If you don’t know about Scott C.’s ongoing art series The Great Showdowns, you should, and now you do. I was lucky enough to meet Scott at this year’s Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, and my suspicions about him were confirmed: he is the happiest, most laid-back dude ever. Seriously. Follow him on Twitter and you’ll see what I mean.
Today’s showdown features a quote from a movie that was among my favourites when I was growing up: The Monster Squad!
I got in touch with Tom after some rather interesting photos appeared on the Tom Spina Designs Facebook page, and to stop me from asking “Whatcha doin’? Can I see?” via email every five minutes, he swore me to secrecy (real easy to do) and then gave me the scoop. He and his colleagues had just taken on a client who had a Wolfman suit from the Del Toro / Baker movie. “We’re doing a custom mannequin for it,” he said. “Custom base, making new feet (didn’t have any) and claws. Rich Krusell [of Gotham FX] is doing the head (we brought a test shot of it to Monsterpalooza). The client’s got the full Benicio torn wardrobe as well, which will go over this when we’re done.”
So the folks at Tom Spina Design and Gotham FX collaborated on the reconstruction of the missing parts. Rather than going over the details here, I want to direct you to the project page on Tom’s site – there are progress shots and notes galore, as well as detailed credits. They’ve also put together a two-minute video that shows the process (and a very happy, very lucky client).
In addition to sharing all of these details, Tom was kind enough to answer a few questions about the project.
What are the biggest technical challenges you face when adding new, from-scratch components to an existing piece?
Blending our work with amazing original costumes like this is definitely a challenge. Sculpting new pieces and trying to capture the look and style of the originals is probably the most difficult part. Rich Krusell of Gotham FX did an amazing job with the head and teeth. He’s a super detail oriented guy and put in a lot of extra effort to get the head just right. A great artist and friend!
Matching colors and hair can be tricky as well, depending. In this case, we had a good sample size for the hair and matching went pretty well.
I don’t recall seeing any publicity photos of the pedicure Rick Baker gave the Wolfman – did you use any reference materials when sculpting the feet, or did you create an original design?
Most shots of the actors in costume showed them wearing sneakers! Eventually, we found some reference for the feet in the DVD behind the scenes galleries, as well as some photos online (apparently taken of an original pair of feet and hands on display some where). We did our best to get those looking as close to the originals as we could.
Did the client provide you with any guidance in terms of the pose or the base? How involved was he in determining what the finished project would look like?
The client definitely helped us with research and finding reference. He and I talked through the basic direction early on and came up with the pose and base together. The pose was pretty much set right out of the box… I called it the “Wolverine just popped his claws out” pose! Soon as we hit on that, we knew that was the look to shoot for. I gave a few options for the base and he chose the burned wood floor look. He has a good eye though. When we were just about done, he had a few good notes for tweaks to the hair styling (on the head) that I feel really helped nail the look.
He also had a few words to say about the origins of the suit and clothes, and about what it was like to work on a suit designed by Baker and Elsey:
…if I’m not mistaken the fur suit and gloves are from a stunt player and the tattered costume is Benicio’s. The costume itself was really incredible! The hairwork on the body and arms was exceptional. It’s always wonderful to see work by folks of that caliber and an honor to be asked to display them. We just hope our display does the costume justice.
Yeah, Tom, I think it does! Well done to you and everyone at Tom Spina Designs and Gotham FX! Here’s a close-up shot of the head Rich Krusell and the Gotham FX created – to see the rest, click here.
NY Times writer Alex Pappademas has written an article that perfectly articulates my own mixed feelings on MTV’s Teen Wolf reboot, and it only took him six pages. From the article:
The new “Teen Wolf” show is not as clever or allegorical as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” but the comparison is almost unfair; Buffy was about teenagers but didn’t try particularly hard to be for them, whereas “Teen Wolf” is on MTV, which has a bigger investment in selling youth to youth… If “Teen Wolf” builds on the original’s sneakily radical message of self-acceptance instead of fetishizing its characters’ suffering like “Twilight,” there’s a chance “Teen Wolf” 2.0 will look as zeitgeisty in retrospect as some of its adolescent-lycanthrope genre forebears: a no-judgment monster show for the same proudly atypical fan base that Lady Gaga refers to as her “little monsters.”
I’m trapped. I don’t know what to do. There’s a strange momentum building behind this show that I find exciting, but I can’t find its source. The glimpses I see of non-pretty-boy werewolves look terrific, but every time I really pay attention and watch a trailer, read an article or see one of @MTVteenwolf‘s chipper PR tweets, everything other than the effects (you know, important stuff like “story” and “acting”) look flimsy. Superficial. Shallow. When Pappademas asks leading man Tyler Posey why he thinks werewolves are so appealing to women, Posey responds with this gem: “Girls are just really naughty and love to be thrown around”. Super. He’s obviously joking, but jokes are supposed to be funny and not make me dislike the person telling them.
This show is built to sell, which is fine, but I wish the people behind it weren’t so two-faced about their motivations. Executive producer / writer Jeff Davis waxes philosophical about the history and cultural significance of the werewolf, but then he asks for “scarier glowing wolf eyes” to be added to a scene in post-production. You know, for authenticity. He cheerfully admits that using the “Teen Wolf” title has more to do with appropriating a recognizable brand than anything else, then goes on to admit of Hollywood: “I don’t think we’re running out of culture. I think we’re running out of courage.” What am I supposed to do with that?
I just want to watch a show that 1) has cool werewolves in it, and 2) doesn’t insult my intelligence. If Teen Wolf winds up checking both of those boxes, awesome. I’ll eat humble pie for all of my fence-sitting “opinionated dork with a blog” comments. I’ll buy the DVDs. But for now, I really just want to filter out the PR hype, because none of it is making this show look like something I want to watch. Please give me some more creature effects shots and I’ll be content to sit quietly until June. I promise.
What kind of werewolf project are they working on over at Tom Spina Designs? I know the answer but I ain’t tellin’ (until the man says I can).
A number of teaser photos have appeared on their Facebook page over the past few days (go and Like them!), with this lovely hand shot being the latest. Seeing this stuff make me want to quit my day job and go back to school. Look. Covet. I know I am.
Check out the detail on this sculpt. [insert dumb joke about manicures here]
And these nails…
… are going into these feet, which are getting some hand-punched hair added.
A search for “werewolf” on Etsy returns an avalanche of nickel-plated trinkets and Twilight-inspired Regretsy fodder, but a little patience and digging can uncover things that will trigger your “impulse purchase” reflex (I did it to myself the last time I posted something like this – I couldn’t resist Pat O’Lupus, who looks great on my wall). Here are a few neat items that may interest you.
“4 x 6 inches / 10 x 15 cm. Printed on smooth white 300gsm paper using professional Xerox printer.” If you have a lady (or sensitive fellow) in your life who likes werewolves as much as you do, giving them this card will win you some points. If you think this is cute, consider this Red Riding Hood print by the same artist.
“Pretty in pink, preened and picture perfect — here sits the female of the werewolf species! This crocheted amigurumi doll sits at about 7″ tall and 7.5″ across. She wears a dark pink skirt and bow. Doll is embellished with felt features and embroidered details and stuffed with a polyfill stuffing.” This is basically my wife in doll format.
“Printed on heavy cotton rag archival paper, using professional grade UltraChrome inks. Each print is individually signed by the artist, Justin Parpan.” I have a hard time saying “no” to a rockabilly werewolf.
“13×19 giclee print. Fine art reproduction of original watercolor and ink artwork.” Beautiful. I love the classic style of the lines and the vibrant yet melancholic colours.
“This dashing lycan with flowing hairs / attracts many looks and longing stares. Handcrafted plush werewolf, approximately 25 inches tall.” He looks like a plush werewolf Vince Noir. This pleases me.
“This Big Bad Wolf has teeth that cannot hurt you–they are soft. The fur is feathers. Suede leather ties for easy on, easy off and firm hold. Light weight paper mache and cooler on the skin than leather or plastic.” Gorgeous! If I was fancy enough to attend masquerades I’d buy this instead of including it here.
“It’s a mad monster poker party… this oiginal illustration created by cartoonist Dave Perillo based off the classic ‘dogs playing poker’ paintings features a royal flush of monsters, including Dracula, the Mummy, Frankenstein’s monster, the Wolfman & the Creature from the Black Lagoon.” Terrible pun in the title aside, I’m a sucker for cartoon art that looks like it came from the 50’s.
“Mask measures 12L x 13W x 8H. Cast in a combination of Celluclay and Paperclay. Painted in acrylics, fitted with adjustable velcro straps and padded inside for comfort. Haired with black Kanekalon hair.” Tribal without being cheesy. Apparently you can wear this, but I’d just mount it as an art object.
“Klonkin Jan the cuddly plush toy! He measures 11 inches from head to toe. His body is made from super soft, caramel colored faux fur. His underlying structure is squishy upholstery foam. Klonkin comes with a hand sewn pair of swim trucks for those hot summer days at the beach, and a cozy scarf for when it gets a bit chilly!” Go read his backstory on the detail page. It involves radiation and brain soup.
What does Bob the Builder have to do with werewolves? Plenty, if you’re talking about Curtis Jobling, production designer for Bob the Builder and author of the new fantasy/horror series for young adults, Wereworld.
The first book in the series, Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf, revolves around teenager Drew Ferran, a farm boy living in the mythical world of Lyssisa. After his mother is attacked by an enormous, fur-coated monster, Drew is forced to leave his family home and travel throughout the farthest reaches of Lyssia. Eventually he discovers the existence of the “Werelords,” a group of shapeshifters of various species. Drew himself learns that he, too, is a Werelord, and consequently, the last of the werewolves. During his journeys, he encounters Lady Gretchen the werefox and Hector the wereboar. As the only remaining werewolf, Drew and his new friends must work together to escape from, and ultimately defeat, the tyrannical werelion, King Leopold.
Due to the success of the first novel, Puffin Books has commissioned two more novels in the series by Jobling. The second book, Wereworld: Rage of Lions is to be released this summer in the UK and Canada.
The first novel, Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf, is already available for purchase in
Canada and the UK. The book will be released in the US this September in hardcover format.
Werewolf News reader Crimson Beast sent me a link to this mind-blowing Lego creation by Tyler Clites, aka Legohaulic. Click the photo below for a slightly larger version, or visit the photo set on Flickr for two alternate views. Check out that monster! Check out those insane trees!
MTV has released “Watch The Transformation“, another teaser trailer for their upcoming Teen Wolf series. A more accurate title might be “Watch A Slow Reverse Dolly As A Bare-Chested Tyler Posey Loses His Sideburns”. This is a transformation from werewolf form back to human, but either we join our hero when he’s already 90% done with the change or this is the most minimalist werewolf design since Jack Nicholson in “Wolf”. Judge for yourself. [Note: using a YouTube embed for this because WordPress is choking on the MTV embed code]
I understand that there are a number of different werewolf “types” in this show, some of them more monstrous than others (presumably the “villains”). I’m hoping we get to see more of these rumoured beasties before the June 5th debut. At the moment, I’ve only seen a single frame of footage from all of the trailers and teasers that interests me, and that’s from the official trailer that came out last month.
That’s right. A hand. A big clawed hand. All my hopes and dreams for this show hang from you, scary hand. Please take good care of them.
Straight from Fangoria, here’s a little something that made my week: Zombie Honeymoon writer/director David Gebroe is working on Bad Vibes, a werewolf film that sounds too trippy to be real. But apparently it’s happening, and even John Landis (who needs to regain some of his werewolf credibility, in my opinion) is said to be involved. Here’s Gebroe’s synopsis.
“BAD VIBES is a hippie werewolf movie that literalizes the death of the ’60s. Set in the Bay Area during late 1969, it’s about a psychedelic rock band called Sunrise Majesty who sequester themselves away on their communal ranch while they work on their new album. Unfortunately, their lead singer Max has contracted a mysterious venereal disease that transforms him into a werewolf—but not the kind that’s affected by full moons. Max transforms every time he’s around a square, making him more like a ‘squarewolf.’ When in the company of other hippies, he finds himself compelled to have sex with them to spread the ‘disease.’ After transforming the rest of the band, Sunrise Majesty holds a love-in on their ranch to which only their most die-hard fans are invited. The plan? To have sex with them all, transform them into ‘squarewolves’ and send them out into the world to eliminate the terminally unhip. This will be the next step in the evolution of the werewolf film.”
This sounds like an amazing combination of horror, retro camp, stoner rock aesthetics and pure ridiculousness. I’m in love. According to Fango, I’m not the only one – John Landis would like to executive produce or “present” the film, freak folk musician Ariel Pink is writing the soundtrack, and Greg Nicotero of KNB EFX is interested in doing the special effects makeup (for a deeper look at Greg’s work, read about The United Monster Talent Agency). No word yet on what the next step is, but here’s a look at the first poster art:
It’s got more of a “wolfman” look than last year’s Big Bad, but that definitely works for an over-the-head latex mask that’s not likely to have the internal structural support for a decent muzzle. I’m digging the hand-laid fur and the gnarled skin texture, and those dirty fangs are great, too – dental hygiene is important, but a proper werewolf isn’t going to have much to do with floss. Some of you will undoubtedly comment that it’s a very ape-like design, but I’m seeing way more “monster” than “primate” here, and I think it’s a great sculpt (other than those massive ears, but those seem to be par for the course with masks like this). One other downer, as the title of this post suggests, is those bloodshot eyes. I’m sure they’re meant to convey monstrous rage and insanity, but to me they just make the poor guy look hung over (or like he’s just had a good cry).
Overall, I quite like this mask, and for the asking price of $59.99, I think the good points outweigh the flaws. The Horror Dome is taking pre-orders for July delivery, so if you want to get one, now’s the time!
