I was 12 years old when I first watched Death Becomes Her. I instantly fell in love with its blend of dark comedy and fantasy. The film not only entertained but also offered insights into women’s struggles with self-image and competitiveness. With its vibrant yet gothic color palette, stunning special effects makeup, and incredible performances, it quickly became one of my all-time favorites.
I’ve always adored Goldie Hawn in her other films, but Helen Sharp is definitely at the top of my list as my favorite character she has portrayed. She nails the role, exuding an irresistible blend of glamour and menace that is absolutely captivating.
So captivating that I’ve had her on my art bucket list for years. I decided it was time to bring Helen back from the dead… again. So, I rewatched the movie for the umpteenth time to decide which phases of Helen’s looks I wanted to capture. I chose to focus on her two “eternal youth” looks, before and after the iconic “Look at me, Ernest! Just look at me! I’m soaking wet!” moment. I also knew I wanted to incorporate the bold and dramatic hues from the film.
So with that all being said, here is my latest split face portrait I call “Just Look At Me!” done in pencil, chalk pastels, and colored pencil…
For those of you that are also fans of Goldie as Helen Sharp, I have made-to-order* prints and t-shirts listed in my Etsy shop. Apply coupon code ETERNALYOUTH to your order at check out and get 10% off either!
Prints will also be made available to purchase in store at Closet Collectibles in Crete, IL as soon as I make my next art drop off.
I’m not sure if it’s due to my enduring fascination with aliens, being an “out of this world” Aquarius, or simply the sheer delight I feel whenever I tune into an episode of Resident Alien, but Alan Tudyk’s portrayal of Harry Vanderspeigle fills my soul with joy. If that isn’t motivation enough to reach for my drawing pencils, I don’t know what is.
My husband and I have been watching Resident Alien since it first aired on SyFy. It’s one of our “happy place” shows. This means that no matter what is going on in life we can escape to it each week when it airs and laugh our cares away. Not to mention getting to hear Harry’s viewpoint from observing humans can be quite eye opening, and I wholeheartedly can’t imagine anyone that could fill his skin the way Alan does.
When I first laid eyes on Harry in alien form I was mesmerized and immediately put him on my art bucket list. I knew drawing this one would be a fun challenge for me and season after season it kept calling to me. So I decided to move it up to the top of the list and got to work. With the color it’s taken me a little longer to complete it, but I have to admit every time I picked it up to work on it I would get a cheesy grin on my face just like I do when I watch the show. So needless to say, I am pretty thrilled to share the completed split face portrait I call “This Is Some Bullshit!” done in pencil, chalk pastels, and colored pencil…
Now my goal is to to travel galaxies so I can gift the original to Alan Tudyk and tell him how much light he brings into our world as Harry!
For those of you that are also fans of Dr. Vanderspeigle, I have made-to-order* prints and t-shirts listed in my Etsy shop. Apply coupon code PIZZAPIE to your order at check out and get 10% off either!
Prints will also be made available to purchase in store at Closet Collectibles in Crete, IL as soon as I make my next art drop off.
Some of you may have noticed from my lack of posts that I have been in quite of an art rut. To say the least 2019 was a hard year for me and it took a toll on me creatively. Normally I would use my art as a form of escape but this past year there was a lot of death and loss that really took over and I started to feel like my art was something I was pressuring myself to do just to keep up with other creatives. In other words, this piece I am about to share with you not only represents the character I was inspired by but also a big piece of myself as well.
As a Jim Henson geek it comes as no surprise that I would fall in love with Netflix’s Dark Crystal Age Of Resistance. However, I didn’t expect to be so drawn into (pun intended) and relate so much to one of it’s main characters. That character being Deet, who I now refer to as my gelfling heroine and spirit animal.
Like myself, Deet (born Deethra) is a creative and sympathetic empath who feels very deeply. Being a misunderstood Grottan (from the bat caves), she may not have the most confidence sometimes but she doesn’t let others negativity discourage her. Instead she pays it forward to inspire others to be true to themselves and try to see the world more optimistically. She will do anything to heal the pain of the ones she loves no matter how draining or overwhelming it may become for her. On top of it Deet has a soft spot for creatures and animals (hence the hint and reference in the opener of my last post) making her that more sympathetic and amped to join The Resistance and to help save all of Thra from the darkness. So in other words if I was a gelfling.
I was so in tune with this character that she got me picking up my drawing pencils again and helped to give me my motivation back. Then again if anyone could be inspired in real life by a puppet it’s this girl right here! When I finished this piece I was not sure what I was going to call it and then I decided on “I Will Carry On” which was a phrase that Deet says in the show (I won’t say when incase you haven’t splurged on this masterpiece yet) but I find it very fitting to Deet’s personality, her sacrifices, how I relate to her personally, my overall vision for this piece and the fact I was trying to overcome not only my art rut but other obstacles in my life while creating it.
I actually have been working on this piece on and off again since the end of December. I know this is not typical of me but ehhh art ruts suck to get out of and if you don’t want to mess what you have started up you don’t rush it. I also wanted it to have a soft feel to it so I used pencil, charcoal and chalk pastels.
I am very happy with the way it turned out and I have since accepted the fact that I don’t have to feel the pressure to make something all the time to be considered an artist. I just need to feel the inspiration and let it take over when the time is right. I have also taken on additional ways of self healing to bring more zen into my life and I feel this has helped me to release some of my artistic tension. This piece is a wonderful representation of where I was and where I am going. The Deet in me hopes this piece also finds a way to speak to and inspire other empaths and tortured artists out there that may need it.
If you would like to see more of my portrait work feel free to visit the Spitting Image page of my portfolio website. If your a Deet, Dark Crystal or Jim Henson fan and would like a print or a shirt of this art piece, they will be available in my Amazon Shop starting today!
Stay Spooky & Resist! LDG Nicole Proud Member of the Grottan Clan
This piece in particular is very special to me. I drew it in 2014 for my Dad’s 60th Birthday. My Dad has always been inspired and a fan of Big Daddy Roth’s work and as you all know my Dad has always been my biggest artistic inspiration.
While at their site looking at the amazing entries, follow their social accounts and subscribe to their magazine. These guys are always doing rad stuff to help promote artists. And well I think that is pretty gnarly!
