Boo!

It's been awhile since posting- I moved, so it was chaotic for awhile. I have returned to the drawing board- or monitor, so to speak. Leaves are changing and Halloween is around the corner, so what better image to post than our old favorite Frankenstein?
This piece was done for Universal Studios as they were developing what became 'Van Helsing'. I was chosen to do the style guide with a Goth twist to the characters. Needless to say, it was a joy to work on, the kind of assignment you can't get enough of.
The media I used was traditional; I do a charcoal value drawing on Crescent cold press illustration board, fix it with workable fixative (krylon brand). Note: fix artwork outside or in a well-ventilated area, the stuff is really toxic! After letting the fix air out, I then used acrylic washes, building up color, and sometimes using rubbing alcohol to 'pull out' texture. Rubbing alcohol melts acrylic paint so you can remove, or smudge it. Very handy and gorgeous results. After the piece is done, sometimes I'll add Crystal Clear spray (again, toxic, so well-ventilated area when spraying)- it adds a nice sparkle and shine to the finish, but that's mostly if you plan to display the art.
If you have questions or comments I'm all ears. Thanks for stopping by!