Nightserpent.com blog- Fantasy art of Paul Carrick
win your own custom Lovecraftian painting- Haiti relief auction
Hi All!
I've been wanting to do something to help out with the Haiti relief efforts, I think my art is perhaps my best tool for the job. I am auctioning a Lovecraft painting, and 100% of the winning bid goes to charity. What's the subject of the painting? That's your choice. Read all about it here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190372901797
cheers!
~Paul
I've been wanting to do something to help out with the Haiti relief efforts, I think my art is perhaps my best tool for the job. I am auctioning a Lovecraft painting, and 100% of the winning bid goes to charity. What's the subject of the painting? That's your choice. Read all about it here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190372901797
cheers!
~Paul
Deep one prototype and new custom Cthulhi
Greetings!
I have a couple of new custom Cthulhu statues to share. One is a darker bronze scheme with glowing green eyes, the other is a blue marble coming to life:
Each piece has been an interesting challenge, I think it's because the sculpture has much to do with texture more than all else. Finding the right balance between defining the form and surface pattern is where the puzzle generally happens. Though the mold and master are broken, I still have a number left for more custom orders, please contact me if you'd like one for yourself. I may also make a few unpainted copies available for those familiar with garage-style resin castings (some clean up involved).
Next up, I took the sketches of the deep one miniature design and worked it into a "3-up", which is a 300% sized sculptural sketch. Though I felt the sketches helped explain a lot of the shapes, it lacked a sense of completeness that only a 3 dimensional model can convey. The putties used to sculpt most miniatures are especially tricky to use (very sticky and with limited working time), so the more I know how the miniature will be shaped the more direct and intentional I can get with the putty. When I finished the basic figure (out of Super Sculpey, a bake-able polymer clay), I became tempted to paint it up for fun... and then gave it a decorative base as well. The base is 5 x 6", the creature is about 3-1/2".
As always, I enjoy the feedback. Until next time,
~Paul
I have a couple of new custom Cthulhu statues to share. One is a darker bronze scheme with glowing green eyes, the other is a blue marble coming to life:
Each piece has been an interesting challenge, I think it's because the sculpture has much to do with texture more than all else. Finding the right balance between defining the form and surface pattern is where the puzzle generally happens. Though the mold and master are broken, I still have a number left for more custom orders, please contact me if you'd like one for yourself. I may also make a few unpainted copies available for those familiar with garage-style resin castings (some clean up involved).
Next up, I took the sketches of the deep one miniature design and worked it into a "3-up", which is a 300% sized sculptural sketch. Though I felt the sketches helped explain a lot of the shapes, it lacked a sense of completeness that only a 3 dimensional model can convey. The putties used to sculpt most miniatures are especially tricky to use (very sticky and with limited working time), so the more I know how the miniature will be shaped the more direct and intentional I can get with the putty. When I finished the basic figure (out of Super Sculpey, a bake-able polymer clay), I became tempted to paint it up for fun... and then gave it a decorative base as well. The base is 5 x 6", the creature is about 3-1/2".
As always, I enjoy the feedback. Until next time,
~Paul
Evolution of the Deep Ones continues
Hello!
I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me comments about the Deep One designs, not only here but via email and other forums as well. My head began to swim a bit with all the comments, and I was challenged to come up with something that would meet expectations. The problem is, a lot of the great suggestions would take me in opposing directions (more fishy, more froggy, bigger, smaller, etc). Yet, as the conversations continued, I discovered that people in general are quite accepting to a slightly different take. Evidently, many people are more than willing to use miniatures from different manufacturers, and the variety doesn't bother them at all. I found this to be quite liberating, so I took the suggestions that resonated the strongest within me, and I ran... er... shambled with it.
The feet in particular remind me of a snapping turtle's feet, which I think would make sense. Ancient, aquatic, clawed, durable, formidable.
If this project expands beyond the one design, I certainly would like to explore variations on anatomy. Reading the texts, it's not hard to imagine quite a variety in size and shape. They take a long time to mutate from people, so factors like diet, habits and location over the decades and centuries could possibly reap diverse results. If your suggestions aren't seen in this current design, it may very well manifest on others. If I have the option to expand to older specimens, including priest-types, there will be quite a lot of interesting concepts to play with.
Delving further into the project, I was able to involve Deep Ones in an illustration for Sixtystone Press. I'd like to think that the design is better for me having done the painting (as a form of study), and the painting is better for my having so much planning under my belt due to the miniature project. The chapter is about psychic ability, it explains how certain species (such as Deep Ones) as well as the insane can communicate telepathically. This sparked my imagination, and I envisioned a break in at the Sanitarium...
It's acrylic, roughly 8-1/2x10", and I can't wait for the next one!
until next time....
~Paul
I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me comments about the Deep One designs, not only here but via email and other forums as well. My head began to swim a bit with all the comments, and I was challenged to come up with something that would meet expectations. The problem is, a lot of the great suggestions would take me in opposing directions (more fishy, more froggy, bigger, smaller, etc). Yet, as the conversations continued, I discovered that people in general are quite accepting to a slightly different take. Evidently, many people are more than willing to use miniatures from different manufacturers, and the variety doesn't bother them at all. I found this to be quite liberating, so I took the suggestions that resonated the strongest within me, and I ran... er... shambled with it.
The feet in particular remind me of a snapping turtle's feet, which I think would make sense. Ancient, aquatic, clawed, durable, formidable.
If this project expands beyond the one design, I certainly would like to explore variations on anatomy. Reading the texts, it's not hard to imagine quite a variety in size and shape. They take a long time to mutate from people, so factors like diet, habits and location over the decades and centuries could possibly reap diverse results. If your suggestions aren't seen in this current design, it may very well manifest on others. If I have the option to expand to older specimens, including priest-types, there will be quite a lot of interesting concepts to play with.
Delving further into the project, I was able to involve Deep Ones in an illustration for Sixtystone Press. I'd like to think that the design is better for me having done the painting (as a form of study), and the painting is better for my having so much planning under my belt due to the miniature project. The chapter is about psychic ability, it explains how certain species (such as Deep Ones) as well as the insane can communicate telepathically. This sparked my imagination, and I envisioned a break in at the Sanitarium...
It's acrylic, roughly 8-1/2x10", and I can't wait for the next one!
until next time....
~Paul
the Deep Ones
Hello!
I am planning to sculpt some 'Deep Ones', which are essentially fish-men from the pulp horror stories of H.P. Lovecraft. Wikipedia Entry
If any of you are familiar with these, I'd greatly appreciate some input, please! Here's a concept sketch of their anatomy, though I'd like to create a number of poses. I think the scale will be 25mm heroic, meaning features will be slightly exaggerated for ease of painting and view-ability on the table top (just like Citadel minis). If all goes well, these will be cast and available for sale!
Any suggestions? Does it match your mind's eye?
thanks for looking,
~Paul
p.s. The wizard painting is coming along nicely, I may be finished by the end of the week!
I am planning to sculpt some 'Deep Ones', which are essentially fish-men from the pulp horror stories of H.P. Lovecraft. Wikipedia Entry
Any suggestions? Does it match your mind's eye?
thanks for looking,
~Paul
p.s. The wizard painting is coming along nicely, I may be finished by the end of the week!
Cthulhu Wizard in progress, part IV: things get strange(r)
I've been feeling a bit under the weather these last couple days, so it seemed appropriate to start to work on some of the more alien aspects of the painting. Who knows, maybe I can channel my fevered visions through my brush and onto the artwork? You be the judge....
The blue/green tints are far too strong in this photo, they're not quite as pervasive in the original. Though there's plenty more to be done up top, you can get a better sense of the results of the wizard's spell.
~Paul
The blue/green tints are far too strong in this photo, they're not quite as pervasive in the original. Though there's plenty more to be done up top, you can get a better sense of the results of the wizard's spell.
~Paul
Cthulhu Wizard in progress, part III: the secret of Magic Green™
A quick update, the latest work-in-progress photo of the 'Cthulhu Wizard' painting:
Things are developing nicely, I've fleshed out enough of the values (light and dark) to get a sense of things. Momentum usually speeds up now that there's some sense of order, and more and more fall into place.
Astute blog readers may notice that I am using 'magic green™' once again. I had an epiphany the other night... my fascination for that color might stem back to a glow-in-the-dark toy from a box of Captain Crunch cereal! You see, my mom didn't buy the fun sugary breakfast cereal that most other kids ate (I appreciate it now, but it wasn't quite as special to me then). Healthy cereal never had any fun toys, I guess health was supposed to be some sort of gift... again, lost on me at the time. A childhood friend gave me an extra toy he got from Captain (is it Cap'n??) Crunch, a light green blob of plastic in the shape of the sugary sea-farer himself. It was my first glow-in-the-dark anything, and it might as well have been magic.
~Paul
Things are developing nicely, I've fleshed out enough of the values (light and dark) to get a sense of things. Momentum usually speeds up now that there's some sense of order, and more and more fall into place.
Astute blog readers may notice that I am using 'magic green™' once again. I had an epiphany the other night... my fascination for that color might stem back to a glow-in-the-dark toy from a box of Captain Crunch cereal! You see, my mom didn't buy the fun sugary breakfast cereal that most other kids ate (I appreciate it now, but it wasn't quite as special to me then). Healthy cereal never had any fun toys, I guess health was supposed to be some sort of gift... again, lost on me at the time. A childhood friend gave me an extra toy he got from Captain (is it Cap'n??) Crunch, a light green blob of plastic in the shape of the sugary sea-farer himself. It was my first glow-in-the-dark anything, and it might as well have been magic.
~Paul
Cthulhu Wizard in progress, part II
Just a quick update of the painting's development:
This is just a photo, not a proper scan, but it ought to give you an idea of the progress. I am still roughing out a lot of the basic shapes and filling them with colors/tones that help me see where the image is going as a whole.
Thanks for viewing!
~Paul
This is just a photo, not a proper scan, but it ought to give you an idea of the progress. I am still roughing out a lot of the basic shapes and filling them with colors/tones that help me see where the image is going as a whole.
Thanks for viewing!
~Paul
The Wizard in progress and the world's smallest Viking.
Update time!
I've been working on the wizard painting (the sketch is in the previous entry), I thought people might like to see it in an early stage:
It's 12x16", acrylic. Here you can see that I have sketched in the general shapes and have started blocking in color. Since the figure is generally the most important part of an illustration, I have started putting more detail into the face (and later the hands as well) to get them where I want them. Then, when painting the areas around it, I can adjust them to compliment the figure as much as I can. I took this photo at the end of my work day yesterday, it's come quite a ways since then. Updates soon!
Some of you may be aware of my interest in sculpting, converting and painting miniatures. I've been asked to paint future new releases from Wargames Factory , which will be featured in their catalogs, advertisement, website, etc.. They produce multi-part 28mm scale plastic miniatures, mostly historical in nature (except the zombies!), but they will soon be expanding to science fiction as well. One of the most unusual and appealing aspects is that the models are made out of recycled plastic, and they will recycle the extra plastic waste leftovers (often called sprues or frames). I recently painted up one of their new Viking models, a favorite subject of mine!
IN case you're wondering, I painted it under a large light-up magnifying glass. I researched the colors (from vegetable dyes) that vikings used to dye their garments to make the appearance as historical as possible.
Until next time....
~Paul
I've been working on the wizard painting (the sketch is in the previous entry), I thought people might like to see it in an early stage:
It's 12x16", acrylic. Here you can see that I have sketched in the general shapes and have started blocking in color. Since the figure is generally the most important part of an illustration, I have started putting more detail into the face (and later the hands as well) to get them where I want them. Then, when painting the areas around it, I can adjust them to compliment the figure as much as I can. I took this photo at the end of my work day yesterday, it's come quite a ways since then. Updates soon!
Some of you may be aware of my interest in sculpting, converting and painting miniatures. I've been asked to paint future new releases from Wargames Factory , which will be featured in their catalogs, advertisement, website, etc.. They produce multi-part 28mm scale plastic miniatures, mostly historical in nature (except the zombies!), but they will soon be expanding to science fiction as well. One of the most unusual and appealing aspects is that the models are made out of recycled plastic, and they will recycle the extra plastic waste leftovers (often called sprues or frames). I recently painted up one of their new Viking models, a favorite subject of mine!
IN case you're wondering, I painted it under a large light-up magnifying glass. I researched the colors (from vegetable dyes) that vikings used to dye their garments to make the appearance as historical as possible.
Until next time....
~Paul
Aklo- Cthulhu Magic
Aklo: The ancient and inherently powerful pre-human language of mythos magic. This is the subject of Sixtystone Press' upcoming release for the Call of Cthulhu RPG, and they've asked me to create the illustrations for it. I've already read some of the manuscript, and I think it'd appeal to those both interested in the game and Lovecraft's Mythos in general.
Here's just a quick teaser of things to come...
For those curious, the sketch was created in photoshop with a Wacom tablet but the finished piece will be painted traditionally (and in color, because it's the cover). I'm quite excited about this project, as the manuscript is rife with inspiring visuals.
Stay tuned....
~Paul
Here's just a quick teaser of things to come...
For those curious, the sketch was created in photoshop with a Wacom tablet but the finished piece will be painted traditionally (and in color, because it's the cover). I'm quite excited about this project, as the manuscript is rife with inspiring visuals.
Stay tuned....
~Paul
Custom Cthulhi and back into the deep
Greetings!
Well, I am down to just one Bronze and one 'Slime' Cthulhu statue, but an interesting thing happened while the number of statues dwindled.... custom orders! People have been contacting me on their own to do special one-off paint jobs.
This one hails all the way from Russia, it's a very dark purple with an antique silver base, the eyes have been painted to look as if they emit light (my favorite part):
The next custom commission I received was from a good friend who is also an artist as well as a stone mason. He was working on a custom marble floor and thought the colors would lend themselves well to the base of a Cthulhu statue. He gave me a number of nice and unusual small sample tiles for inspiration, and requested a copper Cthulhu on top. I'd never painted faux marble before (or much antique copper), and I love trying my hand at imitation finishes. Here it is:
If you recall the previous blog entry, I shared a cover illustration for some Lovecraftian sheet music. I recently completed an interior illustration which will serve as the table of contents. The eight pieces of music span much of Lovecraft's universe, but the first track 'Realm of the Hydra' inspired this piece:
"The Hydrae" 9-1/2 x 12" acrylic. It started off as being simply a decorative border, but sometimes my enthusiasm takes over.
I'd love to hear what people think! Thanks for reading,
~Paul
Well, I am down to just one Bronze and one 'Slime' Cthulhu statue, but an interesting thing happened while the number of statues dwindled.... custom orders! People have been contacting me on their own to do special one-off paint jobs.
This one hails all the way from Russia, it's a very dark purple with an antique silver base, the eyes have been painted to look as if they emit light (my favorite part):
The next custom commission I received was from a good friend who is also an artist as well as a stone mason. He was working on a custom marble floor and thought the colors would lend themselves well to the base of a Cthulhu statue. He gave me a number of nice and unusual small sample tiles for inspiration, and requested a copper Cthulhu on top. I'd never painted faux marble before (or much antique copper), and I love trying my hand at imitation finishes. Here it is:
If you recall the previous blog entry, I shared a cover illustration for some Lovecraftian sheet music. I recently completed an interior illustration which will serve as the table of contents. The eight pieces of music span much of Lovecraft's universe, but the first track 'Realm of the Hydra' inspired this piece:
"The Hydrae" 9-1/2 x 12" acrylic. It started off as being simply a decorative border, but sometimes my enthusiasm takes over.
I'd love to hear what people think! Thanks for reading,
~Paul