Colin Everett - Hunter’s Moon
Atmosphere is one of the things that can make or break a painting. This image by Colin Everett practically oozes atmosphere, from the blood-red moon in the sky to the brooding castle overhanging the ghoulish graveyard below, with its piles of skulls in the foreground and the eerie, threatening figure dramatically uplit by what under any other circumstance would be a cheerfully glowing lantern. This juxtaposition of warm, glowing light with the deep red darkness is one of the things that really adds to the creepy, threatening effect of this image. It’s the kind of image you might have seen in a Victorian children’s book, and indeed it deserves a place in one so that it can terrify generations of kids to come.
On the Painter forums this week I’ve been following the progress of Benedict, by Joe Cummings, from value sketch to full painting. It’s a marvellous caricature, at once completely lifelike and utterly unrealistic. One of my favourite elements has to be those ratty little teeth! Meanwhile I’ve been watching Damian Jones’ concept art with interest, and I’m particularly taken with Buzz Droid, with its well-thought-out structure, andcombination of dull yellow metalwork and a glowing, iridescent central panel. Two of my other favourites this week are Careless Whisper by Reinaldo Quintero (I’m a huge fan of anime and manga) and Goddess of Night by Angela Jarman (I’m also a huge fan of elves). Kristina Gehrmann’s Death of Guiliano is also a great piece - even if it was done in Photoshop!