Nosferatu Poster - Christopher Cox

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changethethought
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 2:19 pm

Image

So I am embarking on a little side project/experiment this year and will be working on a series of posters all utilizing titles from the copyright free catalog at Openflix. The first up is Nosferatu. I am fairly far along with the illustration of Count Orlok. I am working on the illustration digitally utilizing a set of brushes I have developed from a super rough sketch that just kind of outlines how I think I want the entire layout to work. I don't want to post too much yet since I am still working on typography and layout but I thought you might like to check out some early images of the Count's face.
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GCGCAC
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 3:11 pm

very nice so far. :clap:
You've got some nice line work and shading going on. I know it's just a preview, but I would either tone down the red in the background or change it to a totally different color.
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changethethought
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 3:22 pm

Haha. Comments like that always make me chuckle.

The colors are still under development. I know I want red because his eyes are going to be slightly bloodshot and he is going to be wiping blood from his mouth.

But what you are looking at is a direct screen grab out of Illustrator so all of the colors are going to look really hot. It will be completely different in print. I am thinking the white will be glow in the dark ink, at least one of the silver tones will be metallic and I thought about potentially making the red a fluorescent, but it may end being metallic also.

I am on the fence about doing a variant but the original, just like the real film, will have all of the titles in German.
lastchild11
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 3:28 pm

Looks good
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iambillyg
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 3:30 pm

Looks awesome.

Would be great, if you do decide to do a variant, to have it with only black, white and silver metallics to go with the original B&W. Also a GID moon could be nice rather than all the white being GID. Just my humble .02.

Good work so far. Can't wait for the finished product.
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changethethought
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 3:37 pm

Definitely man. For the variant I was thinking exactly what you said. I even thought about seeing if I could print it on some kind of antiqued paper to give it a rustic feel.

The thing is that the original released in 1922 and the American version didn't get a release until 1929 so I wanted to do a variant for the secondary release. I know it seems kind of backwards but I might try to see if I can make it work. Thanks for the comments so far and thank you for the suggestion on the red. I am going to play around a lot and see if that is the right choice or not.
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GCGCAC
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 3:48 pm

Glad you got a chuckle. I know it will be different on paper. Still i believe it would look great with VERY dull colors on this. Different paper is a good idea. I would even think silver paper (Think Sperry variants) would be great. GID would be just ok......the metallic inks are a great idea. An aged look would definitely suit this movie best. A EXTREMELY aged variant is what I would do.
Just my 2 cents... :pint:
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changethethought
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:14 pm

Yeah man, sorry I didn't mean to sound like a dick. It's definitely a work in progress at this point. All the weight is on developing the illustration right now. I spent a day or two playing with typography and that is the other huge factor. Then I am going to start talking to the printer and playing around with inks and color.
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changethethought
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:17 pm

On that note, I wonder what options there would be for antiqued paper? It would be crazy bad ass if I could find something that does feel extremely aged. Maybe I could bake all of them in an oven before I ship them out. :wink:
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GCGCAC
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:23 pm

changethethought wrote:On that note, I wonder what options there would be for antiqued paper? It would be crazy bad ass if I could find something that does feel extremely aged. Maybe I could bake all of them in an oven before I ship them out. :wink:
No worries.

And yes typography should play a huge role in a poster of this kind. Curious to see what you come up with.

I wonder if you can/should bake them.... Let us know what you learn from the printer.
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GCGCAC
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 5:16 pm

Hey I was thinking you shouldn't bake them. I would imagine it would lead to the print peeling and flaking off. If it was me I would like the paper to look old but the print to look new, but with VERY subdued colors(if that makes sense). Hopefully your printer will have antiqued looking paper.
:pint:
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jlabbate
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Tue Jan 17, 2012 5:45 pm

Looks great so far....
Love the idea of a B/w Variant
Best of luck getting it printed
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changethethought
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Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:11 pm

Image

Still developing the Count Orlok illustration and it is nearly complete now. Next step is to move into the background elements and start developing the typography for the poster. Some nice details are emerging in Orlok though. I rethought his teeth and decided I wanted them less vicious and more awkward like they are in the film.
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daviddelgadoh
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Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:04 pm

Your linework is pretty similar to Ansin. In a VERY GOOD way.

The index -> middle fingers look a bit off. From the way the knuckles line up, it makes it look like the pointer is the index but when you look at the tips, the middle is over the index.... if that makes sense?
I know, weird critique - but it caught my eye.

Otherwise, I like your stuff. Keep it up!
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kyle
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Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:09 pm

maynard ! :lol:
Codeblue wrote:Hork is God, Jesus, the 12 disciples, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny all rolled into one beautiful lanky package.
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