Mostly I Do Art...

Here it is, the last official drawing of #Inktober . It's #Halloween night, and there's nothing more eerie than that feeling of being the only human inhabitant for miles around and just stumbling upon a scene like this. There are so many questions left unanswered here, like who abandoned the car, and why, and where did they go? Whose luggage is lying by the tracks? Why didn't the train leave? And where is everyone? Unfortunately, here in the South, you don't have to wait for the #zombie apocalypse to see something like this. Just drive down some two lane highway to a place where it meets the tracks. It's in places like this that you'll find these little empty towns - just a hand full of buildings surrounding a wide spot in the road where someone's built a grain elevator or something. Lots of times, these towns wither and die because the new freeway routed people away from here. Remember the Bates Motel? I seem to be stuck on the kick of urban decay. I...

This is probably the best idea for a costume I've had in a long time. It all started when I saw this mask hanging in the store back in early October. I remember staring at it and thinking to myself, "I...MUST...HAVE...DIS..." So I bought it and brought it home. At the time, I had intended to wear it myself, but then - well, it just wasn't scary on me. Enter my tiny assistant and one hand-crafted, custom-made fur suit. (I finally fixed the sewing machine!) The result - a rather disturbing Scare Bear, complete with tummy tattoo and cutie mark. You better believe that the adults handing out candy will remember this little horror amid a sea of bad Joker costumes and surplus Batmans. The originality alone is worth an extra fun size snickers or two. The fact that I put this costume on a child? Pure evil genius...

Okay, so I know that whole #Bioshock thing is getting old, but come on - there's nothing creepier than crazed drug heads in formalwear and animal masks trying to kill you over a can of Spam. It's all so... #Rapture. Bunny Splicer - Bioshock 2 The creepiest part of it all is when you find out why they're dressed like that. When you first encounter these demented bunny men, they've already been here for years. Later, you discover that these crazed party goers are remnants of a masquerade ball, circa 1959. Masquerade Ball Advertisement, in-game Sander Cohen, the artist, also handed out masks like the one below as invitations to his exclusive club. Only the richest and most influential citizens of Rapture received one, and only those who possessed one of these strange masks could get in. If you play the DLC Burial at Sea , you have to steal one of these masks in order to gain access to Cohen's. Bunny Mask - Burial at Sea Over time, these masks ...

Okay, so technically, this is not #Inktober because it isn't ink, but it does fit in with #Drawtober, so I guess I can get over it. Don't hold it against me too hard. I'm tired. Industrial buildings, to me, are kind of creepy anyway. There's all this strange machinery, mazes of stark corridors and unmarked doors, dirty windows that barely let in the light, and all these dark, dingy rooms filled with hulking shadows. Now imagine you're alone and stranded. The building stands empty and silent as the cold, damp wind howls through the broken windows. You squeezed through the gap in the broken door because you wanted to get out of the storm, but in looking for a dry place you got turned around, and now you can't find a way out. It's so dark you're almost afraid to move for fear of falling off some catwalk and landing in the machinery below. The building groans and rattles in the wind, creaking and moaning in a frightening voice. You want to call for ...

This gorgeous Victorian is Chateau Nottebohm in Brecht, Belgium, near Antwerp. Ferdinand Otto Nottebohm originally bought the property in 1834, and expanded it in 1854. In 1909, he completed construction on the central eclectic manor, pictured here, along with a guest house, storage buildings, and farm. Architect Ernest Williams designed the house as a combination of the Neo-Flemish Renaissance and neoclassical cottage styles It has been a private residence, a restaurant, a hotel, and a Nazi Headquarters. It was abandoned in the 1980's, and attempts to sell the estate have been unsuccessful. The view above is the back of the house. Compare it to these photos from the 1900's, when the house was still occupied by the Nottebohm family. I was so intrigued by a photo of the estate I found on Pinterest that I went out of my way to find out what this place was. I had never seen such an elegant architectural flight of fancy such as this. You might feel like you recognize it if...

Here we go, with another contribution to #Inktober or #Drawloween or whatever it is they call it. This is actually #5, and I've gotten behind here because of another project I've been working on, the Halloween Scream Scene . You should click on the link you just passed. If you're looking for haunted house ideas that won't terrify the neighborhood kiddies while still avoiding that groan inducing squee syndrome, then our nefarious works may interest you. They're both creepy and spooky, but without the gore, blood, horror, and terrifying jump scares. Boy, these #hauntedhouse sketches could fill a neighborhood, couldn't they? This monstrous house stands abandoned deep in the woods. No one recalls who used to live there, only that the house has been there for almost as long as the forest itself.  Nature is slowly swallowing the formal garden and the animals have taken over the halls, but this brick enigma seems defiant, holding on to the last of its dignity in s...

Greetings, all you gals and ghouls! It's our favorite time of the year here at Studio 71 - HALLOWEEN! With that being said, I have a fiendish assortment of props and scenes to share today. Our Halloween Scream Scene is a spooky, haunted mansion set back in a creepy, swampy forest. (Bear in mind, I have smaller children who aren't so into the "scary", so these are gore and horror free.) Have a look! We begin our tour of the Haunted Mansion in the overgrown gardens outside. This large rat seems to have stolen a bone from somewhere nearby. (Lol. The rat is electronic and can be triggered remotely.) The sign warns to continue with caution. We stumble on the mansion's private cemetery, overgrown and forgotten. A weathered skeleton has been uncovered and stares out from the dead grass. Perhaps this is where the rat found his bone. Near the front door of the house we find a strange little garden gnome. He seems to be watching for something. Could i...

Greetings, and Happy Halloween. So, I'm running a little behind schedule, but as my mother would say, better late than never. It's #Inktober, and here's #4 in our #hauntedhouse theme - 1108 Briarwood Trail. This house is a little bit different from the other entries. Its creep factor comes not from a feeling of abandonment and decay. The house itself is immaculate, shiny and well-kept, like a coloring book page. The tree outside seems only bare, not dead, and clouds seem to be reflected in the upper windows of the tower. But look a little closer. Doesn't it look like the front porch has teeth? And those upstairs windows - they almost look like angry eyebrows. This building has lots of sharp, pointy spindles and harsh angles. The panels of the front doors mimic the design of the teeth-shaped decorations around the porch. The house seems to be urging you to get into its mouth...Uh, no thanks...

Sketch #3 210 Magnolia Lane The 3rd in our #hauntedhouse series for #INKtober is 210 Magnolia Lane. This magnificent Victorian gingerbread style home may have once been the envy of the block, but is now badly in need of repair. The siding is haphazard, the windows are broken, and the roof obviously leaks. The foundation has crumbled, causing the house to settle unevenly. Even though the porch appears sound, the broken post suggests caution. From this angle, it's impossible to tell whether or not the door is open, but even if it was, I'm not sure I would enter. Did the living room curtain just move? In every town, there's always that one house that people don't like to walk past. No one really knows why. It always feels like there's someone watching you, even though you're pretty sure no one could possibly live there. It's the sort of house that you stand across the street from and just stare at. Was that a shadow moving past the kitchen window...

Sketch #2 568 Bayou Gulch Drive The 2nd in our #hauntedhouse series for #INKtober, 568 Bayou Gulch Drive. This house has begun to deteriorate, as evidenced by the collapsed side porch and curiously leaning tower. The front door stands open, and it almost seems as though someone (or something) is watching from a corner window. The tattered curtain is pulled back, though it's too dark to see what's inside. The view of the house from street level is intimidating, like something from a horror movie. This house holds a special place for me. It is a reproduction of The Haunted Mansion in Disneyland, Paris. Of all the Haunted Mansion incarnations, this particular one almost exactly matches what I think of when someone says "haunted house". It has similar architectural features to the home of the Munsters, as well as the home of the Addams Family, and that of Norman Bates. This #penandink is red BIC gel pen shaded with purple colored pencil. The combination of re...

Sketch #1 14 Crescent Place Happy Halloween and welcome to INKtober! I'm trying a new way of using the Sketchbook space here by adapting a monthly theme. At the beginning of the month, I choose a new theme and a new sketchbook, then I stick to that theme for the entire month. This month, obviously, is HALLOWEEN - one of our favorite times of year around here at Studio 71. We've got lots of projects going for the holiday, but let's begin with the first...INKtober! This series of sketches will be required to meet certain criteria: 1.) The sketch must be in INK, but the type of ink is irrelevant. Other medium, such as colored pencil or crayon, can be added, but the sketch itself must be in ink. 2.) The sketch must be in the official book (pictured above). 3.) The sketch must fit the theme. In this case, the theme is Haunted House. A haunted house, for the sake of this theme, is any structure, public or private, that appears abandoned, disused, dilapidated, or oth...

Been gone for a while, but I'm back, and what's more, it's almost HALLOWEEN!! You know me - I'm already trying to spookify the house (much to the confusion of my neighbors). This #oilpainting is on a 16X20 stretched linen canvas (the pre-made kind from Hobby Lobby, cause I'm lazy.) I've used several different brands of paint here, including #grumbacher #bobross #windsorandnewton #artiststouch and #dalerandrowney. I like grumbacher because of its smooth consistency, but sometimes the colors seem too translucent and it tends dry very quickly for oil, so you have to keep the palette covered with plastic wrap when you're not using it. I don't use any medium other than #grumtine because I don't really care for the shiny effect that stand oil or linseed oil leave behind. A limited color palette helps maintain the focus in this painting. I used ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, payne gray, and white with just the tiniest touch of yellow ochre and v...

I'm trying a new medium with this piece. Instead of using markers, I used watercolors. Overall, I think it turned out well. Besides, the study of anatomy and proportions is so much more interesting with zombies. This one in particular must be regretting her choice of cinder block necklace - that is, if she had enough mind left to have any regrets. After all, wouldn't a zombie still be wearing the trademark of whatever killed it the first time? If you've read the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies , the girls encounter a similar tragic zombie near the bridge to town - a former friend of theirs who killed herself by tying a large rock around her neck and jumping from the bridge. In the book, she appears from the water still wearing the rock she was tied to. Our lonely bride sports a similar accessory, though a bit more modern, and her clothes bear the telltale signs of having been submerged in some pond or river. She is mud splattered and moldy, but still bears a stro...

Here's another product of my efforts to improve my abilities in inking and coloring. I've finally found an inking technique that I'm comfortable with, so now it's just down to perfecting the details. This image was drawn with pencil, then inked with Prismacolor Premier and painted with Faber-Castell PITT Brush Markers and acrylic paint. Personally, I'm kind of fond of this image, not only with the way it turned out but also with the subject matter. I've often wondered what zombies think about when there are no brains around. If one found a mirror, would he have the self awareness to recognize his own reflection? Or would it simply be entertained and confused by the moving image in the glass, kind of like a parakeet? #drawing #art #sketching #markerart #fantasy #zombie #penandink #chattanooga #graphicarts

"Nothing is more disturbing to the mind than a corruption of the human form..."                                                                                                  - Josiah Pilgrim, Brother Death Still giving it my all to improve my work. Today, I've been working on my inking technique, which has been, in the past, kind of sloppy. Here, I'm using a combination of techniques - the three line draftsman technique and the hatching technique. The draftsman technique used a well-defined line thickness hierarchy to represent certain features. The outline of the figure, called the silhouette line, is the thickest of the three and is used to separate the figure from the background. Brush tip markers work well for this and can add variabl...

While simple in design and style, these military reproduction medals are more than convincing, even at close inspection. "Sons of Liberty" medal is strung from whip-stitched white sateen ribbon. "Pathfinder" medal hangs from whip-stitched tartan taffeta ribbon. Both medals have easy fasten pin backs. These medals were used as a part of the Halloween "Steampunk Pirates" costumes and received rave reviews. While these two medals were hand sewn, I will admit that the design's aesthetic appeal could be improved with a machined stitch. The ribbons themselves are made from an 6 inch length of 1 1/2 inch wide ribbon. A mark was made designating the center and the pin was sewn on to what would become the back. The ribbon was then folded wrong sides together and carefully stitched down either side before being sewn into a tapered point by folding the corners toward the back and sewing them together. The medals are suspended from stainless jeweler's rin...

"Pax in Exercitu", translated, "Peace through Strength". Pen and ink on 10 lb. cold pressed paper. This is the second in a series of symbolic designs. The theme here is one of knightly nobility, since the motto expressed in the banner is one often used by military groups. The horse has been used for centuries as a symbol of nobility and knighthood, Roses, crosses, chain mail, hawk feathers, lions, crowns, and rosary beads compliment the theme. #Art #PenandInk #Inktober #TattooArt #Skull #Surrealism #Drawing #Sketching

"In Mortem Speramus", translated, "In Death We Trust". Pen and Ink on 10 lb. cold pressed paper. This is the first in a series of symbolic designs. The theme is the mysteries of death. The crow has long been considered a spirit messenger, and the symbols he carries help him with his task; the scythe for reaping souls, the lantern to guide the newly departed, keys to open the gate to the underworld, and a coffin adorned with a mandala constructed from two symbols of rebirth. He emerges from the misty veil in the cloak of death and calls to lost souls to join him. #Inktober #Art #Drawing #PenandInk #TattooArt #Surrealism #Symbolism

Baron Samedhi, or as he was also known, the Baron of the Cemetery, was a voodoo spirit that presided over the newly deceased. So what better costume to wear to a zombie walk than the voodoo zombie overlord himself? The entire costume was hand made especially for the 2014 zombie walk sponsored by Red Towers Entertainment. It included a black, three piece undertaker's suit, prop bottle of absinthe, cane, cigar, and assorted plastic snakes and spiders. The makeup was modeled after the Baron Samedhi's costume from the James Bond movie Live and Let Die . While it isn't really all that terrifying, it was very easily recognized, and was specifically designed not to upset or frighten children. After all, the Baron was more inclined to enjoy the fun rather than terrify the populace, and so were we... #zombie #cosplay #costume #halloween #baronsamedhi

Ah, yet another hand-made Victorian style men's top hat, this one in decadent brown suede and green silk. It features a heavy canvas cloth rise with soft suede padded crown and wide, molded brim. The interior is fully lined in brown suede to match. The trim is made from silk ribbon with handmade decorative accents including a watch, hand cut gears, and gemstone brooch. The hat was designed to accompany a matching London Fog men's overcoat in green with leather trim and was specifically made to sit canted as shown. #steampunk #victorian #edwardian #costume #cosplay #vintage