Clash 0f the Titans#4 - Medusa

I've only been able to find one image of Medusa from the new Clash of the Titans. In the lone photo I used as reference for drawing this picture, her visage isn't ugly. From what I can see, apart from her hair full o' snakes and serpent's body, her face is fairly attractive. So, I can only think that she "hags-out" when turning victims to stone. I've learned her performance in the film is completely computer generated. Russian-born beauty, Natalia Vodianova was hired as the motion-capture model for the gruesome Gorgon and her attack on Perseus and his men.
The following text is from the World Book Encyclopedia Volume 13 (1976) and is copyright 2010 Field Enterprises Educational Corporation: "Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, the daughters of the sea god Phorcus in Greek mythology. She was the only mortal Gorgon. Medusa had been beautiful in her youth, and was still proud of her hair. She boasted of her beauty to Athena, who became jealous and changed her into a hideous person. Medusa and her sisters had staring eyes, protruding fangs for teeth, and writhing snakes for hair. They were so ugly that anyone who saw them turned to stone.

Perseus killed Medusa by looking in his mirrorlike shield as he cut off her head. The winged horse Pegasus sprang from her beheaded body, and poisonous snakes arose from the blood that dripped from her head. Athena saved blood from Medusa's body and gave it to Asclepius, the god of healing. The blood from Medusa's left side was a fatal poison, but that from her right side had the power to revive the dead."

Clash of the Titans#3 - The Graeae

Collectively three sister witches, The Graeae, as stated in my previous post, helped Perseus in his quest to slay Medusa (one of the three Gorgons). But saying they helped him is putting it diplomatically. The Graeae ("gray witches" or "gray ones") were able to see only through the use of a shared magic eye. Perseus took the eye from them and made the witch trio tell him where he could find Medusa in order to slay her.

In the original version of Clash of the Titans from 1981, the Graeae are known as the Stygian Witches and their mystical eye is comparable to a glittering crystal sphere the size of a softball. In ancient mythology, each sister had a name. There was Enyo meaning "horror", Pemphredo meaning "alarm", and Deino which translates into "dread". Their appearance in the updated film is far more hideous than in the original. The grotesque shape and features of their hive-like heads, their drooling mouths, filthy hair, and stooped gait all add up to a total gross-out. The pictures released so far are creepy, I can only imagine what they're like on film. Finally, I recently read that the actresses playing the Graeae are all costume actors, meaning they've made their careers out of being in heavy make-ups. Apparently all three have previous experience portraying Teletubbies.

The preceding text was written in part with the aid of Wikipedia and Total Film magazine.

Clash of the Titans#2 - Perseus

"Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danae.The evil king Polydectes tricked him into going after the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Perseus succeeded because Hermes and Athena came to his aid. Hermes led him to the Graeae, the hags of the sea. They told him how to obtain winged sandals, a magic case in which to carry Medusa's head, and Hades' helmet, which would make him invisible. Hermes then gave him a sword, and Athena gave him a shiny shield. Perseus did not dare look directly at Medusa's face, or he would have turned to stone. He used the shield as a mirror and cut off Medusa's head. He later rescued Andromeda and married her. When Perseus returned home, he turned Polydectes to stone.". Fuck you, Polydectes!

"In Greek mythology, Perseus won his place among the stars. The constellation Perseus is of the northern celestial hemisphere, west of the constellation Auriga. Perseus contains the binary star Algol. The two stars of Algol periodically eclipse one another, so that Algol appears alternately fainter and brighter.".

The preceding text, with the exception of my "F-U" comment, is from the World Book Encyclopedia Volume 15 (1976) and is copyright 2010 Field Enterprises Educational Corporation.

Clash of the Titans - Zeus

The reference photo used for this drawing is of a statue of Zeus located in the Vatican Museums in Rome. The following text is taken directly from the World Book Encyclopedia Volume 21 (1976) & is copyright 2010 Field Enterprises Educational Corporation:

"Zeus was the king of the gods and the supreme ruler of men in Greek mythology. He originally was a god of the sky. In time, the Greeks regarded him as the only god who concerned himself with the entire universe. They especially associated Zeus with justice. They believed that he punished the wicked and rewarded the good. Zeus' symbols were the eagle, the oak tree, the royal scepter, and the thunderbolt. He had the same powers as the Roman god Jupiter.
Zeus was the son of Cronus and Rhea, who belonged to a mythological race called the Titans. Zeus and the other children of Cronus overthrew their father during a war against the Titans. He then took Cronus' place and ruled from Mount Olympus. He headed a family of twelve major gods and goddesses called the Olympians. Zeus' brothers were the gods Hades and Poseidon. Hades ruled the underworld, and Poseidon controlled the seas. The goddesses Demeter, Hera, and Hestia were Zeus' sisters. Zeus married Hera, who became queen of the gods. They had two children, the gods Ares and Hephaestus.
Zeus had many love affairs with goddesses and mortal women. His children by them included the gods Apollo, Dionysus, and Hermes; the goddess Artemis; and the heroes Heracles (Hercules in Latin) and Perseus. In addition, Zeus gave birth to the goddess Athena, who sprang full-grown from his head. Zeus and the goddess Mnemosyne were the parents of the Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts and sciences. According to some myths, Zeus and the goddess Themis were the parents of the Fates, three goddesses who controlled man's destiny."

St. Patty's greetings from "Bono"! . . .

This drawing of U2's front man was done last year during my "down" period. I basically got into a funk, didn't draw much, & when I did, it usually sucked. 90% of my illustrations were unfocused and the line work was very weak. However, the "Bono" drawing, based on a Getty Images photo taken during a performance at Fordham University, worked out well. The two earlier attempts @ this were completely unrecognizable & the line drawing here is somewhat shaky, but its an acceptable likeness. What really makes this work is the color; I'm particularly happy with the beard stubble (fleshed out last year while at a local Starbuck's). Some brown was added to his hair yesterday & gold filled out the earring. The word balloon was done this past Sunday. The scratchy quality to its color was intentional as it jives with the overall look of the drawing. Eric Kay is responsible for the background photograph which was originally used in a World Book Encyclopedia from the seventies.
As for getting out of my funk, I tried experimenting with different techniques & subject matter. Some things worked: different color applications led to a new approach when coloring the Jimi Hendrix illustration posted last week (3/9/2010) and the Johnny Depp/Mad Hatter drawing a few days prior to that. Other things weren't so successful: inkblots created for a post tying into the release of Watchmen (a terrible film), sketches done with a heavy point marker of people walking along the street (total shit), a rapidly drawn illustration of a Gundam robot (I did a better one when I was 14), St. Patrick's Day '09 drawings of a McDonald's employee & customer (I deserved a break that day), a study of a cheetah that looked like it had been hit over the head with a frying pan, an abandoned picture of Bumblebee from Transformers 2 . . . the list went on. The situation improved gradually: drawing at one of my regular stops, Rockabilly Barbers (Huntington N.Y.) helped. The folks there are always accommodating when I show up to draw them. However, things really clicked back into place when I started putting together my Halloween blogs of last year. I was driven to do them & they had to be finished before the end of October. You've got to have drive. The new approaches I was using weren't working because I wasn't focused. I settled back into my artwork when I stopped letting stupid shit, & shit-heads, bring my head down. That's true of any predicament you find yourself in: to hell with the morons, focus on your goals, & get back to what you're good at: what makes you and other people happy.

I hope everybody has a enjoyable & safe holiday. Happy St. Patty's Day me boyos!

Welcome Back, Jimi . . .

Valleys of Neptune is on store shelves as I type this. According to Janie Hendrix, this is just the tip of the iceberg: we can get ready for ten years of new, unreleased music from her brother. Just when you thought Rock 'n' Roll was dead, here comes Jimi Hendrix. . .

Wait'll They Get a Load of Me (2010) - Johnny Depp

. . . unfinished drawing of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. . .

Wait'll They Get a Load of Me (2010) - Heath Ledger

Of all the drawings I've done in the past five years, this one has received the most attention. Thanks to everyone who has responded to & enjoyed it.