Retropath is a monthly series at Toronto’s Royal Cinema – showcasing classic horror and genre films. I was commissioned to create the poster for Mays event, the screening of Joan Crawford as an ax-wielding ex-con in Strait-Jacket.
I knew from the get go I wanted to work with Joan’s eyes. Such striking, powerful eyes. I did a few thumbnails and came up with the idea of her face being super-imposed on an ax handle. If positioned correctly, the negative space beside her head would make the shape of the sharp blade.
Tried some new gradient slash two colours at once blending with the background. Its subtle, but Im super happy with how it turned out. For sure will find ways to incorporate it again into future work
Couldn’t be more happy with how the eyes fill the ax blade. In my sketch it looked like it could work, but the final result is much better than I originally imagined. The hair above her forehead reads like the handle, and even the hair on the side of Joan’s head looks like it could be a blood drip. The slightly offset layers add a bit of a shine on the edge of the blade too. All separate and seemingly unimportant elements, but when combined they create the effect I was hoping for.
Strait-Jacket, 11″x17″ Screen Print. Limited edition of 13
Check out process work for more projects on my Behance