than what you see here, but due to time constraints, I had to act and think, quickly. Thankfully, whenever I receive a prompt list, I do a little bit of brainstorming myself, and usually come up with a collection of concepts. I also finally got around to some of those shows in my cue, including this years selection, ‘American Horror Story’.

Season Five, ‘Hotel’ to be exact, but the series in general is a marvel to behold, and filled with such talented performances.

 

Interior Art Deco reference shot of 'Hotel Cortez' from (season five of) 'American Horror Story: Hotel'.

 

For those unaware the series ‘American Horror Story’ (or AHS to it’s fanbase), showcases a different story each season, in most case with the ensemble of actors from previous installments returning as different characters. The show works as a whole due to cohesive acting team, but occasionally, there is a standout.

 

‘Liz Taylor’.

 

Denis O’Hare gives a magnificent performance as the ‘Mother of Style’, in the fifth season entitled ‘Hotel’. I refuse to give any details because Liz’s story is very well scripted, but it’s wrought with hardship. As Liz, O’Hare is the face of the hotel that guests see first, and all too often, the last. The hotel itself is based loosely on the infamous Cecil Hotel which became a beacon for misfortune, and the ‘Cortez’, is no different. The season also stars: Lady Gaga, Wes Bentley, Kathy Bates, Matt Boomer, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson, Chloe Sevigny, Evan Peters, Cheyenne Jackson, Finn Wittrock, and Mare Winningham.

 

Denis O'Hare, as 'Liz Taylor' in (season five of) 'American Horror Story: Hotel'.

 

With my selection in mind, and the clock ticking, I had what I like to call a ‘false start’. I was so rushed to get something started, that while yes, I was striving towards a goal…it wasn’t a pretty goal. My composition was clearly uninspired.

I needed help.

I had already done my research, so I had plenty of reference, (even if it wasn’t that great), but something was just off. I went back to my notes and decided to focus more on Liz as a portrait, as my currently design included too much negative space that was just left unfilled. Also my background was ugly and just didn’t work with the image.

Initially I had some Art Deco reference shots to help with designing my interior. Since the art movement played such an important role in the ambiance of the hotel (which was where the season took place almost entirely), it needed to be represented here as well (and for other reasons that fans will appreciate).

I had already vectored out a lot of the background in Adobe Illustrator, but went back in, multiple times to make adjustments. I raised the Cortez’s logo a handful of times, and then utilized it’s design from the hotel entrance to act as a stained glass or framing device for Liz. The side panels were also taken from that same door frame structure.

While this mechanic didn’t change too much, it did change shape, size, and color a few times before settling on the design we have in the final image. 

 

Original digital pencil layout design.

 

Liz herself also proved to be a chore in some ways.

Inspired by Ruud Studio's piece below, I basically replicated it in Procreate, using Liz as my subject, and taking several personal liberties as well. Due to the change in composition I needed to gather more reference images, which eventually led me to creating a composite out of several images in order to get the pose intended.

With that in order I set to digitally painting Liz, and selecting one of her many dazzling outfits to adorn her with.  Given the reference material, and color scheme that I was also replicating, I narrowed Liz’s wardrobe down to a black dress she wore towards the end of the season that had a spectacularly sparkly collar.

That combined with her headwrap, and gold bell dangling earrings, she was complete.

 

Gorgeous portrait with Art Deco border by Ruud Studio used for inspiration, and reference. 

 

The next step was to include her customary compulsion, otherwise…how would one recognize her without cigarette in hand?

The real issue was how to portray the smoke as the juxtaposition of the rendered flesh, versus the flat and rather mechanical nature of art deco.

I ended up going with a series of dots, that overlapped each other a bit like bubbles, but I included a variation on their tints to provide some contrast between them. The one thing I liked about this approach was that the ‘smoke’ almost blended back into the background, much like Liz’s dress does at the bottom. This echoed repetition I felt was successful enough to work for the design that I played with perspective and depth a bit by manipulating the background design (with both smoke, and Liz’s dress).

 

Satisfied with the design, I took the image into Adobe Photoshop and made some minor adjustments to the contrasting, primarily on the jewelry as it was reading very dark. With that done, I sent the image off to print. I had very little time between pieces during this images development, so I ended up having to contact the gallery to ask for an extension, which I do not like to do. I am glad however that I did, as the image turned out beautiful.

 

Denis O'Hare as 'Liz Taylor' or the 'Mother of Style', from (season five of) 'American Horror Story: Hotel'.

 

I started the piece on May 9^th, 2023, and finished it May 17^th, 2023 totaling thirty three (33) hours, and fifty three (53) minutes.  In that time, I spent twenty eight (28) hours, and fifty three (53) minutes in Procreate, with an additional two (2) hours in Adobe Illustrator, and three (3), in Adobe Photoshop editing.

 

The 11” x 14” image (printed on white pearl linen, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ‘Idiot Box’, which opened online June 2^nd, 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

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Pinterest: Michael Stiles

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Twitter: stiles_of_art

 

 

BIG ‘UNS: THE LAST TISSUE

As I was working on my current piece for Hero Complex Gallery’s ‘Righteous Rides Again!’, they contacted me with another opportunity for a show entitled ‘Sitcom Showdown’. I took a beat, and wondered if I could fit this one in, and then in order to combat the normal hesitancy I have in these predicaments, I simply dove into the project immediately after finishing the my ‘…Rides…’ piece. Sometimes I have a decent concept and have to shelve it for a moment because there just isn’t a good venue, or prompt that fits it. They’re usually ‘orphaned’ ideas I have had while brainstorming for various shows, as was the case with this piece. This concept I recalled from developing ideas for a Fake Gig/Fake Product show(s), I have done over the years. Some of the locales have annual shows that maintain a specific theme, so it’s always good to have a few back-up ideas for next time. Since this event was sitcom themed, I looked over my list and spotted one that would work well, my ‘Married with Children’ magazine cover. 

David Faustino as teenage son 'Bud', reading Al's beloved periodical.

While the show has not been on the air for a while, it still exists in the streaming world, and I believe the land of syndication on cable television…somewhere, along with ‘I Love Lucy’, ‘The Simpsons’, and ‘Law & Order’. Probably sandwiched between ‘Futurama’, or reruns of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadephia’.

I digress.

Anyhow, for those unaware (or living in a cave), MWC features the ‘Bundy’s’, a working class family of ye’ olde’ days when one income was sufficient living, so…not very relatable by today’s standards, and also completely inappropriate for the easily triggered. It stars father ‘Al (Bundy)’ as played by ‘Modern Family’ alumni Ed O’Neill, his wife ‘Peggy (Bundy)’ played by the multifaceted Katey Sagal, and their children ‘Kelly’ (a very youg Christina Applegate), and ‘Bud’ (David Faustino). Rounding out the cast are some other faces including ‘Marcy Darcy’ (Amanda Bearse), and her husband(s) ‘Steve’ (David Garrison) and ‘Jefferson’(Ted McGinley), as well as the family dog ‘Buck’. There are many themes that ran over the course of twelve seasons from 1987 to 1997, including jokes about Al’s job as a shoe salesman, and his football heyday obsessions, or how tenacious yet unmotivated they were. It was a truly interesting show, and one of the few I can recall watching as a family in my house (oddly enough). My family did not practice broad censorship, or share the conservative ideology that television rotted the mind, both of which were so prevalent at the time.

 

My blueprint/layout for the final image.

The biggest challenge with creating work to encompass a series this vast (and provoking my own nostalgia), is how to detach myself from it enough while still providing ‘fan’ service. I recalled several reoccurring jokes/themes from the show, but in order to not have a mandala effect take place here, I had to fact check myself before I got too far into this piece. First, I knew from my notes that I wanted the design to be a magazine cover (in retrospect a TV Guide cover would have been a good idea too…I digress…again), which worked with my timeframe, and it’s something I am vaguely familiar with doing (in college). The cover I had in mind was…slightly controversial…as the only magazine I was aware of from the show, was Al’s Playboy’s, or the one he began reading later into the series (may have been a copyright issue or even Playboy not wanting to be associated with the show), called BIG ‘UNS (also a syndicated periodical at the time as well however this was ‘fictional’). My biggest challenge was executing this as tastefully and respectfully as possible but pay homage to the crass nature of the show. Due to the nature of the magazine, I only had a few options for who would grace its cover, Kelly, Peggy, or Marcy. I felt Kelly was in bad taste (as Applegate is a breast cancer survivor), and Marcy’s character was never overtly sexualized in the show, so it wouldn’t make sense. Peggy however seemed to work as a better subject for multiple reasons. Her penchant for animal print clothing, flaming red hair teased to the sky, and love of large (matching) jewelry are easily recognizable, making her a natural choice.

 

I then set to work with a rough layout and some headings, using the reference I gathered from various covers of Playboy magazines off google. Using this as a template, on my iPad, I digitally sketched my layout, and created some fake headlines, making note of other features to include (font selection, and barcodes,) as these would be needed to complete the ‘look’. I was originally thinking of doing a late 1980’s workout theme, but abandoned the idea after having difficulty in finding adequate reference material. I was also short on time, so some concessions would need to be made, hence, I settled on a portrait. Taking scale into account, I wanted to make sure contrast was on point with this piece, so I decided to base my colors around ‘Peggy’s’ recognizable look. With this in mind, and reference in hand I went ahead and started painting Sagal digitally in Procreate. I took a different approach with this one, and it seems to have been rather successful. I wanted to reduce my layer usage, and since this piece was rather simple in design, it seemed like a good time to practice the habit (of reducing file size). Upon completing a majority of the image (while on vacation no less), I then went back to my desktop (when I returned home), and set about designing the copy for the cover. I went through several different selections in Adobe Illustrator, before I finally settled on using Superclaredon Black for the title which I altered to look more like my reference from the show. For the article headlines I used Arial Black Regular. I then exported the typography and overlaid it onto the image, which I intentionally left unfinished in some parts. The reason was, I considered that I may not have to develop the entire face or image if the type was going to cover it, saving me some time. Unfortunately, the type did not cover enough, so even with some clever manipulation, it was necessary to finish the portrait completely. Thankfully, I had only neglected to paint in the eyes, as my original intention was to mask this part of the face with the title, which failed to line up the way I intended. It also looked better while I was editing the piece in Adobe Photoshop to have ‘Peggy’ fully visible. This resulted in me having to finish the portrait in Procreate, and then once again edit in Photoshop for the final time before sending it off to print. 

 

Final 11" x 14" image featuring Katey Sagal as matron Peggy Bundy.

 

I started the piece on April 22^nd, 2023, and finished it May 9^th, 2023 clocking in fifty nine (59) hours, and fifteen (15) minutes. In that time I spent fifty four (54) hours in Procreate, with the remained broken up amongst Adobe Illustrator (around three hours), and Adobe Photoshop (around two hours) designing the font, and editing the piece for print. Thankfully the proofing came back spot on, and I was able to simply order the set I needed for the gallery within time.

 

The 11” x 14” image (printed on 100lb Cover, thank you SGX), was made for Hero Complex Gallery’s May 27^th, 2023 ‘Sitcom Showdown’ a collaborative show dedicated to the shows we know and love.  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

 

 

 

@$$, 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

Etsy: Stiles of Art

Threadless: mistiles

LinkedIN: Michael Stiles

IG:  stiles1978

TikTok: stiles1978

Pinterest: Michael Stiles

Tumblr:  stiles1978

Twitter: stiles_of_art

 

 

 

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'.

 

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