Hey, gang- back with another mini-monsterpiece for you. This one is a SIVAD on a wooden panel done in paint markers.
This Monster Monday piece is another for my upcoming “Featured Creatures” art show coming up next month at Playhouse on the Square.
Sivad (AKA Watson Davis) was the local “Monster of Ceremonies” host for the WHBQ-TV weekly horror program “Fantastic Features” in Memphis back when I was a kid.
The TV show began with Sivad driving an antique horse-drawn hearse in a foggy Overton Park (near the current Brooks Museum in Overton Park). He’d look around, pull a coffin from the back of the hearse, open it, smoke would billow out, and the show’s name would appear- all to the strains of Leigh Stevens’ score from the 1950 science fiction film “Destination Moon.” It scared the heck out of me! (Click here to see the opening of the show.)
The show ran for 10 years- September 1962 until February 1972, and would make public appearances around town.
William Watson Davis passed away on March 23, 2005, and is buried at the Shady Grove Cemetery in Clarendon, Arkansas. You can see a video interview with him by clicking HERE.
Several years ago several of my friends and I were part of the “SIIVADS OF MARCH” celebration and put on “Love and Curses”, a Sivad tribute art show at Adam Shaw’s studio on Broad Avenue in Memphis, TN.
CLICK here to see a video of it and some of the Brooks Museum’s event.
Before drawing I lightly sanded the panel and wiped it down. I then used my “carbon paper” technique to transfer a previous image I’d drawn. It’s basically just pencil lead rubbed on the back of a paper or printout, taping it to your canvas or panel, and then drawing over it with a pencil or ballpoint pen. One the image was transferred, I cleaned up the drawing with a #2 pencil, and then colored the outside edge of the panel with an oil based black Sharpie paint marker.
Next I took a dark red Posca marker around the inner edge of the panel, and then started filling in the white areas with an Ivsun dual tip acrylic paint marker.
I continued to fill in the figure with various grey Ivsun, Sharpie, and Posca markers. For the red background I used a red DecoColor oil based paint marker I picked up at Casey’s Art Box before they closed. Like the black Sharpie I used for the edge of the painting, I like the oil based markers’ durability, but hate the drying time. MUCH longer than the other acrylic markers I use, and they can remain tacky feeling until clear coated. I didn’t wait long enough for it to dry a couple times and ended up with red marker on my hands. Luckily it was an easy touch up on the panel, and easy clen up for my hands.
I was going to do the whole thing in greyscale, but since I did the red background and I’ve only ever drawn/painted him in B/W I thought I’d add a bit of color to the figure for fun.
I wasn’t sure what to do with the red background, but landed on doing some simple black bats around Sivad with a black Ivsun marker. I then used a metallic silver Signo Uniball pen for the details on his medallion.
I used a black Pigma Micron pen for the details, and a white Gelly Roll pen to hit a few highlights like in the eyes and medallion.
I finished my highlights off with a white Prismacolor pencil, and looked to see if I had missed any other areas that needed attention before calling this one finished.
Once I was done with this piece I then sprayed the painting with a few light coats of Krylon Workable Fixative. It’s best to shake well and spray in lighter, overlapping layers outside or in a well ventilated area. I usually just step out back to spray- my wife Nicki appreciates it when she doesn’t have to deal with the smell.
Whenever you’re using a spray-fix or any protective coating be sure to test spray it on something else first. Nothing worse than ruining a finished piece with your clear coat. I’m afraid I’ve learned that lesson the hard way before.
I’ll have several of these wood panel smaller canvas marker paintings on display with many of my larger “scare-brushed monsterpieces” canvas paintings next month at my solo art show upstairs at Playhouse in Overton Square.
The show’s artist reception will be this Friday, 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.
Later this fall I’ll have my art for sale at the annual Monster Market downtown in mid October, and will be set up at the Memphis Monster Con in late November at the AgCenter.
Hope to scare ya there!
Lin