From the Archives: The Burning Dead

This isn't the first time that the burning dead have been a focus for me.  They've shown up just before the summer solstice for the past couple of years.  I'm not sure what they're all about, but I'll keep coming back to them until I figure it out or rather, they will keep finding me until...

For 2015, I wanted to take the headers in a different direction than the work I had been producing.  I chose to adopt a looser style.  Although the 2014 pieces all had some underlying element of dark humor or social commentary, the 2015 headers have all moved back towards the essence of the work I want to create: horror.

{13.33 x 4.68,  created in Adobe Photoshop}

Exhumed: Ghoul

Here we have an exhumed Ghoul.  With this piece I wanted to get into the creepy night time atmosphere of the image while keeping the savage anger of the original sketch.  I feel like this piece and another ghoul I drew some time ago are cut from the same cloth.  Although I'm enjoying the dramatic side lighting, I'm not super excited about the overall color here.  I feel like it turned out just okay.  I may have to exhume this piece again at some point.

{7.31x5.13,  Graphite with colors added in Adobe Photoshop}

From the Archives: Lich

Here's a creepy Lich sketch from some time ago for a fantasy story I was working on at the time.

{8.5x11,  Graphite}

UPDATE 031915:

This piece was Exhumed and reinvestigated with color in February 2015.  Check out the Exhumed image here.

Featured Creature: In The Cities

"In the cities, the effects of the plague were much worse.  Within the massive populations of larger cities, the infection spread almost overnight.  The newly dead, enclosed within the complex networks of city infrastructures, were restricted to close quarters and did not disburse into smaller groups as in rural areas.

From the Archives: Zombie Meat King Sketch

A preparatory graphite sketch for a color zombie image from long ago. 

{8.5x11, Graphite}

From The Archives: Loose Zombie Head Sketch

Here we have the last of loose zombie sketches.  Because of the size of this sketch, I had to piece it together from multiple scans.  It came through mostly okay, but there are a few patches of variation between the scans.  This piece is the last of the loose zombie sketches.

{11x17,  Graphite}

From the Archives: Loose Chunky Zombie

Here's another loose zombie sketch with a chunky undead emerging from some bloody chamber of horrors.  With this one I had a bit of trouble getting it scanned.  The original drawing was fairly light and on a heavier stock paper.  This sketch had been folded like several other pieces from this month and the creases were very dramatic in the scan.  I had to play around in Photoshop a bit to erase the creases.

{11x17,  Graphite}

From the Archives: Loose Twisting Zombie Sketch

Within this sketch, you can see that I was fighting the looseness a bit.  The essence of the loose style is present, but I don't feel that is it as successful as the slender zombie I presented last week.  I feel like the fault lies with the detail.  Although in some areas it works better than others, the arm for instance, but I feel like it flattens other areas, the legs and shoulder.  This one also belongs to the 11x17 folded set.

{11x17,  Graphite}

From the Archives: Loose Slender Zombie

More loose zombie goodness from some time ago.  This looser style is very visually pleasing in retrospect, but at the time I remember being frustrated with the loose shapes and lack of explicit detail.  I wish I could let go more to explore this style, I enjoy the organic quality of the shapes.  I can't imagine inking it though.  My inking process is very controlled.

This one is the first of a set of sketches I'll be posting that were done on 11x17 sketch paper.  For storage purposes I had folded the sketches and placed them in binders.  After scanning, I went back into the images in Photoshop and removed most of the fold lines, but you can still see the folds in a few places.

{11x17,  Graphite}

From The Archives: Loose Sketch Zombies

More loosely sketched zombies and poses this week.  With the larger portrait I brought in a fine point marker for more detail.  I usually keep my imagery very separate, but with the looseness of these sketches, the images all began to blend together.

{8x5.33,  Marker}

From the Archives: Zombie Profile Sketch

Here is a super loose graphite sketch of a zombie in profile.  At the time I drew this I was experimenting with a different technique from my normal style.  I was turning the pencil sideways from my regular hand position I use in an attempt to draw more loosely.

Exhumed: Reexamining the Dead

This week I'm beginning one of the new features I mentioned previously in the Featured Creature Last Bites for 2012-2013.  With Exhumed posts, I'll be digging up older pieces and exploring them with fresh color and tones.  I'll be pulling from the backlog of images I've posted on Zombie Bites, ranging from older From the Archives posts to older Featured Creature posts.  Exhumed posts will focus mainly on the process of taking a drawn image and bringing it to the next level with tones and color.  The posts will be generally infrequent, but I'll try to keep them as regular as possible.  Exhumed will be appearing on Fridays.

Featured Creature: It Is Better to Light a Candle...

Here's another creepy, candle themed treat to celebrate the first year of the Featured Creature!  I've actually turned this one into a greeting card as the very first item at my Zazzle Store.  Check it out!

{Digital Images created in Adobe Photoshop}

 

From the Archives: Quick Zombie

Here's a quick zombie sketch from a few years back.  This one came from my traveling sketchbook, so this probably happened at work during lunch.

{Ball Point pen}

UPDATE 010413:

This piece was Exhumed and reinvestigated with greyscale tones in October 2013.  Check out the Exhumed image here.

UPDATE Night of the Living Dead: Barbara Zombie Greyscale

Here we have the greyscale of an earlier drawing of Barbara from the original Night of the Living Dead, after we see her dragged into an undead horde.  With there being no living flesh left at the old farm house, she is wandering off into the night to find something fresh.

From the Archives: Digital Zombie Self-Portrait

In this piece I was trying to develop a digital style to help create comics more easily.  This method turned out to be much more involved and time consuming than simple hand drawing.  I do like the final look of this piece, but it took way too much time to get to arrive at this state.

From the Archives: Ghoul

Here is a portrait of a ghoul at night.  Suddenly revealed in torchlight, perhaps disturbed during his grisly meal.

{Graphite}

UPDATE 011415:

This piece was Exhumed and reinvestigated with color in October 2014.  Check out the Exhumed image here.

From the Archives: The Burning Dead

My vision here was of an undying creature that even fire would not destroy.  Kind of the way a burned vampire might look after an unsuccessful assassination attempt, but more of a zombie or a ghoul.  Lack of flammability would certainly makes those guys more fearsome. 

Zombie Bites New Abstract: Lake of the Dead

Its waters hold the secrets of beyond,
but the dead are greedy with their truths.
Knowledge comes from only a sip
but at a dreadful price.

Featured Creature UPDATE: Bathroom Floor Zombie

Here is the toned version of the Bathroom Floor Zombie.  Check out the original post to compare it to the original sketch.

{Sharpie and Uni-ball Vision Elite Pen with tones added in Adobe Photoshop}