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There are no words
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A Glorious Homemade Horror Show
Pay attention now. You’re about to see something truly unique.The other day my friend Paul Clinton turned me on to a fantastic bit of DIY wizardry, and I just have to share. Ladies and gentlemen, witness perhaps the single greatest live-action horror show ever to be built into somebody’s garage: Machine.
Machine is a very ambitious steampunk-themed experience built by twins Gavin and Jason Fox. It was made to be enjoyed by their friends, however given Machine’s newfound popularity on the internet, it makes sense that they plan on doing something for the general public next year.
I invite you to watch the video walkthrough of this homemade masterpiece — this 18-month-in-the-making labour of love — but be sure to stick around afterward. The ‘how it was done’ video that I’ll post at bottom is equally fascinating. And now, watch how Machine was executed with the Engineer’s View. Absolutely inspiring. -
A Stack of Skulls
So some of you might remember the Shrunken Head Corpsing Tutorial I did a while back. At the end of that post I mentioned that I wanted to do a full stack of them; providing that I could find a bunch of similarly sized styrofoam skulls to start from.
Well, I found them! One of the local dollar stores put out some of last year’s Halloween stock, and amongst it were the exact same miniature pirate skulls I had used previously. I took the 5 they had left, whipped out the Apoxie, and got sculpting.The previous tutorial covers how to make them, so I won’t repeat myself here. However repetition was the word of the day, as creating facial features for 5 decayed faces took some doing. On the last two I removed and repositioned the jaws thanks to a great tip from a couple of fellow haunters. The teeth were all sculpted ahead of time using Sculpey. For now they’re just stacked loosely on top of one another, but I’ll have to figure out a way to attach them.(click to embiggen)
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The Making of Horizon
Here’s a stunning, albeit extremely short bit of science fiction that will blow you socks off, especially if you have any appreciation for the process of how art gets made.‘Horizon’ is a gorgeous 15 second film created by Brooklyn’s Mickaël Forrett, one that takes the quality of the ‘personal project’ and rockets it into the same stratosphere as ‘Hollywood’ movie. (Just not the same kind of run time)Kind of leaves you wanting more, doesn’t it? There’s enormous attention to detail and creativity in this little piece, and you want to learn more about the world the artist has created.Take heart. If you enjoy taking things apart and learning how they’re made, Mickaël has put together another film on how it was all done. Even if you’re not a fellow animator, I can’t imagine it would be anything other than fascinating to you. I’ll follow that up with some of his design sketches and matte paintings.Enjoy!
Also seen on Vidpicks! Subscribe today!
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More Halloween Progress
In my workshop of horrors, much evil is afoot. From down the stairs and around the corner, beside the creaky boiler, come the sounds of hammer strikes and children’s wails. The shipments of blood and glue and leather have all arrived, and soon all my monstrosities will be complete.
Muhuhaha! MUHUHUHAHAHAHAH!
So below is a sampling of some of the props I’ve been working on for my 2012 haunted house. There are many more to come, and a few I don’t want to reveal, but I figured I’d offer a sneak peak. Everything pictured here is handmade by yours truly, other than some old knick-knacks I’ve found at garage sales.A few of the props are obviously unfinished, but I figured I’d let you see them anyway. Lots of love and care have gone in to every one. (and a little madness)Enjoy!
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Case Costing
Here’s a look at the latest project I completed for Egg Studios in Nova Scotia. It’s called Case Costing, and it’s an animated look at the costs of healthcare.Some of the illustrations in these piece were done by yours truly, but most of the featured ones were drawn by illustrator Kelly Devoe. Check out his work here. Still more come from Gray’s Anatomy, the now public domain textbook illustrated by surgeon Henry Gray in the early 1900s. I always loved the style and detail of his illustrations and I thought they were a perfect match for the look we were going for.Credits below, but thanks to Evan Kelly for pointing me towards the style of Oliver Jeffers, which I tried to emulate here.Enjoy!Directed and Animated by: Brad GoodspeedIllustration by: Kelly Devoe, Brad Goodspeed, Henry GraySound Design and Mix: Joe Di ProfioProducer: Ben BennetExecutive Producer: Mike HacheyAlso seen on Vidpicks! Subscribe today! -
Creating the Music for Twin Peaks
This little video brought a nostalgic smile to my face this morning, while reminding me of how fulfilling the creative process can be.
I’ve been a fan of Angelo Badalamenti’s musical compositions for many years, after hearing them in David Lynch’s silver screen adaptation of the Twin Peaks saga: ‘Fire Walk with Me’. (The show was fine, but I loved the movie) I listened to that soundtrack over and over again back in my post-college days, while everyone around me was rockin’ it out to Smash Mouth and The Cranberries. (shudder and double-shudder)
That might seem a bit moody of me considering how ‘sad’ the music is, but I was by no means a melancholy 20-something. I just really appreciated the beauty in these notes, and I liked being reminded of the deeply imagined world that Lynch had created in Twin Peaks.
In the movie and series, Lynch did far more than just recite the events of Laura Palmer’s demise. He created a world filled with malevolent energies, a beautifully odd landscape inhabited by mysterious creatures. Every corner of that world was unique, and every ounce of its making was pure, unadulterated creativity.Below, watch Badalamenti describe the process he went through with Lynch on Twin Peaks, one that appears to have been improvised and organic. If you’ve ever been part of an artistic collaboration, or if an artist has ever helped breathe life into a world you’ve been imagining, I think you’ll enjoy it.Also seen on Vidpicks! Subscribe today! -
Tomorrow is Scarefest!
So what are you doing this weekend, huh?
Right, right… a BBQ at Aunt Sally’s Saturday evening you say? And a trip to the zoo on Sunday? I see, so your plans include the simple pleasures of spending time with family and friends.Sounds boring.I mean, you can do that kind of stuff on any old weekend. This Saturday however, isn’t just any old day. What if I told you there was an opportunity to get an advanced taste of everyone’s favourite holiday… a chance to enjoy a little bit of Halloween in the middle of the summer? No dear readers, I will not be spending my Saturday rooting around in foam coolers for the last Coors Light while Uncle Jack talks my ear off. Instead, I will be at Canada’s premier convention for Halloween enthusiasts, Scarefest 2012!
This is the 8th iteration of Scarefest, although in previous years it was held in a backyard, where a collection of folks from the home and professional haunting world would get together to swap props and talk shop. This year however, Chris Ainsworth took over the event and turned it into something a tad bigger. Scarefest has turned into a convention, and I simply can’t wait to go. Below is some information from the website, along with a list of the vendors attending. I’ll be there in second half of the day, if anyone wants to say hi.So why not? What better thing do you have to do? It’s from 12:00pm to 6:00pm, so you can squeeze it in before Aunt Sally’s. Even if Halloween isn’t a psychotic obsession like it is for me, there will be plenty to see and do. Crafts for kids, zombie makeup, mask makers, prop designers, you name it!Don’t be boring! Come on out!
Saturday July 7th, 201212:00 noon – 6:00 pmGarnet A. Williams Community Centre501 Clark Avenue, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada (Between Bathurst & Yonge Street on Clark Ave, close to the 407 ETR & Hwy #7)In attendance will be Owners and Operators of Professional Haunted Houses, Actors, Home Haunters, Artists, Halloween Enthusiasts and Vendors.Enjoy a BBQ (available at a cost), Door Prizes, and Contests for: Miss. & Mr. Scarefest and Best Homemade Prop.Admission is FREE, however we are asking for a Donation to the Sick Kids Foundation.AVShop.ca - Markham, OntarioMembers from the Black Widow Hearse Club - All across OntarioThe Butcher Shop – Toronto, OntarioCanadian Haunters Association – Thornhill, OntarioCarnival De Freak Productions – Burlington, OntarioChic Sorceress – Dundas, OntarioCompletions College of Makeup Art & Design / Kryolan Makeup Store – Toronto, OntarioCreeped Out – Toronto, OntarioDEPRAVED Clothing – Dundas, OntarioDick Terhune “The Voice From Hell” - Litchfield, Connecticut, USADotsy’s Entertainment Co. – St. Thomas, OntarioFrightProps – Clearwater, FloridaThe Grim Stitch Factory – Burlington, OntarioHalloween Artists Studio – Stratford, OntarioHaunted House Creations – Scarborough, OntarioHaunt it Yourself Productions – Toronto, OntarioHaunted Walks Inc. – Ottawa, OntarioHorrors Unlimited (Horror Media) - Toronto, OntarioLiquid Imprints (Face and Body Art) – Clarington, OntarioMental Floss Sideshow – Toronto, OntarioSCAREMATION – Oakville, OntarioStef von Riot from “Deals from the Dark Side” – Niagara Falls, OntarioThe Cellar – Room 57 (Horror Photography) - Toronto, OntarioThe Toronto Zombie Walk - Toronto, OntarioWayne Mallows, Author of “Whitechapel Road” a Vampyre tale - Niagara Falls, OntarioMy Ghoul Friday – Toronto, OntarioProfessional Haunted HousesHaunted House of Horrors – Guelph, OntarioPower House of Terror - Toronto, OntarioReapers Realm – Courtright, OntarioScreampark – Kitchener, OntarioHome HauntersBoudreaus Butcher House of Horrors – Mississauga, OntarioPandora’s Box Creations – Mississauga, OntarioScaresdale Manor - Oakville, OntarioTerror Time - Mississauga, OntarioThornhill Woods Haunted House – Thornhill, OntarioVault of Fears – Thornhill, Ontario -
Jonas DeRo
Holy crap, I have almost nothing to say. The level of talent on display below, all by Belgian concept artist Jonas DeRo, is the kind of work that makes me want to never call myself an “artist” again.
Concept painters have to create entire world, sometimes with just a single image. They don’t just design the look of a specific scene, but they lend the mood to an entire film. Jonas has done something similar to me today; he’s imposed a mood on the rest of my day — that being jealousy.
Feast. Your. Eyes. (and click to see larger)
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Surreal Artworks by Yuri Laptev
Have a gander at this talented fellow, ladies and gents. I discovered Yuri Laptev on Behance today, and I just had to share his collection of beautiful work with y’all.
I’m normally not big on surrealism, (if that’s what this is - I’m not also not big on art theory) but Yuri’s work is just so creative, so interesting, that it arrests my attention. I also appreciate his mastery of watercolours, a medium that frightens me to no end. He’s able to control the paints for very subtle yet powerful effects. Excellent work.Enjoy! (and click images to see larger!)
