My Phat Status XXI

It's been quite a while since I've felt compelled to write a new Phat Status, but maybe this one will help explain the shortage.  

Greg White Illustration

Halloween Machine 2014!

Hello interneters, and a very happy Halloween to you all.  As anyone who's followed my blog (all 3 of you) for any length of time knows, I'm a pretty serious Halloweener.  And this year was no different.  Despite the fact that I had 2 major jobs land on the same month (a set design for a play and illustrations for an animated video), and I had precious little time, I still managed to hit all my usual Halloween traditions, including creating a costume based on a dated (usually film-related) reference from yesteryear, my annual costumed carving party, and an illustrated invitation to go with said party.  

This year I went as Scrooloose, (maybe the greatest mute, feral, post-apocalyptic child-shaman character ever put to film) from the 1980's classic "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome."  My friend, Rachel, went as Auntie Entity, the somewhat more iconic character played by Tina Turner.  

As for the invitation art, it was done in the same style as I've done in past years like these, this one, and these, but with a nautical theme.  Happy Halloween everybody!

Greg White- Illustration

We Built This City

How do you like that title?  Yeah, that's right.  It's gonna be stuck in your head all day now.  Anyhow, here is the final piece of phase one of my Oklahoma City illustrations.  I'm hoping to get some more done when time permits.  This one was taken from atop McNellie's pub, (the building that can be seen in the background of the Kaiser's piece) and shows the downtown skyline.  This one is probably my favorite of the three because of the color composition.  

Greg White-Illustration

Loitering on Public Property

So here's part two of my new series, which features The Paseo, the hippy-art mecca of my fair city (not to be confused with the hipster-art mecca, which may get featured later on down the road).  You'll notice that a girl quite similar to the one in my last painting makes an appearance here.  Don't be fooled!  Even though she isn't wearing glasses in this piece, it is the one and same character, and that is because the same, gorgeous woman modeled for this piece too.  She is my lovely roommate for those who were curious.

Greg White-Illustration

A Little Nightly Stroll

Guess what movie this piece is based off of?  Give up?  Good, cause it's the first non-movie poster design I've done in what seems like ages.  This was done as part of a series I started that centers on some of my favorite little locations throughout the city.  Three of them are displayed at a Gallery near downtown and I'm planning to do a few more when I can find some time.  That may be a while, though, as this summer has provided me with an absolutely insane workload.  When it rains, it pours.

Greg White- Illustration

I Will Not Be Threatened By A Walking Meatloaf!

"An American Werewolf in London" is one of my all-time favorite flicks.  We're talking top-ten territory here. So with an abundance of time on my hands this summer, I decided to indulge myself and do this poster as a gift to my favorite client--me.  Sure, I'm a demanding perfectionist who forces me to do countless revisions and stay up till all hours, but at the end of the day, I'm a client who gets me and is in sync with my artistic vision.  

How can I accurately put my love for John Landis' "An American Werewolf in London" into words?  It's like the "Jaws" of werewolf movies as the beast is rarely shown, which only makes it scarier. It also features one of the greatest werewolf transformation scenes of all time and is peppered with some fantastic gore and makeup effects that still hold up today.  The film has a pitch-perfect tone that is both darkly hilarious and vicious at the same time, and is one of the few films that works equally well as both a comedy and a horror film.  There is some debate as to whether this or "The Howling" is the better 1981 werewolf film, but to me there is absolutely NO contest.   

 

Greg White Illustration

Lawrence of Arabia

I'm a Lawrence of Arabia freak, so when the opportunity to do a commissioned work for it came along, I jumped at the opportunity.  I think Steven Spielberg summed it up nicely when he referred to Lawrence of Arabia as a "miracle."  It's a film that had every right to fail according to traditional movie standards.  It's four hours long, has no female characters, takes place almost entirely in the desert, has little action for a wartime film, and features an extremely unconventional protagonist.  And yet, it is amongst the most beautiful and celebrated films of all time.  

The poster came together with very little fuss.  I drew the original design as a portrait, but decided to do a B-side for myself in landscape that I actually like even better.  

Greg White Illustration