Hey, gang- here’s this week’s “Monster Monday” post- or more accurately a “Munsters Monday” post. I can now say that I’ve finished my Grandpa Munster painting…finally!
I started on it back before the pandemic for a group show at Theatre Memphis, but had my compressor die on me while working on it. I dropped out of the group show.
I ended up getting a new compressor on sale at Lowe’s, but didn’t get back to the painting until recently. I also have a new airbrush and picked up more paint this week at the Art Center.
The painting had been sitting in my garage for quite awhile and I’m amazed it survived being neglected out there for so long!
I was pretty close to being done with this painting when my compressor gave up the ghost on me.
I use a PaascheVL-3 airbrush, Createx paints, and a portable Craftsman “pancake” compressor (6gal reservoir tank/150psi max). I’ve used the same type of double action airbrush since right after I started painting professionally at local malls. If you’re going to get into airbrushing I recommend a double action and a compressor with a holding tank that can at least put out 100psi (pounds per square inch). You won’t want to paint with that high of pressure but if it can’t handle that high it’s gonna struggle and probably burn out faster. If you do get a tank compressor, be sure to drain it after each use. Condensation will build up in it and come out in your line. A moisture trap on the compressor and/or one on your air hose is a great help, too.
It’s been pretty dry out so I didn’t have a lot of moisture to deal with, but I did have a couple instances of unwanted paint splatter getting onto the canvas. It always seems to happen when I get close to finishing..! It sometimes can be an easy fix, sometimes not. Thankfully these were easy to deal with. Oh, here’s a tip- keep old airbrush needles to help clean your brush and bottles with. If you don’t keep the airhole clean on your bottles you could create a paint grenade/volcano that will ruin your day, and possibly your painting.
For this B/W painting I used an opaque black, opaque white, a grey mixed of those two, and a transparent black. I worked back and forth between the 4 colors, and saved the highlights on the eyes for last. Another tip- if you’re working big be sure to step back and look at the whole painting. I have a tendency to work on one area for a while and not look at the “big picture”. Taking progression shots on your phone can help, too. If there are any mistakes in your drawing they almost always are more noticeable when looking at the shot on your phone’s screen. Plus, you can use them as content for your blog or social media.
It took me a couple days off and on this past week to get this one completed. Even with all the setbacks it it was nice to get this one off my plate.
This Grandpa won’t be for sale- I’ve already promised it to my friend Kevin Thorn who runs the Bricks & Minifigs store down here in Hernando.
He bought one of my Herman paintings a while back, and gave Nicki and me a couple tickets to a National Cartoonists Society’s Ruben’s dinner at St. Jude. He’s been wanting a Grandpa to go with his Herman, and I owed him.
I had done the Herman painting for my “Frankie Goes To Hollywood” art show during Theatre Memphis’ run of “Young Frankenstein”.
Even though this Munsters painting isn’t for sale, I’ll have several different other paintings and marker illustrations available for purchase at my upcoming art show at Playhouse on the Square.
I’ll have everything from more “scare-brushed” monsterpieces, to “Scared Silly” marker toons, to acrylic paint pen wood panel paintings, and more.
Whatever doesn’t sell there will be submitted to this year’s Monster Market. It’s a fun event and I highly recommend checking it out if you’re into sci-fi and horror items, especially one of a kind hand-made items.
My “Featured Creatures” art show reception will be on June 5, 2026 from 5-7pm in 2nd Floor West gallery at Playhouse on the Square – 66 South Cooper Street, Memphis, TN 38104. There’s another artist, Angi Cooper, having their reception the same night in the downstairs gallery. My art show runs from June 6-August 2, 2026 and is in conjunction with Playhouse’s production of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street“, June 12 – July 12, 2026. All art shows on display are free to attend art shows during Playhouse’s normal business hours.
Oh, and don’t forget that I’ll be set up at the Beale Street Monster Club’s “Bigfoot on Beale” event at A. Schwab’s downtown on Saturday, May 16th from 11am-6pm and the Memphis Public Libraries Comic Con on Saturday, May 30th from 10am – 3pm at the Raleigh Branch (3452 Austin Peay Hwy, 38128).
I also just signed up for one of the last Memphis Monster Con artist alley tables at the AgriCenter in November .
Hope you can make it out to one or all of the events- cheers!
Lin
