Trying to make brand new pieces for an upcoming book release, I've started to frantically create new, exciting and high quality images. After the first more traditional character image, which I had started by simply making the character and not worrying about a background I found myself having trouble creating one for it. So for this piece, the second one, I've actually made the background first: The castle!
Initially I thought about some semi serious piece, but when I threw some depth of field on it, it felt so beautifully toyish and friends of mine instantly said: Remember those old german puppet-shows from the 70s?! And I was instantly thrilled. Not only is it genius, but also super easy to make. So I quickly made the stairs in the front, the wooden head, the hands, the cape using Zbrush, instantly going to the highest quality before exporting it and posed it in messiah:Studio. Rendering out all the passes at once I went into AfterFX, through Frischluft's Lenscare "depth of field" on it, took it into photoshop and added the vignette and my sign on it, done. Then I laughed for a few minutes...and laughed again...and then just stared at it like a child "HOW fun!". I showed it to my friends again, triggering Romero to tell me of a bat flying through his apartment the other night. And I though...damn...that's brilliant, I have his story!
Vladimir explains to a bunch of kids a thing about allergies and how to get rid of them:"See, I have realized, bats only fly at night, because they are afraid of sun. So the problem really is only in their heads. I bite of head, bat now flys when ever it wants!"
...hence the bats...with no heads!