engel's universe

Masked menace....

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:58:00 +0000

Fresh from the sketchbook: Michael Myers in all his glory. Crayon, brush, copic & white out, 2012.

Bill Hinzmann R.I.P.

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:49:00 +0000

Another pop culture icon gone: Bill Hinzman (* 10/24/1936 - † 2/5/2012). Rest in peace (hopefully, when you think of his famos role...).

Karloff is...the Walking Dead

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:35:00 +0000

Thought it was about time to refine my crosshatching skills. Brush, Copic, Fineliner and white out; 2011.

The Monster in Black & White....

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:25:00 +0000

From my Sketchbook.....brush, copic & white out, 2011.

Curse of Frankenstein: Christopher Lee as the Monster

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:55:00 +0000

One of the few pieces bought and painted last year. Christopher Lee as the Monster from Hammer Films first Frankenstein flick (1957). It's a hollow cast resin bust released by (the now defunct) company Model Giants. Sculpted in 1:3 scale and great detail by the elusive Mr. William Paquet. One piece casting, painted with acrylic paints, a real fun kit to work on.

The last Monster of 2011: King Caesar (or Seesar, Shisa or else...)

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:35:00 +0000

The last kit finished last year: King Caesar (or Seesar, Shisa etc.) from the Kaiju-Masterwork »Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla« (1974), directed by Jun Fukuda. This resin kit was produced by Resin Chef/ Team Ukeke and sculpted by Bill Gudmundson. Still one of my favorite characters from the Godzilla showa series, the figure seems to be in scale with the Billiken ゴジラ kits.

He is also one Monster blessed with an own wake up song:

The kit was easy to assemble, but clean up and resculpting the fur to hide the seams was painful and time consuming. The decals for the eyes didn't stick at all- so I ditched them. Painted with Acrylic paints and a scratchbuild base made of styrofoam.

2011 is over.....

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:56:00 +0000

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 

and never brought to mind? 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot 

and days of auld lang syne?

Christmas?

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 14:54:00 +0000

80 years ago....

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:33:00 +0000

"It's alive! It's alive!"

»The Dark Carnival« - Art Exhibition at the City Lights Gallery in Bridgeport, CT

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:40:00 +0000

For those in the United States who want to see see some of my original artwork (and other cool stuff), now here is your chance....

"Lurking into City Lights on October 27th is "The Dark Carnival": featuring a vast array of breathtaking imagery crafted by a talented menagerie of 13 award winning artists."

That is my wall with selected paintings and drawings....

Julia Ambrose and her terrific sculptures....

From the press release:

Much like the show title suggests, curator & fellow exhibitor Mike Falcigno cast his creative net far & wide; from Connecticut to Colorado, Texas & New York, all the way to Germany in a quest to give fans of the bizarre something very special indeed. A Connecticut native, Falcigno has been creating 2-D & 3-D art for the better part of 2 decades. In addition to film special effects work, sculpting figures for the collector market, & teaching art at several area high schools, Falcigno has long been a staunch supporter of fellow artists. Working at City Lights & Co has allowed Falcigno to finally curate his Dream Show (...or possibly a Nightmare Show depending on your sense of humor) this October-November.

Mike Falcigno, curator and exceptional artist....

Photographs by Vanessa Pastore and Don Seiple ...

Falcigno enthusiastically explains that "I adore art in so many forms, but there's something about creature design & bizarre imagery that has always fascinated me more than traditional landscapes. Maybe it's the high level of creative freedom that comes with surrealist concepts, creating things previously unseen by human eyes...it just really intrigues me." "I also grew up with an attraction to the circus; P.T Barnum & his Sideshow acts in particular.

Adam Dougherty's wonderful Halloween sculptures....

There are so many incredibly talented artists working in the darker, stranger corners of the art world that I feel are often times under-appreciated. By my estimation, Jack Pierce created an iconic character equally recognizable & important to the Mona Lisa with his beautifully designed Frankenstein Monster.

Sculptures from the weird world of the Shifflett Brothers....

The key here is taking what pop culture has embraced with open arms & presenting it on the walls of an art gallery. I do realize this has been done before in various places, but this show gave me a chance to unite a wide selection of super-talented artists under one banner in our own city. Considering Bridgeport is Barnum's hometown...there were few titles more fitting than The Dark Carnival!" "Being able to showcase the works of these 13 artists in one venue is something I'll always be thankful for, it's nothing short of an honor for me to be able to show residents such a wide array of art from so many different places. Their work speaks for itself, but I urge anyone who can make the opening to attend because the exhibiting artists themsleves are equally interesting specimens!"

The wicked and eerie works of Moses Jaen......

Falcigno's life-size & smaller scale creature sculpture will be joined by the work of celebrated Texas based sculpting duo The Shiflett Brothers, along with New York Zombie-art maestro Moses Jaen, Milford fine art sculptor Julia Ambrose, Colorado based sculpting prodigy Adam Dougherty, & the off-kilter character designs of Jake Waldron.

Jake Waldron's creatures....

Though heavy on sculpture, the exhibit also features a smorgasbord of 2-D work. Vanessa Pastore & Don Seiple offer up a selection of their intensely creepy digital photo-manipulations, German illustrator Rainer F. Engel presents an entire wall of beautifully rendered illustration with subjects spanning Vincent Price to the Golem, & Andy P. (aka. Black Unicorn Studio) threatens to traumatize optic nerves with his bold melding of screen printed color & detailed line art. Rounding out this already large line up is the work of two more Connecticut artists: David Grant offers up several stunning examples of both his sculpture & illustration work & Joe Wilson is sure to turn heads with his highly refined digital paintings.

Digital paintings by Joe Wilson.....

Colorful paintings and sculptures by Dave Grant....

"The Dark Carnival" runs from October 27th through November 30 At City Lights Gallery in Bridgeport. All this & a host of other tantalizing oddities guaranteed to enthrall, puzzle, and in some cases SHOCK your senses, The Dark Carnival @ City Lights is an exhibition not to be missed!"

Some impressions from the opening reception ....

Very special Thanks to Mike Falcigno for his tremendous support and making it happen!

So, now go and see it!

Frankfurt Book Fair is around the corner.....

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 14:18:00 +0000

Although I'm not attending, it reminded me of a sketch I did for my dear friend Andreas Vollmer for his 25th anniversary working for an (better unnamed) traditional Berlin Publishing house. So you can see what constant workplace can turn you into. Brush, pen & ink, 2010.

One slimy monster more...

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 10:24:00 +0000

News from the Black Bat....

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:27:00 +0000

After over two years my last Black Bat / Schwarze Fledermaus painting finally made it on the cover of Vol. 3 »Die Falle« by A.S. Jones. I'm not so thrilled how they placed the title copy, so here is the unaltered illustration :

Now available (in German language) from Blitz-Verlag here.

A Gentleman from the Deep.....

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:03:00 +0000

A Gentleman Squid from the Deep - taking a vacation at the mountains. Mountains of Madness naturally.... From the sketchbook, brush, ink and a bit Photoshop, 2011.

Lovecraftian Monster....

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:43:00 +0000

It came from the sketchbook: Some slimy, cosmic god waiting to return. Inspired by H.P. Lovecrafts writings. Copics, Brush & ink, 2011.

Art Attack Bela Lugosi »Dracula« bust ...

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:46:00 +0000

This 1:4 scale vinyl bust was sculpted by movie artisan Tony McVey. He worked on movies like »Return of the Jedi« and »Gremlins« among others. More about his limited edition sculptures you may find here. He also created an full figure based on this sculpt which still resides mint in box on my shelf, waiting to be finished. A destiny shared with tons of others. So many kits, so little time. Painted with acrylics and pastels.

Tony McVey: Harryhausen's Cyclops

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 19:22:00 +0000

Recently finished: Tony Mc Vey's take on Uncle Ray's classic creature design. Painted with acrylics and pastels.

War of the Colossal Beast....

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:37:00 +0000

One recent sketch soon to be published (stay tuned!). Brush, ink & white out. Color version comin' soon......

More Vincent Price ...

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:30:00 +0000

As promised! Vincent Price in a non-horror part, but evil one indeed: As Baka, the Master Builder from Cecil B. DeMille's »The 10 Commandments« (1956). Brush, ink, Copic markers, colored pencils and white out.

RIP - Gene Colan (1926-2011)

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 15:13:00 +0000

I don't have many priced possessions (beside a ton of Garage kits maybe), but this piece of original comic book art is one of them. It's an action packed page from »Namor, the Submariner« issue#10. It was penciled by Gene Colan - one of my all-time favorite artists - and inked by Dan Adkins. I bought it nearly 20 years ago from a German dealer for an (back then for a student) hefty price tag. And never regretted it.

Today I learned Gene Colan passed away at the age of 83. While my taste in Comic Art has changed over the years, I still try to collect every piece of Gene Colan`s work I can put my hands on. By chance I bought the day before the cheesy Marvel Essential volume »Marvel Horror II.«, just because it contains Gene's renderings of »Brother Voodoo« in glorious black & white.

I'll miss his moody artwork, his use of Chiaroscuro and his odd angles that makes his work so special to me. If you're a starter regarding Gene Colan body of work, get his 70 issue run of »Tomb of Dracula« (also available as an bargain Marvel Essential edition).

RIP

Tag-team of Terror! Skylla und Charybdis

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:48:00 +0000

The mythological tag-team of Terror! Pencil, pen, brush & ink by me, color by Levin Kurio.

»I never met a monster I didn't like!

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Sun, 29 May 2011 11:09:00 +0000

May 27 would have been Vincent Price's (*1911-†1993) 100th Birthday. Still one of my favorite actors I celebrated at home doing this sketch (from »Tales of Terror«) made with Copics and Polychromos pencils. Thanks for all the priceless performances and characters! Happy Birthday Mr. Price!

Peter Cushing....

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:25:00 +0000

... would have been 98 years old today. Happy Birthday Sir Peter, wherever you are!

IT!

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Thu, 05 May 2011 09:44:00 +0000

This sketch is loosly based on the schlock si-fy Flick »It conquered the World« and it's cucumber creature. Brush and ink, colored with Copic Markers.

The Curse of the Werewolf

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer F. Engel) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:46:00 +0000

My take on Oliver Reed's appereance as the cursed spanish Werewolf from the old Hammer movie. Brush & ink, colored with Copic markers.