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WorkDocs - The Man in White
🕑 Added 2019-01-27 11:45:39 +0000 UTCThis story begins when the main character (Dan, a private detective) is on his way to inspect a large abandoned country estate. He is hired by an overseas investor who wants to know why this property, a very large late Victorian manor in a remote area of the country, has been for sale for so long. In more than three decades, no one has ever shown any interest in inspecting the place, and by no,w even its location has been forgotten. Locals never venture inside that forsaken place, and no intruder dares to stay beyond the gates after dark. The house is known to be haunted by a ghost dressed in white. Our hero finally arrives at his place of destiny by the end of the day. By then, it’s too late to look for suitable lodgings, so he has no choice but to stay the night. Will he encounter the Man in White?
NOTE: You can download a PDF version of this WorkDoc at the bottom of this post. This was made by Andrea, and you can find a complete version of his beautiful project on the Priapus Encyclopedia page.
For a long time, I wanted to do a Gothic series. I’ve always been a great fan of this genre, especially the classic stories from the Victorian era. Auteurs like Edgar Allan Poe (The Fall of the House of Usher), Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Grey), Bram Stoker (Dracula), Robert Louis Stevenson (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde), etc. So I wanted to create something in this traditional style, where an encounter with the supernatural is combined with horror, romance, and tragedy. This would also give me, as an experiment and for a change, the opportunity to focus a bit more on the development of the characters and the storyline. Of course, it needed to contain all the classical elements from the Gothic genre, like the stranded traveller on a chilly, dark winter day, the large abandoned mansion in the middle of nowhere, the dilapidated rooms and corridors, the decaying portraits of stern-looking Victorians on the walls. Their cold eyes gazed down from the canvas, following every step of the lonely intruder. You get the picture...
The house
The setting of the main building and its surroundings is a compilation of several models of haunted houses and winter landscapes. The 3 buildings I had for this purpose were a good start, but I wanted something truly massive. Something like the mansion from the movie The Haunting or the Winchester Mystery House. A building with lots of wings, towers, bay windows, balconies, skylights, and high-pitched roofs, with lots of chimneys and iron ornaments on top. And all that was covered in a thick layer of snow. It even looks more impressive and ominous when it rises from a white landscape, surrounded by large and ancient, creepy trees, against a dark and foreboding sky. After some chopping and changing of 5 models, the house really seems to fit into one of those classic horror movies.
The rooms
The main room is the centre stage of the series. It’s a place where happy memories are trapped in time and ghosts of previous generations haunt the sleeping visitor. This setting is based on a model called Rural Chateau by Jack Tomalin. It is also available in a rundown version, which is exactly what I needed for this project. The hall and staircase were based on The Gothic Library by Stonemason, and this also fitted perfectly with what I had in mind for the interior. The rooms are loosely based on what they looked like in the grandiose houses of the early 1900s, with their formal interior design, the panelled walls and high ceilings, their huge doors, and large fireplaces. The paintings I used for decoration are by John Singer Sargent, the leading portraitist of his generation, who excelled in evoking the Edwardian-era luxury and decadence. The picture of the Man in Whit is based on his portrait of the Earl of Dalhousie. He brilliantly depicted (as in so many of his portraits) the breathtaking arrogance of the aloof-looking aristocrat.
The cemetery
No Gothic story is complete without a cemetery, a tragic loss, and an elaborate grave monument. So this had to be included as well. Old graveyards are beautiful places to visit, like those I saw in Paris, Prague and especially the one near Genoa. The monumental cemetery of Staglieno is truly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. It’s a very large place, with beautiful memorials and astonishing sculptures. However, one of the most curious tombstones I saw was at the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. It’s the monument for Victor Noir (a journalist from the late 19th century), which turned into something of a fertility shrine. By placing flowers and rubbing his crotch, the women of Paris are assured of a husband and a blissful sex life. Not sure if it’ll work for men as well, but some serious rubbing at least gave me the inspiration for the memorial in this story.
Creating this series took nearly two months and was published over a period of five weeks. With 136 images (and probably 4x as many test renders), it’s the largest and certainly the most elaborate project I have worked on so far. For this project, I used three elaborate settings in two different versions, so as to be able to illustrate the difference in time and season. I used 14 different characters, and for the two protagonists alone, I created 250 individual poses. In the end, the whole set of project files amounted to 110 GB on my drive. Luckily, I didn’t count the hours of work and rendering, but I can assure you that I did it with great pleasure. Actually, I felt a bit sad when the series came to an end, and I’m very grateful to all of you for making this project possible. Thanks!
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Comments
Priapus of Milet
Thanks! Yes. it's a bit of work, but a delight to create and it seems to have the desired effect ;o)
B7ue4855
This is so gorgeous! I love gothic visual themes, and the trememdous detail you put into your work is staggering. Just stunning
Priapus of Milet
Thanks Lorenz! I think that rubbing Victor should be on everyone's bucket list, and who knows... Well, I have my Blog and recently Twitter as well to post my work, so it gets out ;o)
Priapus of Milet
Thanks! That's great to hear, for I'm nut much of a writer, but I like to share some of the background of my projects all the same. I use CINEMA 4D and DAZ Studio to create these series. You can find some illustrations on how that works at the bottom of this post: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/workdocs-past-8127172">https://www.patreon.com/posts/workdocs-past-8127172</a>
Priapus of Milet
My pleasure! Well, the tomb was just a thing I stumbled on, when I visited Père Lachaise years back. I thought it was a wonderful story, almost too good to be true, so I kept that in mind :o)
Lorenz M De Leon
Awesome inspirations! So you admit doing a serious rub on that Victor Noir tomb? Hmmm...how erotic! Lol. Good job man! As always, you're so on point with your creations. My sub is ALWAYS worth it when I see the products you produce. 😀 Hope you have more exposures than Patreon since you do deserve more.
Dave in DC
I've been a member only about 8 months. Your work is amazing. I really enjoy it and reading about your work is just as fascinating as the artwork itself. I do not have the artistic ability to draw, but I am curious, what application do you use to create your art?
Joël
Rumor has it that if the feet are shining too, it's because men come at night for other games ...
Stephen F Clissold
I was unaware of the 'erotic connection' with the tomb of Victor Noir - your research into every project you undertake is impeccable and makes for the most exciting, thought provoking story lines you produce for our enjoyments. I cannot find the words that sum up my admiration for your artistic skill, other than thank you for all your hard work.
Priapus of Milet
Thanks Dirk! Yes, it's an incredible monument and the whole story is better than fiction ;o)
Priapus of Milet
Thanks Joël! It was a great pleasure working on this series. Now it's time for a short happy fairy tale ;o)
Dirk
As always, it's incredible how well you work and where you get your inspiration from! The templates are just as grandiose. Although I confess, the story of the tomb of Victor Noir made me laugh a lot! : D
Joël
Formidable. Your most beautiful tale, with The Champion. And what technique ...
