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Original Movie Posters & Illustrations

Illustration, Design, Graphic Design

This piece was created for my first participation in the great Silver Screen Society project. I was unfamiliar with the film Dead Man, but was glad to give it a try. It's a very interesting film and quite scenic in spite of being black and white. The images that struck me the most were William Blake's plaid suit, the birch forest, and the prevailing fear and dread of the inevitable. You can purchase a print of this piece here.
Nicolas Cage is his own man. He has his own reasons and many of them defy reason. Instead of conforming to expectations, he rolls with the psycho. His acting is anywhere from bat guano insane to unfinished pine 2X4, but I love him. I love him because he’s crazy. I did this piece to showcase the variance and consistency that is Cage. He has played an array of characters from sorcerers and medieval knights to business suit vampires and loveable criminals. The outside may change, but Cage remains the same.

I featured each of these personnas as a 'character card' so fans could get a better look at the nuances of the man, the meme, Nic Cage. If you'd like to see the whole 16 'card' set, you can view them on my Tumblr blog. Set 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Teddy's in the basement digging the Panama Canal! Well, not really, but don't tell him that. "Arsenic and Old Lace" was a honey of a film from Frank Capra starring the brilliant Cary Grant. This madcap comedy from 1944 is full of superb acting, witty dialogue, and chilling laughs. It's always been a favorite of mine so I decided to design a poster in the style of film and design genius Saul Bass. This two-tone poster has haphazard angles, crisp lines and just the right amount of playfulness. I even designed custom damask wallpaper with tiny skulls and crossed bones.
"Do you expect me to talk?"

"No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die."

As the orginal film poster says, "Everything he touches turns to excitement!" Goldfinger was Sean Connery's third turn as James Bond. Bouncing between the US and Europe, Goldfinger challenges Bond to a round of golf, tries to bisect him with a laser, and nearly kills him in the most famous gold vault in the world, Fort Knox. As a native of Kentucky, I've always loved this film. Our own Kentucky Fried Chicken has a cameo in the movie, as does our signature Derby drink, the mint julep (in the title as the letter 'i'). This graphic poster features Fort Knox being buzzed by Pussy Galore's Flying Circus, the henchman Oddjob with his deadly hat, and a sensuous silhouette to represent poor Jill Masterson who was suffocated to death with gold paint. Bond is pictured in a tweed traveling suit and wears Connery's suave grin, crinkling his sparkling eyes. The colors of this poster were sampled from one of Kentucky's signature crops, tobacco.
Roger Moore's debut as 007 ushered in a different style of Bond film and featured one of the most popular theme songs. Though some may dislike the playfullness of Moore's Bond, I think all the films deserve respect (some more than others). Live and Let Die is chock full of action; from New York, to the Bayou, to the island paradise of a big-time drug lord. Voodoo and tarot play a role here too, especially in the life of Bond's lovely lady, Solitaire. This poster features the maniacal Baron Samedi, the high priestess tarot card (representing Solitaire), a flashy speedboat in the heat of the chase, and a hungry alligator. For the tiled pattern, I laced 007's with graphic blooms of the opium poppy. A vintage metal dry goods can provided the color palette for this poster.
Timothy Dalton played Bond for two films with Licence to Kill showing a rougher, more vengeful 007. James goes rogue to secure justice for his friend Felix Leiter and bring down an untouchable drug kingpin. From a high-flying wedding entrance to a rocky tanker truck chase, Licence to Kill isn't short on action. The story is more visceral, especially compared to the films of Roger Moore. Here we see the emotional side of our favorite secret agent. This poster takes us from beginning to end with hungry sharks, aerial acrobatics, the love of two strong women, and a resolution of flame. The hues of the tropics and central America provided the palette for this poster.
This isn't a poster exactly, more of an illustration. It's also not a movie. Chuck was an amazing, fun television series that aired its final episode in 2012. I loved the cast and their chemistry. This illustration was a labor of love. I just had to share it here.
"Attaboy Luther!" There's angry organ music coming from the old Simmon's mansion. Who better to investigate a 'murder house' than bundle-of-nerves typesetter Luther Heggs. Don Knotts stars in "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken", a gem from 1966. From the rubber-limbed Knotts to the 'Bon-Ami' granny and the cosmic vibrations of the Psychic Occult Society of Rachel Kansas, this movie never fails to bring a smile. For this poster, I thought the always clever caricature style of Kirsten Ulve would be perfect considering Don Knotts was nearly a living caricature of himself. I kept the layout simple and allowed for plenty of white space. This piece gave me an even deeper appreciation of Ulve and the kind of work she does.