The Art of Frankenstein : Erik M. Gist

Artist Erik M.Gist’s paintings reveal a love of horror themes, with vivid covers and card art for such clients as TOR Publishing, Wizards of the Coast, Upperdeck and DC Comics. He currently produces handsomely gruesome covers for The Strain, by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, and AVP (Alien vs Predator) comics, both published by Dark Horse.

For personal pleasure and collector commissions, Gist often paints the classic creatures, with a decided preference for Frankenstein’s Monster. He has produced a number of stunning portraits of Boris Karloff and Glenn Strange in The Monster’s makeup.

Gist’s interpretations are disturbingly realistic. Here, caught in oils, The Monster stares balefully, his mottled skin suggesting an uncanny, dangerous creature poised between unholy life and delayed death. Here is another interpretation of Karloff’s Frankenstein Monster, illustrating the steps towards a finished painting.

Erik M.Gist is also a Senior Instructor with the Watts Atelier of the Arts in Encinitas, California. See more art by Gist on DeviantArt, his website and blog.