Slasher Design TOY STORE Painting
Hello fellow Creatures,
Recently, I was asked to paint a section on the front of the local toy store... 1313 Mockingbird Lane. The front of the store features 18"x18" sections that will eventually each be painted by various artists. I was given pretty much free range to do whatever I wanted for my square and it didn't take long to come up with the idea. Knowing that Terry Taylor's (store owner) favorite TV family was The Munsters... and the store having been named after their iconic address, I knew I wanted to utilize Herman in some way.
Being for a toy store, I figured it would be a cool idea to have Herman holding/playing with an action figure, but whom? Initial thoughts were to have him holding He-Man in one hand and Skeletor in the other. After taking a gander at my collection for some further inspiration, a figure stood out immediately. Egon Spengler, from the 1986 Kenner Real Ghostbusters FRIGHT FEATURES line. Not only are the colors bright and a good contrast to Herman... The unique "Fright" feature of the toy is both "wacky" and memorable, giving it just the character I wanted. Being a collector and having this figure not only now, but as a child, I knew one notable and somewhat annoying little tid-bit about it. You rarely seem to find a vintage sample that does not have a broken neck tie. The neck tie was a rather thin piece of plastic that would "pop up" when the "Fright" feature was initiated, thus being rather vulnerable to breakage when playing with the toys in our youths. So to tie them together... Herman was also rather well known for his clumsiness... so it seemed the perfect pair.
The painting took roughly 2 and a half days (June 10-12), due to a rain delay and being much hotter than expected. I was able to get a little toy shopping done during heat breaks. Conditions combined with the very low placement of the work area... proved to be a bit more of a challenge than initially thought. Being a primarily digital artist... I rarely get the opportunity to work traditionally on a project. It was a lot of fun, minus the heat, but it gave me a chance to brush up on my traditional skills, and overall I'm really happy with the piece. I hope ya dig it.
-Justin
If you're ever in the Lawrence, Kansas vicinity... be sure to stop by 1313 Mockingbird Lane. Say hi to Terry and Liz, and browse the pegs of awesome toys, new and old!
For more info about 1313 Mockingbird Lane...
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