Oh, Canada

This particular project was on the prompt list from Gallery1988 for their upcoming shows, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure what or how I was going to address it. The Gallery’s premise was to hold a tribute to John Candy showcasing work based on his whimsically charming films. Apparently, Candy’s family is a huge supporter of the gallery, so this specific exhibit was to honor both them, and the actor’s memory.

I grew up watching so many of Candy’s films and was incredibly heartbroken when he passed. This made choosing just one of his projects to focus on was going to be incredibly difficult. I was unsure of what to make, but I also didn’t want to ruminate on it too much so, I went through my media devices, and watched a couple of his movies, most of which I had seen. I also wanted to see if there was anything within the films that resonated with me deeply enough to inspire a concept or idea. I had already done two (barely), artworks based on his portfolio already. I ‘cleverly’ inserted ‘The Great Outdoors’, into a background for a piece that was in a show called ‘Memes’. I don’t think it sold, and I also don’t think anyone got the reference. LOL.

The second piece I did was for Gallery1988’s ‘Quest for Fun’ show dedicated to National Lampoon’s ‘Vacation’ franchise. Albeit, Candy did not appear in either pieces, he was in both films…so….basically those were off the table for me.

 

After a few failed attempts at creating something for ‘Delirious’, and unable to find a copy of ‘Nothing But Trouble’ (which I felt was going to be heavily represented), I ended up settling on ‘Canadian Bacon’, Candy’s last film (to be released).

First off I can’t believe I had never seen this film, and second, I had no idea famous documentarian Michael Moore wrote/directed it. It was incredibly funny in some of the most clever ways possible, and the entire story is absolutely absurd. The cast is also top notch with frontrunner John Candy, accompanied by Alan Alda, Rhea Perlman, Kevin Pollak, Rip Torn, Kevin J. O’Connor, and Bill Nunn. I won’t spoil the story, but it basically involves America going to war with Canada, and it all starts with a minor altercation at a hockey game. Candy really delivers in this film especially when you take into context that he is Canadian himself. 

My initial sketch for 'Delirious' which just didn't pan out.

The concept I did come up with really only worked for this film, and I also wanted to try something different. In this piece I found one scene to be a discernable turning point, and the delivery (by Candy), made me laugh so hard that I had to watch it over again a few times. It was also the scene that spoke most to me from the film, I’m not sure why. In the scene, Niagra County Sheriff Bud Boomer (Candy), and his friends attend a hockey game across the border in Canada. It is here that they unintentionally insult the nation as a whole, and I’ll leave it at that, however once you see the piece it’s pretty self-explanatory.

Having settled on a rough concept I sought out my reference imagery, and rewatched the film a few times. I then began to sketch out my concept in Procreate on my iPad (Pro), using the Peppermint ‘Sketching’ brush. It took a while to capture the essence of the image, and even then, I wasn’t too sure how it was going to read in the end. Upon completing the initial drawing, I already knew I wanted to frame it inside the maple leaf symbol from Canada’s official flag. This worked out well, due to the very limited palette required for this image. Candy’s character was even wearing the patriotic colors needed to blend into the background making this a natural fit. 

 

Final sketch of Candy with some typography for context.

 

I then sketched out the leaf and imported the drawing into Adobe Illustrator to get the ‘clean’ edge and symmetrical shape I desired. I then took the shape back into Procreate as a PNG and dropped it into my original file. I then proceeded to digitally paint Candy, taking care not to go overboard with detail, and making some guesses on other parts that I just could not get proper reference for (like that damned ring).

 

Upon completing the color application, the piece looked…empty, or….unfinished?

I determined it needed context. While yes, I thought the image was hilarious, I got the reference immediately because well I made it, others might be a bit…perplexed.

I thought that maybe I could add some text, or quotes from this scene in the background, keeping them light to not detract too much from the main attraction, but also adding something interesting to look at.

I then went back to the film, and documented some quotes that made me laugh from this scene, which would give it the proper context needed. I chose a font (Cooper Black), rather quickly that I felt matched the image, and context. I then set about arrangiong the words from the quote in different ways, adjusting their various features to fill in the space. While my expertise in Illustrator is limited in some ways, I do know what the program is capable of. I originally was going to do a shape filled with text, however, I could not figure out how to do what I wanted, nor was I sure of how to articulate it. Basically I had created the leaf already, and was attempted to eliminate that shape from the interior of a larger square. While it worked, when I went to apply text inside the shape, the text would ignore the exclusion as if it didn’t exist.

It was very frustrating.

I then decided to simply arrange the words by hand, which took some time, but I feel it turned out nicely. 

 

Final full color image with various quotes from the film 'Canadian Bacon'. 

 

With some empty spaces remaining, I took the text into Procreate, and added it to the existing image layers. I then created a new layer, in which I added some details to the text to make it more interesting to read. I had to edit the text a few times, but finally settled on the final layout you see now.

 

I started the piece directly after finishing my ‘Location Scout’ image on February 18^th, 2024, and took a hiatus for a few weeks to work on other projects, finally finishing it on March 25^th, 2024. I spent most of my time on this piece in Procreate spending approximately forty (40) hours, and forty-six (46) minutes, sketching, and painting the image. I spent an additional eight (8) hours, and eleven (11) minutes, in Adobe Illustrate designing various components (the maple leaf), and editing text. There was some work done in Adobe Photoshop as well, but it was more limited to adjusting the layout, and there were no edits made on the image itself (enhancements or color adjustments), which for me is very rare. 

 

Final 10" X 10" image on 100lb Cover.

 

The 10” x 10” image (printed on 100lb Cover, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s  ‘Larger Than Life: A Tribute to John Candy’, a group show dedicated to the beloved comedian of film and television which opened May 17^th, 2024. At this time the prints are exclusively available via the gallery and limited to a run of thrity (30), 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

 

 

The Overlook

When I get a prompt list from a gallery, I will usually go through it, and try to determine quickly what I am planning to do for each show. I typically make a couple selections (if given a list), along with an idea or two for a concept. That said, the ‘Location Scout’ prompt, was really challenging for multiple reasons. The concept for the show was to illustrate or create something to represent an iconic site from television or film. The first issue was that the locales were all preselected, and while the gallery was open to suggestions, I didn’t have any, or at least none that I haven’t already tackled. The next problem was, I had already done a piece based on Stanley Kubrick’s work, and was really reluctant to select the Overlook Hotel off the list. One of the reasons for this was, the Overlook has been such an iconic horror movie image (from the carpet to the axe scene), that I felt there really wasn’t much left to work with. That said, I felt that I already dodged this movie once, so….why keep fighting it?

First pass at creating stationary for The Overlook Hotel to frame my piece.

I determined that to set my piece apart from the copious amounts of art dedicated to the structure, I’d need to do something ‘different’. Initially I planned on using this piece to bridge the two films ‘The Shining’ (1980), and it’s sequel ‘Doctor Sleep’ (2019; based on King’s 2013 novel), but the more I worked on the layout, the less it felt it was about the location, and more about the narrative of the films. Something that echoed my piece for the ‘Off The Leash’ show. I determined that while the idea wouldn’t work for this particular show, it wasn’t a bad concept. I shelved the rough layout, and then as I began brainstorming, one particularly interesting idea came to mind. In the 1980 film ‘The Shining’ (featuring Jack Nicholson, and Shelley Duvall), Jack (Nicholson), takes the job of caretaker for ‘The Overlook Hotel’, located in the Rocky Mountains during the winter. Jack, an aspiring writer sets out to take advantage of the slow months developing his craft, but instead, madness descends due to isolation or the unholy hosts of the hotel, setting forth a radical chain of events.

 

In one scene of the film, Jack begins to churn out page after page of the same phrase reading: ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. It’s an unsettling element, and a precursor to Jack’s devolvement.

I thought maybe I could use the text to create the image of the Overlook Hotel. I just wasn’t sure how to present it. I then began looking up hotel stationary in an effort to connect back to the locale in case the image was a hard read.

I spent approximately twelve (12) hours, and ten (10) minutes working on the design in Adobe Illustrator, as I attempted to incorporate the carpet design from the hotel’s interior on the border, but eventually determined it was going to upstage the image.

 

Digital ink drawing of The Overlook Hotel.

 

I discarded that concept, and set to work on illustrating the Overlook in Procreate on my iPad, based off of the reference imagery I had obtained from both the internet, and the (original) film itself. I didn’t have a very clear shot of the hotel with it’s original façade from the film, so I had to rely on multiple images. Thankfully the building (Oregon’s Timberline Lodge) is still standing, and quite famous, so I was able to get current images. I primarily used the Round Acrylic Brush, Old Skin, and an Inking Brush to create the image.

Side Note: the infamous interior is actually based on the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park, California. Neither of these locations are what inspired Stephen King’s novel, which is based on the The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.

I determined that, in order for the concept to read, I would need to add some environmental images surrounding the hotel.  Looking back at my reference, I determined the best choices would be to include the mountains, and the tree line to flesh it out. This really helped get the image to the ‘edges’ of the canvas, however, I was still left with negative space above, and below even after changing the format from vertical to horizontal when I ditched the stationary idea. Once again, I needed to pull from the film, and then I realized how I could transition back out into the negative space.

The blood.

I realized that using the blood from the elevator scenes I could transition from the tree line to the negative space less awkwardly. I feel like this addition also gave the image a more interesting look than before I applied it, and it tied back nicely into the film. 

Now, to be honest, I think I over detailed the hotel image, because when I finally finished the piece, and applied the text as I planned, it just wasn’t legible. Also, the amount of detail and time I spent on the hotel was completely wasted here. While I really wanted to use this concept, I determined it just wasn’t going to work for this piece, but it was something I plan on utilizing in another image in the future for sure. I like to experiment with my personal work either by learning new techniques or simply adding variety to my portfolio, and these gallery projects give me the freedom to do that which I am so thankful for.

(Note to self: remind self during Thanksgiving, so when someone asks you have an answer. Also apologies for the tangent).

 

With that in mind, we pivot…again…lol.

I was a bit irked about the change, however, I figured I could still include part of my original concept into the image by utilizing the positive space in which the blood occupied. By placing the text inside, I could still include at least a nod to my original concept if nothing else. 

 

'Final' tonal image of The Overlook Hotel.

 

It was at this juncture that I took the piece into Adobe Photoshop to run some edits, including the text (Mom’s Typewriter), and color application. I originally did the piece entirely in variations of gray to simply imply tone and value, as I was not originally intending for the image to be this detailed. Given the context of the piece, and well…the blood, I thought a monochromatic red motif worked best. I then took the project back into Procreate to rough up the text a bit and make sure it wasn’t extending past the blood border.

 

With that done, I was finally ready to get the image proofed (with SGX), which thankfully, didn’t need a second pass. I then requested a final run, and sent it off the gallery in record time for once.

I started the piece on January 5^th, 2024, and finished it on February 15^th, 2024. For this piece I needed a starker contrast, so instead of sketching it, I ‘inked’ it, which took me a cumulative eighty two (82) hours, and thirty (30) minutes. This also included the time spent painting the interior of the hotel, mountains, and hand rendering the forest. I also spent some time in Illustrator (twelve [12] hours and ten [10] minutes), and Photoshop (roughly three [3] hours), editing the piece for a grand total of ninety seven (97) hours, and forty (40) minutes. 

 

Revamped 'final' image to incorporate the typography, and monochromatic overlay.

 

The 14” x 11” image (printed on100lb Cover, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s  ‘Location Scout Show’ , a group show paying homage to some of the most memorable locations in film and television, which opened online April 26^th, 2024. The prints are part of a limited run of fifty (50), and at this time, are exclusively available via the gallery, so please check their website for all remaining works related to the show including mine.

Final 14' X 11" image on 100lb Cover.

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

 

 

The Killing

As part of their annual line-up for 2024, Gallery1988 was having a show dedicated to the works of the late great director, Stanley Kubrick. I have seen a handful of Kubrick’s films including ‘The Shining’, ‘A Clockwork Orange’, and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, so I was familiar with his eccentric process of film making. What I was not familiar with, was Kubrick’s earlier works, prior to finding what I would call his ‘voice’, or signature style. I decided that I wanted to explore early Kubrick, and perhaps bring some attention to his less famous works. I also wanted to avoid doing fan service to his wildly popular works, particularly ‘The Shining’, as there is a plethora of artwork dedicated to the film already.

 

Grainy still I was using as a reference for both the sketches and color (the film is black and white).

I started first by going through Kubrick’s portfolio, and seeing what, if anything, stood out to me. I went through and read the synopsis of many of his films, and then decided that I should probably check to see if any of them were on an available (streaming) platform to watch. At the time, ‘The Shining’ was playing on cable, so I was able to record that as a backup if needed. I then ended up watching a few of his films on ‘Pluto TV’, which I highly recommend to anyone. It’s a free service (from what I understand), and they have all sorts of modern, and classic material to watch (some on demand).

 

I ended up settling on his 1956 film-noir, ‘The Killing’, written by Kubrick and Jim Thompson, which was based on the Lionel White novel, ‘Clean Break’.

The story, which I will try not to spoil, is basically an ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ style crime heist film featuring many moving parts, and a colorful cast of characters. The film features the performances of Sterling Hayden (Johnny), Coleen Gray (Fay), Vince Edwards (Val), Jay C. Flippen (Marvin), Marie Windsor (Sherry), Elisha Cook Jr. (George), and Timothy Carey (Nikki), among many, many other.

It also it heralded as one of the biggest influences on Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Reservoir Dogs’, and credited for attracting the attention of legendary actor Kirk Douglas. Douglas sought out Kubrick after seeing this film to direct the war drama ‘Paths of Glory’.

Kubrick (allegedly) also took no payment for this film.

Incredible.

 

One of the many promotional images for the film I used for inspiration.

After finishing the film, I started to sketch some concepts for an illustration based on it in Procreate on my iPad Pro. Initially I was going to illustrate the main players and place them within the title letters of the movie, in vignettes. I found a production image with the film’s title that I felt would work best with my vision. I still however needed an illustration for the background of the lettering, and thought about how I could ‘encompass’ the theme in one image.

I settled on a scene, which I believe sums that up nicely, at least in my opinion. It’s also hard for me to elaborate without completely ruining the entire film, but I will say this, I found it almost hilariously ironic for a picture of this nature.

That said, the scene takes place at an airport where there is an incident with some luggage.

The idea came about rather quickly, and I got the initial sketch down for my concept. At the time I was also working on some other projects (this one and this one), so I put this one on hold, and would jump back a few months later.

 

Final layout with completed sketches ready for color.

 

When I did return to the image, I noticed I was short on time meaning my original concept would need some adjusting. I started by first vectoring out the typography in Adobe Illustrator as I could not determine the font used. I then adjusted the layout, and title until I was satisfied with its scaled and placement.

I also determined that illustrating each character no matter how small was going to be a momentous task, so I instead thought about placing a single image within the typography instead. Since the film is basically a heist at a race track I figured that would contrast nicely with the background image, telling the narrative of the film without revealing too many details.

 

Title and sketch of jockeys inside the font.

With all my concepts in place, and reference material attained, I set to work illustrating each individual piece. I started first the airport scene and did my best to capture its likeness. It was rather difficult given the graininess of the imagery I had to work with, so determining where some things began, ended, or even what they were was arduous. My next task was then to illustrate the luggage and its contents as it fills the air. This was more enjoyable, but quickly became tedious (for obvious reasons).

I drew each one of those.

Each. One.

When that was done, I had to track down a picture of jockeys on a race-track, as the film doesn’t really contain any decent shots I could work with. I ended up using a reference from the film for the jockey’s clothing (for continuity), and a modern still. I then drew them out in the same manner as the rest of the illustrated elements, and then prepared for color.

 

Final colored image 11"x 17" on 100lb Cover.

The color process didn’t take too long, except for the luggage contents that we simply won’t talk about.

The horses and jockeys were also a bit of a diva, but overall, not too terrible.

The editing process however…that was a different story.

My initial gut feeling was the image was entirely too dark, I knew it.

I tried my best to adjust the contrast, and brightness on the illustration, but eventually I determine I needed to lay eyes on paper to see if any of it was making legible.

I ordered a proof from SGX, and much to my chagrin it needed more adjusting, but only on a few elements.

 

The entire piece was developed in Procreate on my iPad which I started on October 16^th, 2023, and finished on January8^th, 2024. I spent approximately twenty (20) hours, and twenty nine (29) minutes, drawing each of the images with the pencil tool, followed by another forty eight (48) hours, and twenty five (25) minutes digitally painting the piece. I would then proceed to spend at least one (1) hour in Adobe Illustrator creating the title, and another two (2) hours, and thirty (30) minutes, editing the image in Adobe Photoshop. Total time spent, was about seventy-one (71) hours, and twenty-four (24)minutes.

 

Final 11" X 17" image on 100lb Cover.

The 11” x 17” image (printed on 100lb Cover, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ‘Imagination & Technology: A Tribute to Kurbrick’, a tribute show to the works of the late great director Stanley Kubrick. The show was originally scheduled to run from February 16^th, 2024, through March 2^nd, 2024, 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.

 

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

 

Cat Nap

This piece was inspired by Gallery1988’s ‘Off The Leash’ group show, dedicated to the (in)famous pets of pop culture. Initially the gallery sent us a list of loveable companions to choose from, but I didn’t see some of my favorites, so I asked for permission to pick an alternative one. Originally I was going to illustrate ‘Ein’ from ‘Cowboy Bepop’, but seeing as how over saturated the world is with Corgi artwork, I determined a different path was preferable. Instead, I went with the furry felines from the ‘Sailor Moon’ series: Luna, Artemis, and Diana.

 

My first pass at the piece, it included a reference to each season which was too ambitious, and off topic.

This piece went through a few layouts, until I finally landed on the one you see here. My original concept was to do a scene of ‘Usagi’s’ bedroom with the cats in various locations, along with Easter eggs littered about to represent the various seasons of the television series I was familiar with.

This proved to be incredibly difficult, and the further I got along with the image, the less it was about the cats, and the more it became about showcasing different elements from the series.

Eventually I scrapped the layout, and decided I needed a close-up of the cats instead, laying on ‘Usagi’s’ bed. I went about collecting image reference for the cats, and stumbled up a perfect layout of three cats sleeping together. The only problem was I needed a kitten to replace one of the adults in the image to complete my layout.

I would go through two different design options for Diana, before I was able to find a position, and image reference that I could work into the layout.

While Luna, and Artemis took me a fraction of the time Diana did, I was finally able to get my layout finalized.

I then set about cleaning up the image in Procreate (where I started the piece during the ‘sketching’ process). 

 

My second pass, which was still too focused on 'Sailor Moon', and less the furry feline companions.

 

I then exported the image into Adobe Photoshop where I would adjust the layout and the scale of the cats, until I was satisfied. Next I exported the image back to Procreate, where I began the painting process.

Animal fur is not my forte, and I spent a painstakingly long amount of time trying to get the lighting correct. During this phase I spent a lot of time trying to find good lighting reference, and even tried recruiting my own cat (to no avail…cats aren’t great models, or at least mine wasn’t).

After several long hours, I finally finished painting the image, and then took it into Photoshop to adjust the lighting as it was looking entirely too dark. This took me a few hours, and eventually I had something I felt was ready to print.

 

Incomplete sketch of Luna laying on top of Artemis.

 

I then sent the image to the printer for my initial proofing and had them produce two different versions (on different papers).

 

Sketch of Diana, Artemis and Luna's kitten.

I started the piece on October 30^th, 2023 and finished it on December 9^th, 2023. The initial sketching process took me approximately thirty nine (39) hours, and thirty three (33) minutes with the painting process taking me an additional sixty eight (68) hours, and sixteen (16) minutes, with another one (1) hour cleaning up the image, and three (3) hours in Photoshop editing it, for a grand total of one hundred seven (107) hours, and forty nine (49) minutes. 

 

Sketch of all three cats (Artemis, Diana, Luna), atop Usagi's bed.

The 14” x 11” image (printed on 100lb Cover, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ‘Off The Leash’, a group show dedicated to the beloved ‘pets’ of film and television which opened January 26^th, 2024 through February 10^th, 2024 (online). 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 full colored image of the three feline companions (Artemis, Diana, and Luna), from 'Sailor Moon'.

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.

 

Final 14" X 11" image on 100lb cover.

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