Gregg Stockdale Takes a Swing at Mark Foster, Part One

Gregg Stockdale really is one of my favorite people here - he's very...devoted to The Dreams in the Witch House, and is willing to do a lot just for the sake of helping us out.

Well, we've been having some discussions on the Mark Foster composition, and Gregg did some requested redesigning. Let me show you the process.

The original Mark Foster art, without any text (sent to me by the artist).

The poster with the original font. This typography received VERY negative reception in the Mark Foster Mission.

The newer artwork: darkened by the artist and sent to me.

The darkened artwork with the new font, added by Gregg Stockdale.

Now, I, personally, think that this looks a HECK of a lot better.

There is something appealing to me about the brighter background, but overall, I think the darker tone works better for our purposes and represents the story better.

Next up I asked Gregg to experiment a little and try to put the Sigil of Nyarlathotep into the poster.

The Sigil of Nyarlathotep against a solid green background (it will be used in the film).

Gregg and I agreed that these versions don't really work. Version One (on the left) blocks out the house, Version Two (on the right) makes it so transparent that you can't see it at all.

These were just a few fun experiments. The final design is coming soon.

The Photography in the Witch House - Effects, Part Five: The Tendrils

With a few tweaks, the Tendrils design from Gregg Stockdale is finished.

Wow.

The Photography in the Witch House - Effects, Part Four: The Beginning of the Tendrils

Our main concept artist has revealed a rough draft of what he's been working on since we started. Yes, Witch House's own Gregg Stockdale has revealed the first draft of...THE TENDRILS!

For those of you who don't know, the idea of this is to make foggy tendrils emerge from the Window, which represents the higher dimensions. Its a fabulous idea and Gregg has been working on it for quite some time. This is only a rough draft, but I think it looks amazing and eerie.

Now I don't know where he got those shadow tentacles from (other than Gerald Scarfe or a drawing by an inmate of Summer Breeze Mental Hospital) but good God that's cool. I mean, its enough that he takes fabulous violet photos, creates the hideous faces of Keziah and Brown Jenkin, makes a Grimoire page, and designs the Sigil of Nyarlathotep to represent the film, but this? WOW!

And this is only a rough draft! Tell me, is there one of you who wouldn't like to see this in its finished format? I DON'T THINK SO!

Thanks, Gregg for being a devoted member of the Witch House team.

The Sigil of Nyarlathotep

Gregg Stockdale has designed a new symbol that will represent Witch House. I call it the Sigil of Nyarlathotep. You can see it here imposed over the Violet Window and the Logo.

The Photography in the Witch House - The Grimoire Page, Part One

Gregg has a new concept in the making...one featuring a page from a grimoire, kept in Keziah Mason's loft.

It contains "Instructiones for Conjuring a Rat Thynge".

Gregg is getting knee surgery tomorrow. BEST OF LUCK, GREGG!

The Photography in the Witch House - The Brown Jenkin Gap

Gregg, who will be going through knee surgery on Friday, slapped this eerie image together.

Note his Brown Jenkin image peeking through in the top right corner.

Its very creepy! Best of luck with the surgery, Gregg.

Welcome Zachary Bos, Graphic Designer, to the Concept Art Team!

The Mark Foster initiative on Facebook was really quite successful. Without it, how would we have got Gregg Stockdale, or our latest addition, Zachary Bos?

Zachary is a graphic designer, who will be doing re-designs of the Mark Foster art. DO NO WORRY, we will definitely be using Mark Foster's originals as well. But Zachary will be making some re-designs for a promotional series. Its just a fun experiment to see how the poster could have been done if it was taken in different directions.

First up, he photoshopped his way into this, a re-design I'm calling "The House."

I think its awesome. REMEMBER, WE'RE STILL USING MARK FOSTER'S ORIGINAL - but this too.

Mr. Bos believes that the geometrical pattern in the background is strong, but needs a little cleaning up. So he darkened them. Then, turning the house black-and-white, he went for a more esoteric mood then a 1930s Universal horror picture poster. The triangle is meant to unify the image.

He'll be doing a couple, each with a central figure from the Mark Foster art. Yay!

P.S. For those of you who are kind enough to visit this blog, know this - I am in contact with Michael Zigerlig, a Swiss artist, friend of director/producer/screenwriter Brian Yunza (H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon, Bride of Reanimator) and the late artist H.R. Giger (Necronomicon). He is the artist and adapter of H.P. Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu - a graphic novel adaptation of the story. We're discussing him doing some concept art.