Doctor Sleep

This piece was originally a loose concept I had for Gallery1988’s ‘Location Scout’ show, but just didn’t have the time to fully flesh it out (which you can read about here). For the aforementioned image I depicted the hotel from the original 1980 film ‘The Shining’, with the intention of creating something that also included the sequel ‘Doctor Sleep’, from 2019. I also realized the more I fleshed out the layout, the less it was about the location, and more about me fulfilling a personal need to include everything I wanted from both films. I discarded the idea, but kept the concept on hand for use later. Thankfully, as I made my way through my invitationals for the year, I found a contender with Gallery1988’s ‘Close Your Eyes’.

 

First initial concept for a Doctor Sleep/Shining combo piece.

 

I started the process much like I normally do once I select a subject for my piece. This time however I had a clearer idea of what I already wanted to do with a strong layout already established in Procreate on my iPad Pro. The only thing I really needed to do was locate all the reference material I would need in order to accomplish the task. I began by watching the Mike Flanagan film, which is a direct sequel, to the original Stanley Kubrick film, and stars Ewan McGregor (Danny Torrance), Rebecca Ferguson (Rose the Hat), Kyliegh Curran (Abra Stone), Cliff Curtis (Billy), Zahn McClarnon (Crow Daddy), and Emily Alyn Lind (Snakebite Andi). Also special acknowledgements to both Alexandra Essoe, and Henry Thomas for filling in during those flashbacks. It couldn’t have been easy to embody someone else’s performance. The story itself catches viewers up to the events that leave us with an adult Danny Torrance (McGregor), who reluctantly assists a budding young psychic Abra Stone (Curran), after she draws the attention of the True Knot, led by charismatic Rose the Hat (Ferguson).

 

Final layout design.

 

The film is an audio/visual feast. The Newton Brothers did a marvelous job scoring the film, adding to the tension. I tried my best to capture this in the illustration by using a few tropes from the movie. ‘Steam’ as it is called, plays a heavy role in the story, so I quickly decided to use this as my main device for the narrative image. I knew I also wanted to depict the three major players (Danny, Abra, & Rose), while not overcrowding the layout with faces. The best way to mitigate this I decided was to depict both Danny and Abra, while using Rose’s iconic ‘Hat’, to signify her presence. This also helped ground the illustration.  

For my background I went with the blackboard wall from Danny’s residence, that played a key role between our protagonists. I also wanted to incorporate an element from the film (and subsequent adverts), in which we are presented with the infamous throwback ‘RedRuM’. In this case the literal plaster cracked from the wall. I wanted the word to be legible, but my plan was also to render it slightly obscured by the ‘steam’ I was using as a narrative device.

 

I then moved onto to developing the visages of both Abra, and Danny. It can be a challenge when attempting to capture an actor’s likeness or image from a film. I was very thankful that my reference material was decent enough that I was able to successfully replicate them, and without much struggle. Sometimes it’s a fight. This time I was able to quickly develop the faces, and then go back in later and clean them up.  

 

A collection of sketches ready for the color process.

 

I already knew from my initial design, The Overlook was to be placed central, between the two visages of our heroes. The placement was essential as it is pivotal to both stories, as well as a connecting element that bridges the films. I (reluctantly) utilized my previous illustration from the ‘Location Scout’ show of the hotel, and simply did some editing to make it look abandoned by adding boards onto the windows. I rationalized that reusing this image was the best route to finishing this piece on time, and because it was going to be so small in contrast to the original image, I pulled it from, it would be more implied.

The next step was to determine what to do with some of the negative space I had left. Luckily during my rewatch I gathered a couple of references that could work to fill in the gaps in the piece. Above the hotel, I added Abra’s window, which appears multiple times during the film, and plays a role in the narrative. I also added the skull-moon because it just felt appropriate, no real reason there, there was just space, and I felt like it. It does add some ambiance though I suppose, but I also wanted it to be rather subtle anyhow.

Below ‘The Overlook’, I used the forest as a transitional image that leads us to ‘The True Knot’. Now, originally I wanted to make a knot either out of roadways, or use the shape of the caravan to imply one. Either way, I couldn’t get it to work the way I wanted, and I was also having trouble envisioning how this would transition to the hotel from above. Instead, I opted for a simple approach by choosing to depict one of their RV’s. I found an image from the film that worked well, allowing me to creating the illusion of it emerging from the forest behind. I added the park bench as a reference point for those who recognize it from a rather poignant scene in the film. 

 

Final color adjusted (for legibility) color image.

 

With some time remaining, I decided to add back in, an idea I had but couldn’t figure out how to incorporate. In the film there is a cat (and I LOVE cats), named Azzie (after Azrael the Angel of Death), who would provide bedside solace to numerous patients. While he doesn’t play a huge role in the film, he is based off of an actual cat named Oscar (who passed in 2013, I know, very sad). I determined the best way I could get Azzie into my piece was to create some paw prints as if a cat had walked through the room. I’m not entirely sure it reads, but I wanted to work it in rather subtly anyways.

 

I then sent the piece out to SGX to print.

 

I started this piece on January 5^th, 2024 technically as it was the origin for my ‘Location Scout’ contribution, however I wouldn’t return to it until late August (around the 25^th), 2024. I would complete the piece on September 20^th, 2024 (although adjustments took me to the deadline September 27th, 2024), spending approximately one hundred and six (106) hours on this project. I’ve estimated that about twenty (20) hours were spent sketching all the image, with an additional five (5) hours modifying the original ‘Overlook’, and the remaining time spent digitally painting in Procreate. There was also some time spent editing in Adobe Photoshop adjusting the layout, or resizing images as necessary.

 

Final 11" X 14" image on White Pearl Linen.

 

The 11” x 14” image (printed on White Pearl Linen, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ‘Close Your Eyes’, a group show celebrating spooky season with artworks based on your favorite flicks,

which opened October 11^th, 2024. 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

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LinkedIN: Michael Stiles

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Twitter: stiles_of_art

 

Amigos! Amigos! Amigos!

Inspired by the 1986 film ‘Three Amigos!’ (directed by John Landis), Gallery1988 decided to do a tribute show to the classic comedy. The film stars three legendary actors and comedians: Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short, alongside Alfonso Arau, Tony Plana, and Patrice Martinez. The remaining cast is filled in by an assortment of familiar faces (as are most movies starring SNL alumni), along with a large cast of characters that fill the small fictitious village in Mexico, where most of the film takes place. It is here in the village of Santa Poco, where the story takes place involving a classic villain, and a village in need of heroes!

Loose concept for Amigos! Amigos! Amigos! alongside some notes.

 

I recall seeing this movie at least once, but the details were rather hazy, so I went into research mode. This typically involves me watching said film which happened to be available on MAX to stream at the time. I reviewed the film, and after familiarizing myself with the story, I set about brainstorming howI could properly capture the nature of this film.

 

I’m not sure at what stage it was, but relatively early on, I had the idea of creating a ‘Where’s Waldo’-style page with the Amigos. Now if you haven’t seen the film, this concept will be entirely lost on you. If you have, you’re probably thinking…Ohhhhhhhhh!

Right?

Well, I immediately set to work getting shots from the film to adapt into a cartoon looking version of the village, along with other various elements from the movie I was going to depict.

I also really needed some reference material for the ‘Waldo’ page. I know I could do it, but it would be much easier if I had a visual example so I could determine how best to layout my piece.

Luckily, I had a friend who happened to have a ‘Waldo’ book they let me borrow (thank you Sandra).

 

Preliminary sketches with completed telegram.

 

I began working on first designing the ‘postcard’ that each ‘Waldo’ page has upon opening it to a new section.

In this case, I suppose I could have used a postcard, but thankfully the film starts out with a very important and misleading telegram from a concerned resident of Santa Poco addressed to the Amigos. I opted instead to recreate an authentic looking telegram from the time-period of the film (1916). I had to rewatch the film to get the verbiage correct on the message sent, and then needed to find images online of actual telegrams from that era.

I then took my sketches into Adobe Illustrator, and vectored out the design, while also utilizing several fonts for the telegram itself (Courier New, American Typewriter Semibold/Condensed, and Mom’s Typewriter).

 

Final digital inking of Santa Poco.

 

I then exported the final product back into Procreate as a PNG, digitally painted it to looked aged, and added a shadow as well (like the ‘Waldo’ books).

Next, I set about sketching out the background and village.

This took some time as I’m not that skilled of an artist with perspective, and the ‘Waldo’ books have a very specific one. I did my best to capture the spirit, and then proceeded to cleaning up the drawings for color.

After inking the linework, I then quickly applied color as my deadline was rapidly approaching.

I stuck to a very limited color palette as I noticed this was one of the key details that they use in the book which causes confusion for the eye. It’s difficult to ‘eliminate’ details when looking for something if it falls within a similar pattern as the elements surrounding it, go figure.

 

With the background, and buildings all finished I went to work at adding my ‘Amigos’ into the mix.

This also proved to be REALLY, tedious after a while. I did enjoy some of the process and had fun with it, but soon ran out of ideas for what the ‘Amigos’ could be doing.

I also started to include various Easter Eggs to reference other parts of the film, some more obvious than others. If I had the time I would have included more, but I was on a deadline, and even at that, I had asked for an extension of a few days to finish. The overlap of this show and my last one, made it almost impossible to finish this one on time.

I intentionally chose to do something simple for both shows, and while this piece was the more complicated of the two, I thought I could get it done in time. I was under A LOT of stress.

 

Final color.

 

 

Thankfully with this piece’s color palette, I really wasn’t concerned about proofing, and it did turn out great on the first run. I’m not sure if I’d ever do another image like this, but it was a learning experience and gives me much more appreciation to the artist(s) who work on the ‘Waldo’ books. I discovered that it usually takes about six (6) to eight (8) weeks for an illustrator to finish one page for the ‘Waldo’ books which seems like a lot, but trust me, it’s not. I on the other hand started this one sheet (the books are usually a double spread), on August 1^st, 2024, and finished it on August 18^th, 2024 (originally due on the 16^th). I spent two (2) hours in Adobe Illustrator, fifty-five (55) hours, and fifteen (15) minutes in Procreate, and around forty-five (45) minutes editing in Adobe Photoshop, totaling in around fifty-eight (58) hours.

 

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

 

The 11” x 14” image (printed on 100lb Cover, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ‘Three Amigos!’, a group show paying homage to this charming comedy which opened August 30^th, 2024. 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.

 

*UPDATE 9/29/24

The piece is currently sold out at the gallery.

 

Website: www.michaelstiles.com

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LinkedIN: Michael Stiles

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(Get A) Clue!

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

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

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

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

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

 

Rough layout and placement as done in Adobe Illustrator.

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Flattened final image.

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Prototype of fortuneteller with header in the background.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

The final product bagged with header.

 

The fortuneteller is approximately 8.5” x 8.5” (completely flattened), and is printed on 80lb Cover (thank you SGX). The piece was made for Galler1988’s ‘Clue’, a group show dedicated to the beloved film ‘Clue’ from 1985. The show opened August 30^th, 2024. At this time the fortunetellers are exclusively available via the gallery, so please check their website for all remaining works related to the show including mine*.

 

For more information, or to see a catalog of my other work, please visit my online store here.

You can also find me on various social media platforms below doing a multitude of other artistic things that include hand lettering, and the occasional sculpting, crafting or painting.

 

*UPDATE: 9/16//24

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

 

Website: www.michaelstiles.com

Etsy: Stiles of Art

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LinkedIN: Michael Stiles

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Chickenfoot

This piece was inspired by Gallery1988’s ‘Smorgasbord’ group show, loosely themed around food, and the mascots many companies use to peddle them, as well as those from film and television that may not actually exist in the real world.

Initially, I had a hard time determining what, or who I was going to depict for my piece.

This show had been scheduled as part of their original line-up, but also happened to land on the same day as their newly introduced ‘Masters’ show, which had me pressed on time. I also had little to no idea about what I was going to create. I flirted with doing a piece utilizing the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from the ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise, but ultimately another idea fell into my lap.

 

First pass at Chickenfoot, which was just...boring.

 

I recalled my love for the franchise ‘Invader Zim’, and felt that this particular project would fulfill that need for a Jhonen Vasquez inspired piece. I typically steer clear of animation for my inspirations since their identifiability revolves primarily around the design or style of the series. For me, this means it needs to look close enough like the original to be recognizable without being outright plagiarism…not sure I succeeded there, but I did draw the whole thing by hand, so…it’s at least a testament to my skills in following a style….?

I digress…in the show, Vasquez creates a wildly creative vision that borders on the ludicrous. There are several fast food franchises in the series, one of which is prominently showcased in the episode “The Sad, Sad, Tale of Chickenfoot” (S1,EP18). In the episode, one of the characters seeks to expose a ‘cryptid’ sighting as a fraudulent hoax, which haunts the local ‘Chicky Licky’ fast food chain.

 

I was energized by the concept, and quickly set to sketching some images for the piece.

I thought I could take a simpler approach here, do maybe just a character study similar to the sketch cards I’ve done,  or a cryptid like image poster. The problem was I had a hard time finding any reference for what I had in mind. I wanted something similar in style to those sasquatch images with a full moon I know I’ve seen somewhere.

I’m guessing it was really just a search term issue, but I also didn’t want the design to be too influenced either.

I decided instead to merge my concept, and typical design workflow.

I watched the episode closely, and took note of how I could incorporate my ideas.

I gathered some reference for the piece, along with potential Easter eggs I wanted to add later if time allowed.

Then I set to sketching the establishment our ‘cryptid’ haunts, followed by a few scenarios from the episode including the hospital, and apartment complex. I then added a few extra elements including the ‘Baby’, from the previous half of the episode (“Abducted”), ‘Turkey Neck’, and a floating screen with ‘Professor Membrane’. Both characters have cameos in the episode themselves, but were utilized for their design and placement to keep the image a bit more interesting.

My final task was one I was dreading.

‘Chickenfoot’.

In the episode, ‘Chickenfoot’ is created during a freak accident which results in smoke pouring out of the establishment, which as anyone familiar with my work, is the PERFECT vehicle for creating things out of, or housing a new image within.

That said, I had to find several images to create the pose I had in mind for my main attraction. I wanted it look almost like he was howling in pain or at the moon like some wild creature (contrary to the truth). It wasn’t easy, but I think I eventually worked it out.

Final layout for Chickenfoot.

 

My original plan was I wanted to take these sketches and ‘ink’ them digitally, but I felt it was unnecessary, and it would take entirely too much time, time I was running short on, primarily because this was a two-show deadline, in addition to whatever commission work I have taken on.

Instead, I cleaned up my sketch lines, while retaining their looseness. I felt it complimented the style I was inspired by.

Happy with the images, I exported them into Adobe Photoshop to do some editing, primarily scaling to retain image quality. I also needed to move some stuff around and play with the layout a bit.  

 

My next step was the color process. This is usually the longest step of illustrating a piece for me as I do a lot of guessing in terms of shadows/light/color/etc. Thankfully I had a lot of very applicable image references that worked splendidly. I wanted to set the scene at night so I could utilize the moon as a framing device for ‘Chickenfoot’ like a proverbial spotlight. With all my items in play, I began digitally painting the difference pieces of the illustration, starting with the more complex buildings of the hospital, and apartment complex, before moving on to the smaller images working from back to front. The only exception here being, I did paint the ‘Chicky Licky’ store first before ‘Chickenfoot’, as I knew the limited palette for my main image would be easier to navigate.

 

Final colored image.

 

Upon completing the painting process I took the image back into Photoshop, this time to make some slight adjustments on the colors to get them to all work within a reasonable range of tones. I wasted more time then necessary on one part (‘Chickenfoot’), when all I really needed to do was drop the saturation in order to make it work. Overall, the process really didn’t take too long, primarily because I had such good reference material (IMO).

 

My last step was to get the image proofed so I knew how it was going to look when printed before I send it off to the gallery. Thankfully the image didn’t need any adjusting which is always a relief.

 

I started the piece on April 18^th, 2024 and completed it on May 14^th, 2024. I spent approximately fifty-four (54) hours, and twenty-eight (28) minutes working on the piece. Twenty-nine (29) hours, and forty-three (43) minutes were spent sketching out the assets for the piece. I then spent another twenty-three (23) hours, and seventeen (17) minutes painting the images. Finally I spent around one (1) hour and thirty (30) minutes in Photoshop editing the piece.

 

Final 10" X 10" image on White Pearl Linen.

 

The 10” x 10” image (printed on white pearl linen, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ‘Smorgasbord’, a group show that spotlights many popular foods and their beloved mascots from film and television, which opened  June 7^th, 2024. 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