Today's post looks at the phantasmic work of someone I met this past summer at the Flashback Weekend convention in Chicago. I'm speaking of artist Steve Jencks, a longtime connoisseur of horror films from way back. Among his favorites are Jaws, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and, of course, the Phantasm series. His work has a unique style all its own and draws greatly on imagery from the movies he illustrates. His Phantasm poster features all five cast members, something you don't see very often. Head inside this post to see his work and hear directly from the artist.
Steve writes, "I’m actually a full time web and graphics designer. The illustration work is my passion though. There’s no clients telling me to change the logo to pink or change the font to comic sans. I used to work more in traditional media ink and color pencil but moved into digital illustrations using a Wacom Cintiq tablet. It allows me a lot more flexibility as well as quicker production time. Also when I make a mistake it’s a lot easier to hit Command-Z then bring out the eraser."
Like so many, his introduction to the series didn't actually begin with Don Coscarelli's original film. "I first saw Phantasm when I was around 15 years old so that would be like 1988," Steve says. "But I had actually seen Phantasm II just before it in the theater and went back to rent the first one. Weird, I know, the timeline is all messed up in my brain now with those two films."
Steve's most recent work is a poster for the cult-classic Night of the Creeps. "It’s the eighth poster in a series where I started trying a new color technique. A bit less flat and more atmosphere to them. People seem to be digging the new style. I’m not sure where it’s going but I’m happy seeing how it evolves."
Naturally, he's fairly jazzed about the upcoming Phantasm Ravager. "It seems they’ve really gotten back to the roots of the original films. Nothing against parts three and four, but I love one and two. The others didn’t quite capture the atmosphere of the first two and the storyline went way out in left field. Still entertaining though."
To see more of Steve's work and to grab the poster below for a mere $12, check out his website!
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