Kosart's TEENAGE MONSTERS in Spectrum 22

Due to current and new projects that came in, I unfortunately will be missing Spectrum Fantastic Art LIVE 4 but wish I was there with all my artist friends and colleagues.  Though, with SFAL4 happening right now in Kansas City, MO, I am honored to announce that the Teenage Monsters created by Kosart Studios has been accepted into Spectrum 22: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art!  I also have a personal sculpture of mine that was accepted as well, but I am waiting to release the entire series that the specific sculpture is part of before I share that particular sculpture, which will be released later this year.  However, though I have had personal works selected for both Spectrum 19 and Spectrum 20, and I judged Spectrum 21, this Spectrum 22 marks the first time that Kosart Studios has work accepted into Spectrum as a studio, and we at Kosart are extremely excited and honored to be included in a book with so many extremely talented artists and studios!

Click images to Enlarge:

Teenage Monsters by Kosart Studios
Foam Filled Latex Sculptures and Mixed Media.
Drac: 14.5"w x 25"h x 12"d    -    Frankie: 14.25"w x 30.5"h x 18"d
Wolf-Boy: 15.25"w x 22"h x 16"d

The Teenage Monsters were originally a collaboration between world-renown horror photographer Joshua Hoffine and me, and created by Kosart Studios for an ad campaign for Sony UK, titled Monster Prom.  Here are Joshua Hoffine's photos of Kosart's Monster Boys:
 

The Teenage Monsters were designed by J. Anthony Kosar for client Joshua Hoffine and brought to life by Kosart Studios.  Here are the concept designs by Kosart Studios' lead artist J. Anthony Kosar:

KOSART STUDIOS

Kosart Studios' contributors to the Teenage Monsters along with their contributions, include:

 

J. Anthony Kosar

Concept Designer of Teenage Monsters: for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy.

Art Director / Supervisor: Overseeing Production of the Teenage Monsters.

Lead Sculptor: Complete Sculpting of Teen Drac and Drac Teeth, and Sculpture Block-In of Wolf-Boy and Block-In of Wolf-Boy's Teeth, Sculpture of Frankie's Teeth and Tongue.

Lead Mold-Making and Casting:  for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy.

Lead Lab Work: Seaming and Patching Latex Seams for Teen Drac.

Lead Painter: Complete Paint of Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy.

Lead Assembly and Hair Application:  for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy.

Costume Designer: Street / School Clothes for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy.

Neil Viola

Sculptor: Complete Sculpting of Frankie and Refining Sculpture of Wolf-Boy.

Mold-Making Technician:  for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy.

Hair Application Assistant: for Frankie.

Scott Mitchell

Sculptor: Complete Sculpting of Feet for Wolf-Boy, and Detailing Sculpture of Wolf-Boy and Detailing Sculpture of Wolf-Boy's Teeth.

Teeth Painter and Assembly Assistant:  for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy.

Mold-Making Technician and Casting:  for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy. 

Lab-Tech: Seaming and Patching Latex Seams for Wolf-Boy.

Hair Application Assistant:  for Teen Drac.

Stevie Calabrese

Mold-Making Technician and Casting:  for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy. 

Paint Assistant: Base-Coating of Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy.

Hair Application Assistant:  for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy.

Assembly Assistant:  for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy.

Matt Kapolczynski

Teeth Painter and Assembly Assistant: for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy.

Mold-Making Technician and Casting:  for Teen Drac, Frankie, and Wolf-Boy. 

Lab-Tech: Seaming and Patching Latex Seams for Frankie.


And thank you to my father Joseph Kosar for all his help and support through the project!

 


Here are some additional photos from Kosart Studios of the creation of the Teenage Monsters:

(click photos to enlarge)
 

The final studio photographs of the 3 Teenage Monsters sculptures is school / street clothes against the red background, and the photo that will appear in Spectrum 22 is by photographer Bear McGivney.  Here are a couple other views of the Teenage Monsters photographed by Bear:

So if anyone is in or near Kansas City, MO, be sure to visit Spectrum Fantastic Art LIVE 4 this weekend, and be sure to pick up your copy of Spectrum 22 when it hits bookshelves this winter to see Kosart Studios' Teenage Monsters!!!

Teenage Monsters & Behind-the-Scenes photos © 2014 Kosart Studios, LLC.

Monster Prom photos © Joshua Hoffine Photography.  All Rights Reserved.

KFX Wizardry at Wizard World Chicago

Be sure to stop by the Kosart Atelier booth #1305 at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con THIS WEEKEND Aug 21-24, 2014 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL for enrollment information on Classes and Workshops from Chicagoland's premier School for Entertainment Arts, founded by Face Off Season 4 Champion J. Anthony Kosar!  We are the only Make-Up FX School in Chicagoland to have 2 students competing on Face Off, Dina Cimarusti and Scott Mitchell!

And come see Face Off Season 7 FX Artist and Kosart Atelier's own Scott Mitchell do a War Wolf make-up transformation LIVE at the Kosart booth #1305 on Saturday August 23, 2014, beginning at 12pm!  Don't miss it! This is the prosthetic he created in the Advanced Make-Up FX class, enrolling now!  Info on this class HERE

We will also have some Kosart PHANTOM Pro Airbrushes available for purchase at the Kosart booth #1305!

. . . And come meet the Monster Prom boys, the awkwardly charming, teenage Dracula, Frankenstine, and Wolf-Boy that the Kosart Effects team recently created for Joshua Hoffine and Sony! 

Click HERE for more info on Wizard World Chicago!

Photos by Kosart Effects Studios, Bear McGivney, & Joshua Hoffine.  Copyright their respective owners.  All rights reserved.

 

Featured in Portes Magazine!

Over the summer, I was featured in the first issue of Portes Magazine, a biannual "a celebration of the Best of Everything Greek. Everywhere. Open Doors."  I have always been proud of my Greek heritage, as I am 50% Greek on my Mother's side, and feel honored to be included in the first issue of this beautiful bold magazine!  Thank you to my friend Anthe Mitrakos for an amazing article!  Check out the Portes Magazine website, and if you are Greek, or just love Greek culture, be sure to get a subscription, you won't be disappointed!

Here is my 4 page Article:

(Click images to Enlarge)

Artwork © J. Anthony Kosar.

Portes Magazine & Article © Portes Magazine.

First Annual MALEFICIUM Dark Art Exhibition - Opening Reception Oct 29

Kosart Effects Studios and Gallery cordially invites you to the
First Annual MALEFICIUM Dark Art Exhibition

a Halloween Themed Art Show featuring Award Winning Artists of All Media!!  Artist List Below!

Please join us for the inaugural event at Kosart Effects Studios & Gallery:
Exhibition Opening and Artist Reception
Saturday, October 29, 2011, 6:30pm to Midnight
Costumes and Creative Attire Optional.

The MALEFICIUM Exhibition runs
October 29th through December 2nd.
Gallery hours (Oct 30 to Dec 2nd) by Appointment Only.
Please call to schedule an appointment: 630.310.8353


At Kosart Effects Studios & Gallery
760 Burr Oak Drive, Westmont, IL 60559
Click HERE for Directions

Exhibiting Artists in the First Annual

MALEFICIUM Dark Art Exhibition 

include:

Tony Akins 
Kurt Anderson
Charlie Athanas
Kyle Bice
Brian Busch
Melita “MissMonster” Curphy
Dave Dorman
Ray Frenden
Aron Gagliardo
Ashton Gallagher
Tom Herzberg
Douglas Klauba
Kenn Kooi
J. Anthony Kosar
Rich Kryczka
Larkin
Joseph Lester
Darick Maasen
Menton Matthews III
Matthew McCarty
Aaron Miller
Bill Reinhold
Chad Savage
Jason Seiler 
Tim Shumate
Ben Templesmith
Jill Thompson
Bill Ystrom

 Click HERE for Artist Bios!!

The Maleficium Show is sponsored by the HorrorSociety.com

 ____________________________

MALEFICIUM is a Latin term meaning "mischief" and is used to describe black magic and the dark arts.  The name was selected to represent this exhibit as a metaphor for the Halloween inspired artwork.


The Image used (above) for the First Annual MALEFICIUM: Dark Art Exhibition:

Nigredo Two
 by Menton Matthews III

18" by 24" Oil on Wood Panel,
Published in Ars Memoria #1.
This painting will be on display for the duration of the 2011 MALEFICIUM Show.
Image courtesy exhibiting artist Menton Matthews III.

Nigredo Two © Menton Matthews III.

Maleficium Exhibition © Kosart Effects Studios, LLC. 

All Rights Reserved.

A Letter from Sara Karloff...

There was a great article on Trendhunter.com about by Boaris Frankenswine HERE. I can't believe how much attention he has received between online forums and news sites and television news segments! However, of all the attention and feedback, I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I received a letter back from Sara Karloff, the only child of the legendary Boris Karloff, about my Boaris Frankenswine. Here is what she said:

Dear Mr. Kosar:

I loved the photos of your Boaris Frankenswine It is such a creative and original idea and you have executed it brilliantly. I hope it did very well in the auction and with the public…it certainly should have.

Thank you so much for sharing it with me and for selecting my father as your subject.

Sara Karloff

Thank you Ms Karloff for the kind words and validation of my tribute to your father!

Boaris Frankenswine Design, Sculpt, & Paint by J. Anthony Kosar © 2011 J. Anthony Kosar.
Sculpted over “Pigs on Parade” Pig Form by Acme Design, Inc.
Studio Photo of Boaris by Bear McGivney.
Quote from personal letter sent to J. Anthony Kosar from Sara Karloff.

BOARIS FRANKENSWINE Auction Follow-up

I've been a little behind on my posts, so I am just now getting to a follow-up entry on the Havana Nights Live Auction & Benefits and my final farewell to my creation, Boaris Frankenswine. It was already a crazy night, rushing home from C2E2 where I was the Blick Art Material's featured artist sculpting live. I will admit, I was a little tense as I knew what was to come, the auction. Being an artist, and spending so much time on my creations (in Boaris Frankenswine's case: 2.5 months), I do have a hard time giving up my work. I put a piece of myself in every work of art that I create, my heart and soul, and blood, sweat, and tears (in a metaphorical sense of course), pushing myself to out-due all the work I've done previous. This was definitely the case with Boaris Frankenswine, as I not only pushed myself to create what I saw in my head, but I went way beyond the expectations of this project completely re-sculpting the Acme pig-form instead of only painting the pig as did the other artists.


Long story short, and a couple drinks later, Boaris was next on the auction block, in fact he was the first of the pigs up for auction! They said that initially Boaris was scheduled to go last, but they decided to put him first to get the ball rolling, get higher bids for the other pigs, and so that the bidders wouldn't hold out on the other pigs to wait for Boaris. It was a smart move as all the pigs' biddings far exceeded the expectations of the event organizers! Boaris started at $500, and kept climbing higher and higher! With each bid, the crowd went wild, until the McKendry family won the bid at $5,500, one of the highest ticket items for the night! It was such a rush and a relief when it was over. Boaris found a great home at the McKendry house, as Mr. McKendry is a collector of pop culture memorabilia, including comic books, so I know that Boaris will be taken care of. Plus, it feels really great knowing that my creation helped raise quite a bit of money for the private St.Alphonsus/St. Patrick's Grade School in Lemont, IL, and is a contribution that will not only help the current students, but students from generations to come. Definitely a cool growing experience!

Here I am with the proud new parents of Boaris Frankenswine, Mr. and Mrs. McKendry:

Here I am with the organizer of the event and all the piggy-mania, Mrs. Lisa Simone Porter:
Boaris Frankenswine Design, Sculpt, & Paint by J. Anthony Kosar © 2011 J. Anthony Kosar.
Sculpted over “Pigs on Parade” Pig Form by Acme Design, Inc.
Studio Photo of Boaris and Kosar by Bear McGivney.
All other photos by Kosart Effects Studios, LLC.
Other pigs © the respective artists.

Boaris Frankenswine ... "IT'S ALIVE!!!"

Here he is.... creation complete... and.... ALIVE!!!! Meet Boaris Frankenswine (More detailed photos below). Very similar to Chicago's "Cows on Parade," the "Pigs on Parade" is for a fund-raising benefit for St.Alphonsus/St. Patrick's Grade School in Lemont, IL, and will be auctioned off (auction information below) at their March 19th Gala event. For the event, 10 pig forms were created by Acme Design, Inc in Elgin, IL led by Clint Borucki, sculpted by Jon Olimb, molded by Dean Millermon, and cast by Kenn Kooi. 9 artists were then selected to paint the pigs in various themes, such as sports, music, etc. I came up with the idea of doing a Boaris Frankenswine as a tribute to the great Boris Karloff, and of course, I couldn't just paint the pig...

GIVE BOARIS FRANKENSWINE A HOME:

Being that this was a complete construction sculpt in Apoxie Sculpt, while hand-painting the final sculpture, there are no molds or castings of this sculpture, making Boaris Frankenswine a one-of-a-kind custom work of art. He is the only one, and as there are no molds, he can not be replicated or reproduced. If you are interested in owning this one-of-a-kind 30"w x 30.5"h x 32"d custom life-size hand-sculpted and hand-painted Boaris Frankenswine sculpture by J. Anthony Kosar, you can take part in the auction without even being at the event. Just contact Lisa Simone Porter at 630-235-3466 or by email: Lsimoneporter@aaart.edu on or before the event on Saturday March 19, 2011. According to Lisa Simone Porter, you will be connected to the auction by phone, able to bid live, and possibly win this original work of art, all while helping out a good cause. More info on the event HERE

Monster and it's Maker:

I want to include a special thank you to Bear McGivney for capturing and archiving my Boaris Frankenswine sculpture in the most beautiful way, capturing the mood, color, and personality of Boaris Frankenswine, and especially for documenting every sculpted and painted detail that I strived to include. Thanks Bear!! Here are more of his amazing photographs:

(click pictures to view larger)

Keep posted for the time lapse process video of Boaris Frankenswine, from concept to completion. The video will contain my Photoshop concept painting process (in screen capture time-lapse) through the different directions Boaris Frankenswine could have gone before bringing him to a traditional Boris Karloff look. It will then include a time-lapse of me carving into the original pig form, sculpting Boaris onto the original pig form with Apoxie Sculpt, and then finally the painting process to bring Boaris to life. I am hoping to finish this video within the next month between projects. Until then, you can see some process pictures below and more on my website: HERE

Here is the concept drawing of Boaris Frankenswine, and several options on how ridiculous, goofy, traditional, and serious I could have made him before pulling him back to see what Boris Karloff would have looked like as a pig. The larger, top 3/4 and side views are the final concepts I ended with, but still took on some minor changes in the sculpting stages. Ultimately, I gave him the name "Boaris Frankenswine" as a tribute to Boris Karloff.... these were painted quickly in Photoshop over a photograph of the original Acme pig form:

Unprimed / Unpainted Final Raw Sculpture:

ABOUT THE PROCESS:

I carved into the original Acme pig form to remove the smile and the bulk in its cheeks, and also removed the initial ears. The original Acme pig form is made of primed urethane foam-filled rotocast resin. Then, I completely sculpted Boaris Frankenswine in Apoxie Sculpt over the entire Acme pig form, finishing one section at a time, and re-sculpting new ears. The eye balls are the only part of the original pig form that is still visible. The dimensions of Boaris Frankenswine are 30"w x 30.5"h x 32"d. I also used bead foam that I carved into a flat-top head piece, some aluminum armature wire I formed into 164 small staples and 9 large staples, 4 stainless steel screws, 2 galvanized steel pipes and unions for the neck bolts, and a plastic button. About 44 lbs of Apoxie Sculpt was added to the already 15 lb pig form to create Boaris Frankenswine, then painted with acrylic paints. Being that this was a complete construction sculpt in Apoxie Sculpt, while hand-painting the final sculpture, there are no molds or castings of this sculpture, making Boaris Frankenswine a one-of-a-kind custom work of art. He is the only one, and as there are no molds, he can not be replicated or reproduced.

(click pictures to view larger)

Original "Pigs on Parade" Pig Form by Acme Design, Inc:

Boaris Frankenswine Creation Process:
You can see the NBC 5 Chicago interview with Boaris Frankenswine and myself. (This was shot and aired while Boaris was still in the prelimiary painting stages)...

Also, read my interview in an article on Lemont.Patch.com about the event HERE.

More info on the Pigs on Parade HERE

Boaris Frankenswine Design, Sculpt, & Paint by J. Anthony Kosar © 2011 J. Anthony Kosar.
Sculpted over “Pigs on Parade” Pig Form by Acme Design, Inc.
Finished Studio Photos by Bear McGivney.
Finished Studio Photos © 2011 Artist/Sculptor J. Anthony Kosar & Photographer Bear McGivney.
News Segment & Interview © NBC 5 Chicago
Article Quote © Lemont.Patch.com