The Real McCoy

This piece was originally created for Gallery1988’s final show dedicated to a fandom with some serious longevity, Star Trek. The show was set to celebrate the franchise and it’s 60^th anniversary, encompassing the original television series, and its multitude of spin-offs.

 

A simple layout and vision for the initial project.

The show or franchise, is loosely based around the concept of space exploration on a much more advanced and grander scale anyone reading this will likely ever see given the level of technologically depicted on screen. The main objective (or prime directive) in the show is to discover life beyond Earth, one primarily of diplomacy and non-interference. The (first) ship named Enterprise, is run by a captain name James T. Kirk (William Shatner), who is joined by a group of series regulars forming the bridge portion of the show (a main setting).  

 

My sketch composite of DeForest Kelley, as Dr. Leonard McCoy, while portraying several other occupations.

I was pretty familiar with the franchise as my parents watched it religiously, on the only television in the house. The show was in syndication, and managed to garner an even larger fanbase long after it was cancelled. It would go on to produce several films, and even a documentary about it’s fanbase. Once again, the issue with tackling a subject like Star Trek which has been around almost twice as long as the last project, there’s also A LOT of artwork dedicated to it. Likes oodles. Tons.

 

'Inked' version of DeForest Kelly, as Dr. Leonard McCoy, masquerading as various other skilled professions.

I spent some time attempting to come up with a lucrative idea, but my deadline was looming, so, I pivoted to an idea I had based off a t-shirt I owned. The shirt depicted a black graphic stylized image of Alfred Hitchcock wearing sunglasses while holding a boombox. It’s such a strange juxtaposition that it gave me an idea.

 

Close up of Deforest Kelley as Dr. Leonard McCoy, well..you get it by this point. 

In the show, there are several characters aboard the ship that they live on, however only a few main cast members are ever really introduced to us. One character in particular always spoke a language I truly understood, sarcasm, and that was none other than the incredible Doctor Leonard McCoy (as played by DeForest Kelley), or ‘Bones’ as he was often referred to. In the show there was a running joke, in which Dr. McCoy would often be placed in a situation he was not prepared nor skilled for. His response would almost always include a reminder that he was ‘..a doctor...”, and most certainly not whatever it was he was being asked to do at the time. I always found it funny, so I wanted to capture this in some way.

 

I decided, that much like the Alfred Hitchcock example from above, I could perhaps ironically design McCoy with different accessories or clothing that told a different story than what his rebuttals were trying to convey. I also wanted to keep the image graphic, but as I progressed through the piece, I realized without color it was just going to look unfinished. I also had the challenge of how I was going to incorporate a way of explaining the image and each of the items McCoy was wearing. 

 

Second panel featuring a brick...and a trowel, plus lots of pretty stars. 

 

I first started by determining how I was going to alter his appearance in order to portray all the different occupations he’s been saddled with. I went through a list of quotes from the show, and picked out the ones that would be an easy enough read. I made sure to give his attire a look that reflected the era the show was filmed (even though it’s set in the future, the abundant 1970’s production values cannot be ignored). Sadly, I couldn’t get all of the ‘occupations’ into the image, but I think it was successful overall.

 

The next task was creating enough contrast from the background and my now inked graphic version of the actor. I determined I was going to have to fill him in with color, which was not initially planned for, given the design, it shouldn’t be that arduous. I decided to offset him with the official logo design that all the characters from the show wear to give the layout a bit more complexity. I then made a creative decision, and used the negative space within him to house some stars. Creatively this was a great idea, but the execution proved to be tedious as I had to painstakingly go in and clean up the overflowing ‘stars’ that ran into the positive space of the image.

 

The third panel which can't be missed, featuring a pocket, and wrench.

With my illustration complete, it was still lacking the context needed to be fully realized. I thought about how I could incorporate some text into the image to relay my piece’s overall concept, and then came up with the idea (based on of something I was doing at work), to use some diagonal lines. I used the primary colors from my palette, and faded them slowly in to the background as to not distract too much from the main image. I’m still not entirely sure how successful the outcome was, but it did accomplish what I intended.

 

I started the image on February 1^st, 2026, and finished it on March 29^th, 2026…it was due on March 27^th, and I was also at a convention that started the 27^th…it was a rough one. I spent approximately eleven (11) hours, and fourteen (14) minutes sketching the image, followed by another thirteen (13) hours, and twenty-five (25) minutes inking it. The painting process itself took fifteen (15) hours, and eight (8) minutes, with a final twelve (12) hours, and eight (8) minutes adding the stars, and editing the piece, totaling in at fifty-two (52) hours, and eight (8) minutes.

 

Final 11" x 14" image on display sarcastically sympathizing with you the whole time.

The 11” x 14” image (printed on White Pearl Linen, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ‘Star Trek 60^th Anniversary’, a group show honoring the franchise and it’s longevity which opened online April 7^th, 2026, as part of their final (official) exhibition. 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

 

MATER SUSPIRIORUM

I usually don’t have something in mind for a show beforehand, but occasionally, I will have an idea or concept for a something that has really resonated with me. Thus was the case with this particular illustration. That said, when I saw the announcement for Gallery1988’s ‘Cover Your Eyes’, I knew this exactly what I was going to do...or so I thought. I love horror movies, and I avoided this one like the plague for a myriad of reasons, however the biggest mental hurdle for me was that it was a remake (of sorts). In retrospect it was foolish, as it stars a plethora of talent que j’adore, including Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Chlöe Grace-Moretz, Mia Goth, and yes…remarkably, even more Swinton. While this version of ‘Suspiria’ (2018), gets a lot of hate (my atonement pending), I for one will take the controversial stance to say that the remake, revision, reimagining, whatever…is better. In my opinion it does nothing but pay homage to the original every step of the way, and yet somehow become even more sinister than it’s predecessor. It dials the tension way up with stark visuals which make the atmosphere that much more dreary, all the while, accompanied by a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack from Radiohead front man Thom Yorke.

My 'final' layout which was mostly realized.

Originally, I wanted to do a triptych of the ‘Three Mothers’ from the original Dario Argento trilogy featuring Mater Suspiriorum, Mater Lachrymarum, and Mater Tenebraum. The Mother of Sighs, Mother of Tears, and Mother of Darkness. Each of the three-matron chthonic deities were featured in one (or more) of Argento’s series, starting with the original 1977 version of Suspiria (Mother of Sighs), followed by Inferno (Mother of Darkness), and finally Mother of Tears Which gave us the finale exactly three decades later (2007). The premise of the ‘Three Mothers’that Argento developed the films from, is loosely based on Thomas de Quicey’s ‘Suspiria de Profundis’, or precisely, a section entitled “Levanna and Our Ladies of Sorrow”. It alleges that along with their being three Fates, and Graces, there are also the Sorrows, of which Argento derives his ‘Three Mothers’.

 

Color palette inspired from Dario Argento's 'Suspiria' (1977) featuring Jessica Harper as Suzy Bannion.

 

Close up of central figure Susie Bannion (as played by Dakota Johnson).

I quickly discovered I wasn’t going to have time to do all three, so I instead went with the latest installment of the franchise. There were several elements I wanted to include, but overall, I think I was able to closely capture what I had envisioned. The only part that I couldn’t fully realize was the placement of the hands over Johnson’s eyes.

After I completed the sketch of her, and the hands that were supposed to go over her face, it just no longer ‘worked’, so I ditched it. The hands with the hooks, profiles were deliberately placed to provide the illusions of horns, and a triple goddess structure with the opposing visages of Madame Veva Blanc & Mother Markos. The last element I wanted to portray was how manipulated so many of the players in this film were, particularly the dancers. I established this by depicting our ‘ritual’ girls in the center, tangled in a cats cradle who’s designed was based on the (floor) pattern used for the ‘Volk’ performance in the film.

 

Close of left side featuring Madame Veva Blanc (Tilda Swinton).

I went with a color palette on this one that was more monochromatic but also contained a few contrasting hues that I think really helped push the values on this one. I basically took the color scheme from the original film which was much more vibrant. In fact, the shape above Johnson’s head is the stained glass window from the original film which isn’t even in the new version. I needed a design element for the empty space, so this was my way of including all my colors in one spot and paying homage to the original. While nothing ever gets completely realized one hundred percent in an artwork, I think I managed to capture the essence of what I set out to do. If I had a little more time on this, already very delayed piece, I would have liked to clean up the cat’s cradle a bit more to provide more contrast and dimension.

 

Close up of Helena Markos (Tilda Swinton).

I started the piece on June 24^th, 2025, and completed it on October 19^th, 2025 barely in time for the opening, even with an early start provided by the delay of my previous piece (BILL LINK). I spent approximately forty (40) hours, and thirty-three (33) minutes constructing the intial sketches and layout for the piece, with an additional ninety-four (94) hours, and fifty-eight (58) minutes digitally painting the image. 

 

Image capture from Luca Guadagnino's 'Suspiria'(2018) featuring the floor diagram design for the 'Volk'.

I was once again so pressed for time, I couldn’t proof the image. Thankfully this show was an online release, and I didn’t need to produce a physical image to provide to the gallery. I did however proceed with getting a proof made, and thankfully, the image needed no adjustments.

 

Close up of the 'Ritual' girls (Mia Goth / Elena Fokina / Chlöe Grace-Moretz).

The 11” x 17” image (printed on White Pearl Linen, thank you SGX), was made for Gallery1988’s ‘Cover Your Eyes’, a celebration of spooky season from a cadre of artists paying homage to your favorite flicks, which opened October 21^st, 2025. 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 11" x 17" image on white pearl linen.

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

 

 

LIQUID TELEVISION

Typically, when I get a list of show I am doing for the year, I try to quickly plan out, or at least brainstorm what I will do for each one. There are times (more as of recently), when a concept or idea is too abstract, and it isn’t cohesive with the theme. This was the case with my contribution to Gallery1988’s ‘I Want My MTV’, a group exhibition dedicated to celebrating the programming of the legendary station.

The bottle which would appear during the introduction to MTV's 'Liquid Television'.

 

As I alluded to above, this piece went through a few changes. Initially I was going to portray either George Michael, or Madonna, but as I looked over the prompt, I realized this was more about the station’s original content, than their musical offerings. Then I toyed with doing something based on the channel’s short lived series ‘The Maxx’, by Sam Keith , a comic originally published by Image Comics. Discouraged with that development, I then turned to Peter Chung’s dystopian animated series turned film, ‘Aeon Flux’. I however ran into a similar issue which really wasn’t surprising. I typically like to try to make sure that whatever I am depicting is recognizable. With an actual person, that is easier to tackle (in my personal opinion), however with an animated image…it starts to skirt a legal issue if it’s ‘too close’ to the original, which I understand. It’s a delicate balance, and one I didn’t feel like undertaking. I was also lacking inspiration within the material itself. Nothing resonated with me from either of the two series, and I recall enjoying them immensely when they originally aired. I then thought for a moment, and realized that, instead of depicting ‘Aeon Flux’ or ‘The Maxx’, I could represent both, which (I believe), got their start on another show called ‘Liquid Television’.

 

Sketch of the bottle from the show's intro. 

During this era of the early 90’s there was an underground animation festival that was known as ‘Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Festival of Animation’. It was originally an offshoot of another festival that started back in the late 1970’s, and featured shorts that coincided alongside other tours including the X Games, ComicCon, and Vans Warped Tour. The festival featured animated shorts that launched many careers, and even entire franchises (like ‘South Park’). MTV sought to capitalize on this fringe community of animators, and presented them with the opportunity to showcase their talents on their ‘Liquid Television’ program. 

 

Color design for acrylic, glow in the dark keychain with cut-lines.

  

‘Liquid Television’, like the ‘Twisted Festival…’, also featured many creations that are now full fledged intellectual properties, like Mike Judge’s ‘Beavis & Butthead’/‘Office Space’, and Chung’s ‘Aeon Flux’. The animation showcase was created by Japhet Asher, who went on to work on the ‘Aeon Flux’ spin-off series alongside it’s creator Peter Chung. Asher was also featured heavily in both productions, doing voice work, as well as creative directing. The show featured music videos, puppets, and a lot of experimental animation when it premiered in June of 1991. It always opened the same, with a video being liquified into ‘bubbles’, all of which would coalesce into a large bottle that would sort of rattle into place. This bottle also sat on an undulating floor that had televisions swimming within it, indicated by their antennae like a shark’s fin. It was a late night show, and they knew their audience.

 

Illustration with more details added to interior. 

I fixated upon the bottle which to me was the most iconic and (consistently) recognizable element of the show. I decided to recreate the bottle, but try to do something more a bit more interesting with it. After talking with a peer (thanks Kimber!), I decided I wanted to make a physical product for this piece instead of a typical flat print. I looked at my options and checked out some different vendors. After doing some research, and determining what was possible, I realized that while I have done enamel pins, cards, mugs, and more, I have yet to make a keychain. I went to review the vendors available and narrowed it down to one (VOGRACE) that was offering several attractive options. While I had never used them before, they did have decent reviews, so I decided to order a prototype of three keychains.

 

Final illustration image 1/4.

I should note here while it was initially a smooth process, I did have to go back to the original image I had already started to develop and do some editing to make it work as a keychain.  It was a little tedious, and I did have to resend my image file (on May 13^th, 2025), because my linework was too light to read once printed. I’m sure this delayed the process, as I placed my order on May 2^nd, 2025, and didn’t receive them until June 3^rd, 2025. The good news is they arrived, and sort of exceeded my expectations…or maybe I just didn’t have any expectations…I’m not sure.

 

Final illustration image 2/4.

Now with the delay in mind from above, I began to panic as I wasn’t entirely sure these prototypes would arrive in time for the show, let alone in time for me to inspect them, to order for the show. So, I started to flesh out the original image, and expanded upon it, by adding recognizable illustrations from the shorts inside the bubbles that were floating in the bottle. It took some time, and if I had more reference material, I would’ve added even more imagery to the illustration. The problem was with the show being made before the digital revolution, much of the archival footage is of poor quality. I also had to proof the image twice before finalizing it, and even then it really could’ve used a third round. I ironically finished the illustration right about the same time the prototype keychains arrived. Given that both turned out so well, I determined (along with the gallery’s consent) it would be better to offer them as a package deal. 

 

Final illustration image 3/4.

 

I then proceeded to order another fifty of the keychains on June 5^th, 2025 after another round of emails regarding image files with the vendor (which was once again my fault). I also ordered a set of prints to have on hand in case any of these actually sell.

 

Final illustration image 4/4.

I started the piece on April 24^th, 2025, and finished it on June 5^th, 2025. I spent approximately, forty eight (48) hours, and two (2) minutes working on the image, with forty-five (45), hours, and thirty-two (32) minutes of that time being in Procreate. The remaining hours were divided between Adobe Illustrator (one hour and thirty minutes), and Adobe Photoshop (about an hour), editing.

 

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 ‘I Want My MTV’, featuring a collection of artists paying homage to the days when MTV ruled the dial which opened July 15th, 2025. 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.

2" acrylic, glow in the dark keychain/charm. 1/2

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

 

2" acrylic, glow in the dark keychain/charm. 2/2

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