This Bela Lugosi caricature is an homage to the great illiustrator Basil Gogos (1929-2017) and I would like to take you through the process of painting it.
Drawing a caricature or a portrait, begins with finding the best possible photo references. Blurry photos are a no-no, while at least 2 different angle photos are necessary in order to better grasp the facial features. I got really lucky with the 2 Lugosi photos I found for this one.
I either begin my drawings penciling or go straight to coloring. In this case, I started with penciling and I am very happy with it- you may see it on the video.
I have always been very fond of Basil Gogos’s vivid color palette on his classic horror monsters work. So on my Bela Lugosi caricature I wanted to play with a double half blue-green, half yellow-orange backlight and background that contrasts with Dracula’s calm -almost dead- flesh tone.
Want to see more? Enjoy the time lapse making-of video.
