Phantom Hand Experiments: Old Gods & Pulp Love

In addition to working on 3 different comics at the moment (which currently must remain under wraps), I have squeezed in a few personal pieces for Phantom Hand Gallery in Philadelphia. Here are some process pics...

For my "Pulp Love" piece (which went up in a show last month, and still has a few prints remaining), I wanted to capture some of the visuals of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, but with a feminine (and somewhat Frazetta-ish) twist...

This tumbnail is the result of several days spent working out the composition and idea)

Final pencil sketch with digital tone laid in.

Final ink with digital separations already done. I colored the secondary line work here green, but in the original, it is done with red sumi ink.

Final digital color. This must have had a million layers in it!

The theme this month is MYTHOLOGY & THE FORGOTTEN GODS. I had a million and one ideas for this, but in the end, I really wanted to do a lovecraftian piece, particularly Cthulhu. I realize he is one of the more recognized deities in Lovecraft's pantheon, but I've never drawn him and I always wanted to. This seemed like as good a chance as any to do so.

This thumbnail is 1 of 15 I did to get the composition right. I wanted to capture the stillness of the beach at night, while adding a horrific element to it. One of my favorite aspects of Lovecraft's stories, is the fact that he considers generally mundane scenery absolutely horrifying.

The pencil sketch, done on canson marker layout paper, with a blown up version of the thumbnail underneath so i maintained my proportions. I added a flying creature on the boat, but he will be missing from the finish. He felt like an afterthought here (which he was), and took away from visual story I was trying to tell.

The inks in progress.

Final ink wash. Done with Chinese painting brishes and sumi ink on Arches hot press watercolor paper.

Final color. I really wanted to work on developing this coloring technique with this project, and I'm fairly happy with the results. Here are some detail shots...

Both of these pieces are available at Phantom Hand Gallery in print form for a modest price. if you live in the area, I strongly suggest coming to the MYTHOLOGY & THE FORGOTTEN GODS show this Friday (March 23rd). There are a slew of fantastic artists participating, and gobs of art available from previous shows (the space is HUGE!). Besides, I hear the weather will be lovely for a walk down South Street. It's spring, so the head shops will be in full bloom ;P