Back in 2000 when I heard that Tim Burton would be directing a remake of the Planet of the Apes I thought, that might not suck. Burton makes visually stunning films and handles weird subject matter pretty well.

Then, when the publicity department started sending out folks for interviews, I caught Burton talking about the film. He said something to effect that he enjoyed working on the movie because monkeys are funny. At that point I was pretty sure that the movie would … be less than wonderful. Not because monkeys aren’t funny. They are. But they’re everything else that humans are as well. So, unless you’re making a comedy, the statement “Monkeys are funny” indicates that maybe you’re not thinking about your material properly. Also, MONKEYS aren’t APES any more than lemurs are monkeys.

And what does that have to do with this fellow? Not a thing really.

And here is yesterday’s piece with color added. As you can see I couldn’t resist using a gradient to suggest fading sunlight.

This is another piece designed for flat colors. I’m very impressed by artists who manage to present an illustration with a few lines and shadows. I’m constantly preventing myself from filling every space with fiddly little lines. Folks, like Eduardo Risso and Alex Toth, who are masters of complex simplicity leave me in awe.

Does the story seem more obvious once there’s color in the picture? Would the choice of colors change your idea for the story?

Why is he wearing the mask? Is he going to a costume party? Or is he getting ready slaughter a bunch of annoying teenagers (played by actors in their mid to late twenties)? Or does he plan to do some welding and he likes to personalize his tools? Perhaps he doesn’t like his face? Or perhaps he knows that others don’t like it so he keeps it hidden out of politeness?

What’s the story here?

I spy with my little eye – something that begins with the letter “K”.

Most of the illustrations I’ve created for the Skookworks.com banners don’t have any context to them. That is, they don’t have any specific context, no specific story. They are images that came to me as I was staring at the blank paper. I can’t say they spring from nowhere. I doubt that anyone’s imagination is that fertile.

This one was probably inspired by those old haunted house movies. The ones where the houses have secret passages and big gloomy portraits on the walls. Often those portraits have removable eyes so that someone in a secret passage can look out and spy on an unsuspecting resident of one of the regular rooms.

I don’t think I’ve seen that bit in any recent movie.

I grew up watching Star Trek. I’ve been indoctrinated to find green girls to be sexy.

(Nah. I find girls (women) to be sexy. Green. Blue. Jet black or any of the myriad real people shades.)

Drawing scars is fun. I wouldn’t wish the process of getting wounded enough to get a cool scar on any living person but I like giving scars to the characters I draw. I’m sure I’ve drawn a lot more scarred characters than tattooed ones. I’m not sure why. Maybe because a tattoo is usually a drawing and since I’m already doing one drawing I don’t feel like putting another little drawing in the middle of it? Perhaps because getting a tattoo requires a person to sit still whereas getting a scar is a more vigorous activity?

I like formal wear and fashions prior to the 1960s. Suits, ties and hats just look cool. I wouldn’t trade the need to dress up for today’s casual comforts but drawing all that cloth is fun.