Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight: The Joker, "Face"

Portrait, 8 1/2 x 11 in

Charcoal, Soft Pastel and Oil Pastel on Paper

After completing the Jack Nicholson 1989 "Splash" picture I knew I had to do a Heath Ledger companion to the piece.  I re-watched The Dark Knight and decided that this had to be my first color piece.  I went with a mixed medium approach, blending charcoal, soft and oil pastels to achieve the finished product.  It wasn't easy - the minimalistic approach to color was a fun thing to play with in this piece but it really made me want to do one with his bright green hair.  I'm really happy with the finished product in this case though, Ledger's sardonic eyes peering out from the shadows and that demonic smile perfectly silhouetted.  I can't wait to start getting prints of this one done, they are going to look just amazing!

Julie Newmar - Batman: Catwoman, "#1"

Julie Newmar - Catwoman, "#1"

Portrait, 8 1/2 x 11 in

Lead on Paper

Perhaps best remembered for her role as the original Catwoman on the 1960's Batman show with Adam West, Julie Newmar wanted to be a comedian but ended up working her way into some feature films before establishing a fruitful television career that would plateau in many ways with her role as Catwoman on the Batman series.  Keeping that in mind I found an early version of her make-up with much more of her face exposed.  She would eventually wear a mask but I didn't want to obscure her fact that much.  I also did a companion piece to this one of her earlier pin-up years that I will post soon.  In the meantime, you know where to find this print; same bat time, same bat channel er, bat blog that is!

Brandon Lee - The Crow: Eric Draven, "Church"

Brandon Lee - The Crow: Church

Portrait, 8 1/2 x 11 in

Lead on Paper

In 1994 Bruce Lee's son Brandon Lee defined the term 'badass' for countless generations to come in "the role of a lifetime" - The Crow, which literally cost him his life.  A stunt in the film went tragically wrong and Brandon ultimately payed the cost for that mistake.  Though he has passed on, Brandon has left a legacy behind him that has spawned countless movie sequels, comics and even a television show.  Every college kid in the country has a Dali painting and a Crow poster hanging somewhere on their walls.  But it wasn't the scary face paint that captivated us all so much, it was the humanity inside of this menacing droopy faced clown facade.  Like I said before though - he did after all define cool to me when I was a kid and I couldn't help but draw a nice menacing stalk which nicely sums up the film, though I feel there's a little unfinished business with Brandon.  Look for another more personal portrait of him coming sometime in the future...

Frank Oz - Star Wars, "Yoda"

Frank Oz - Yoda

Portrait, 8 1/2 x 11 in

Lead on Paper

Who doesn't love Yoda?  This is one of those pieces where everything just fell into place.  I had done a much smaller version of this drawing in graphite for a CD cover a while back and really liked the layout and composition, so I decided to do a full size portrait based on the earlier, rougher version.  I was out in the blistering sun at a show and sold one print in the twelve hours we spent sitting there.  I did, however manage to get this piece done and am rather proud of it.  You can almost sense the hand of master puppeteer Frank Oz beneath the amazingly articulate and lifelike puppet, and yet he has such a distinct personality all his own.  At least that's some of what I attempted to convey with this piece, as Star Wars has been a continuing source of inspiration and intrigue all my life.  I get the feeling that if you like Yoda half as much as I do you'll have to jump all over this print!

Jack Nicholson - Batman: The Joker, "Spash" (1989)

Jack Nicholson - The Joker: Splash

Portrait, 18 x 24 in.

Lead on Paper

Jack Nicholson as The Joker from Tim Burton's classic 1989 film, Batman - what else needs to be said?  For many he defined the character.  And whatever you may think about him, he never failed to deliver on the entertainment in a film that was wonderful and yet lacking in so many ways.  The action sequences were so limited on that original film because of the actual Batman suit that was designed for Michal Keaton who was portraying the title role, but were brought to vivid life by Nicholson's unyielding acting chops and his sense of over the top madness that seems to seep from the celluloid at times.  This film is one of my first memories and the image has been burnt into my head for as long as I can remember so it felt really good to get this one down on paper finally and hopefully pay a little homage to the man who brought me so much joy in my childhood.  "For my number one guy!"