The Shadow of Artist H.R. Giger

Approaching the anniversary of his passing, we are going to take a look at the revolutionary work of artist H.R. Giger, and the style his work gave birth to- Biomechanical Art.

Born in 1940 in Switzerland, Hans Rudolf “Ruedi” Giger, known to most as simply H.R. Giger, gained early success with his art at the end of the 1960’s, via production of posters featuring his art.

His unique style was one of stark surrealism, in which he usually depicted the intimate fusing of mechanical features or parts to distinctly biological components or beings. Giger’s compositions were usually desaturated or completely monochromatic, and the scenes were often emtionally (and visually) dark. This approach resulted in evocative, often bizarre, sometimes disturbing imagery in his paintings.

---

The visceral style of H.R. Giger strikes a deep and distinct chord. It presents us with universally familiar elements, yet portrayed in an unearthly context. It creates a deep resonance with its audience, regardless of whether the reaction to it is positive or negative. His creations and their lasting impact have had a great deal of influence on many artists in their own work, whether they realize it or not.

SONY DSC

Given the style of artwork produced here at Killer Paint, it is not surprising to find some Giger-esque artwork here at the shop from time to time.

Such designs have been created for customer jobs, side projects, and even television appearances. Mike even designed some Freehand Templates designed specifically for doing biomech artwork

An episode of “Payback” with the rock band Korn focused on an automotive project featuring biomech-influenced elements and artwork on the project. You may even recall the “Under Pressure” episode of “Rides”, in which both cars for the painting competition were painted with a biomechanical theme.

Using Giger inspired elements on vehicles both large and small works very well, and there are many ways that biomech artwork can be worked into the paint design. A number of color palettes can be applied effectively to these designs, or just done in monotone grays. The density of the composition can be varied as well, all the way from a few sparse elements to a super-dense layout, packed with visual components.

H.R. Giger was a mad genius of sorts, and brought something entirely new to the table with his work. People will probably likely feel the effect of H.R. Giger’s art for many years to come- the ripples of the creative splash he made in the world of art before he left it.

We hope you enjoyed this post.  Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

---

Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own car, truck, motorcycle, refrigerator, etc?

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

---

Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

The Official H.R. Giger Website: www.hrgiger.com

Killer Paint videos on YouTube

Biomech FX “Skull Buster” templates at Coast Airbrush: http://www.coastairbrush.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Biomech_FX_Skull_Buster_Set

Biomech FX “Spinal Trap” templates at Coast Airbrush: http://www.coastairbrush.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Biomech_FX_Spinal_Tap_Set

Killer Paint’s “True Fire™ Basics” Blog Series: https://www.killerpaint.com/true-firetrade-basics

Killer Grunge FX™ Spray at Coast Airbrush: https://www.coastairbrush.com/products.asp?cat=789

Grunge FX™ Tutorial Video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96hjkbrwprA

True Fire™ Instructional DVDs:
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 1
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 2

True Fire™ Freehand Templates: Artool Freehand Airbrush Templates, True Fire Template Set

House of Kolor Official Website: www.houseofkolor.com -The preferred paint of Mike Lavallee & Killer Paint

 

Around the Shop: Project Renderings by Industry Greats

At the Killer Paint shop, you’ll find plenty of artwork and decorations all over, from the front room to the bathroom. One set of pieces that are on display around the shop are some of the illustration renderings of cars done by some big names.

In the front entry room of the shop, three such pieces signed by Chip Foose hang on the wall by the window. These three are all projects from episodes of Overhaulin’ that Mike appeared in.

---

This piece is from Season 3 episode 17 of Overhaulin’, “That 70’s Van” where Mike gave this Chevy van the True Blue fire treatment, including a fire-breathing dragon on the back.

---

This Chevy Tahoe got its makeover in season 4, episode 4 of Overhaulin’, “Bling!” Mike’s flames appear in the black stripe down the sides of this truck.

---

This Dodge Magnum appeared in episode 12 of season 3 of Overhaulin’, “Fiery Brit”. Rally stripes engulfed in True Fire™ run up the hood and re-appear on the back end of this project car.

---

The bathroom, of all the places in the shop, is probably the most interesting in terms of decor, artwork and assorted memorabilia at Killer Paint.

We’ll cover it in its entirety at a later date, but on the bathroom wall, there is another rarely seen Foose mockup, from the special CNN Hummer project on Overhaulin’ from season 5. This particular design was designated for the roof of the vehicle. The finished version can be seen in the photo above.

---

Another Chip Foose original hangs on the wall in the office just below Mike’s legendary Hellion painting, the lion with the fiery mane that helped launch True Fire™ into the mainstream.

---

The most recent addition to to the Killer Paint collection is very special. Mike has been working on getting his 1951 Mercury, dubbed “The Dead Sled,” completed for a while now. (At the time of this posting, it is down in South Los Angeles, in the hands of body modders Lordz of Customz, getting an extreme low, aggressive chop.)

Meanwhile, vehicle art legend Steve Stanford agreed to do a rendering of Mike’s Dead Sled as it will appear when completed, according to Mike’s plans. This original masterwork now hangs proudly on the wall in the office- a rare gem in its own right, and one of the most prized possessions at Killer Paint.

We hope you enjoyed taking this peek at the Killer Paint shop. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

---

Perhaps these projects gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own car, truck, motorcycle, refrigerator, etc?

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

---

Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

Killer Paint’s “True Fire™ Basics” Series: https://www.killerpaint.com/true-firetrade-basics

True Fire™ Instructional DVDs:
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 1
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 2

True Fire™ Freehand Templates: Artool Freehand Airbrush Templates, True Fire Template Set

Harley-Davidson Official Website: http://www.harley-davidson.com

House of Kolor Official Website: www.houseofkolor.com

Project Flashback: Hellboy 2 Refrigerator

Back in 2009, a customer came to Killer Paint with a request to do a refrigerator for their home theater. Being fans of the Hellboy films, they wanted an over-the-top theme based on the then recently released Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.

---

Many of the Killer Paint Custom refrigerators start off with a vintage unit. Models from past eras like the 1940’s 50’s and 60’s were built with an aesthetic that makes them very well suited to these kinds of projects.

Their style was more akin to the lines and curves that a car might have, unlike most modern appliances, which tend toward the flat and blocky.

They also tend to be much smaller than most modern full-sized refrigerators, so they fit much more easily into many non-kitchen areas of the home, such as game rooms, man caves, or home theaters.

In this case, the Hellboy fridge started out its life as an older model GE fridge. It was still in reasonably good shape and quite functional, but it had quite a few changes in store.

This refrigerator project was going to be much more than just a exterior face lift and a repaint.

---

Normally, when a refrigerator gets painted here at the shop, just the outside surface gets the makeover.

On previous custom fridge projects, painting or making any color changes to the inside of previous projects had been avoided, due to concerns about the potential durability and adhesion of the paint once the fridge is in daily by the customer, and can be troublesome to do correctly.

Mike knew that for this theme, opening the door to a sterile white interior just wouldn’t do. So for the first time at Killer Paint, the refrigerator was going to get painted inside and out.

The interior surfaces were prepared and treated in such a way this time that would allow the paint to stand up better to wear and tear. Of course, red was the logical color choice for the inside on this piece.

We’ll take a closer look at how the interior turned out a bit later.

---

On the front door, a very large portrait of Hellboy himself (as portrayed by Ron Perlman) dominates the majority of the area. Mike wanted to do it large enough that he could put far more detail into the image, including fine wrinkles and skin texture.

---

While Hellboy himself dominates the front door, each side of the fridge displays its own sets of characters…

The left-hand side features the film’s aquatic protagonist Abe Sapien, as well as the primary elvish characters appearing in the film- Nuada, Nuala, and King Balor.

A few other entities from the story, like the Angel of Death and one of the Golden Army constructs, are woven in to create a continuous tapestry of images (click to enlarge)

The other side features the other members of the B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) who work alongside Hellboy in the film:

The fire-wielding Liz Sherman (portrayed by Selma Blair) and containment-suited Johann Kraus (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) (click to enlarge)

---

Guillermo del Toro, the director of Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, is well known for using fantastical imagery in his films, like the highly innovative Pan’s Labyrinth, whose influence is felt strongly in many of the elements of the Hellboy sequel.

As such, there was a wide variety of subject matter available. The film is chock-full of visually spectacular scenes, as well as amazing characters and wonderful (or terrible) creatures. It’s almost too much to choose from, as far as deciding what to paint on this refrigerator.

---

Now let’s get back to all of the work that went into the inside of this refrigerator…

The inside panel of the door was also painted red to go with the interior. a faux-beveled border was painted on, and a large Hellboy logo, including the B.P.R.D emblem was painted prominently on the door.

The rest of the panel is filled with an arrangement of spiral glyphs, similar to those etched in Hellboy’s skin in the film. Cracks were then painted in to give the impression that the panel is made of a rock-like material.

For the small square door to the icebox, Mike sculpted another B.P.R.D. emblem along with scratches, cracks and other texture, then painted-weathered the panel to appear as though it were carved out of some kind of stone.

---

With a brand new bright red interior, and faux stone doors, there was no way that the original wire shelves and drawers that the refrigerator came with would look good if they were placed back inside. Since the fridge was going to be for a home theater, and not storing meat of vegetables for meals, it was decided that the drawers would be left out entirely, to increase the amount of storage space available for beverages and snacks.

As for the shelves, Mike had something in mind to replace them. Using screen captures from the film, artwork was generated to use in order to etch the images on the underside of brand new, 1/4″ thick glass shelves. Three large shelves, plus one smaller shelf for the space adjacent to the icebox were made, and set on the pegs used for the original metal shelves.

---

A few months ago, one of the photos of the refrigerator showed up on a certain Facebook page…

Ron Perlman himself saw and reposted a picture of the Hellboy fridge!

We hope you enjoyed taking a look back at this project. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

---

Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own refrigerator, car, truck, motorcycle, etc.

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

---

Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

“Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” info page on imdb.com: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411477/

Purchase “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” on Amazon:

Purchase the original “Hellboy” movie, also on Amazon:

Ron Perlman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perlmutations

Ron Perlman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/perlmutations

Around the Shop: Catrina (Day of the Dead) Sculptures

Here at Killer Paint, there tend to be a lot of skulls and skeletons around the shop. No big surprise. However, there are some skeletal figures in residence that Mike didn’t make or paint…

Catrina (or Calavera Catrina) figurines are a favorite of Mike’s to collect and display in the shop.  They are strongly associated with the Mexican Dia de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead) celebrations and have become an iconic cultural image. Mike prefers to collect authentic Mexican-crafted pieces. (Most of these figures were acquired from Heart of Mejico.)

Imported dolls can cost more, but each one is hand-crafted and painted, so no two are exactly the same. Each figure has its own quirks and unique appearance.

If you ever happen to come by the shop, make sure to take a look at these fantastic figures!

There are a lot of other interesting and unusual things hanging around the shop. We hope to show you more of the stuff we’ve got here at the Killer Paint shop in the future when we have the chance.

We hope you enjoyed taking a look back at this project. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

---

Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own car, truck, motorcycle, refrigerator, etc?

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

---

Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

Killer Paint’s “True Fire™ Basics” Blog Series: https://www.killerpaint.com/true-firetrade-basics

Killer Grunge FX™ Spray at Coast Airbrush: https://www.coastairbrush.com/products.asp?cat=789

True Fire™ Instructional DVDs:
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 1
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 2

Killer Paint on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/killerpaint1033/

Heart of Mejico Website: http://heartofmejico.com/

Chicago Blackhawks are ‘da Bomb…

We did one of our Killer Paint F-Bombs for a friend at Iwata as a gift. He is a big fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, so we ran with it.

We faux-riveted the shell up and sprayed it red, with the signature Blackhawks stripes and logo, with some staining/grunge shading effects on top of everything to achieve a more vintage feel. An extra brass-etched Killer Paint emblem laying around the shop finally got pressed into use on this one too.

We didn’t stop there either. The fins got trimmed in black, and done up with the crossed tomahawk “C” logo.  Some rubber Chicago Blackhawks Official NHL Official Size Hockey Pucks were cut down and attached to it as well.

But that still wasn’t enough, so we sent it off to Rod at Northern Lights Neon to add some light bling.

All and all, it turned out great. It’s a blast to do projects that are about more than just the paint.

We hope you enjoyed seeing how this project turned out. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

---

Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own car, truck, motorcycle, refrigerator, etc?

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

---

Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

Killer Paint’s “True Fire™ Basics” Blog Series: https://www.killerpaint.com/true-firetrade-basics

Killer Grunge FX™ Spray at Coast Airbrush: https://www.coastairbrush.com/products.asp?cat=789

True Fire™ Instructional DVDs:
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 1
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 2

Killer Paint on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/killerpaint1033/