I wanted to capture Vlad the Impaler at the moment he realises the terrible bargain he has made. He has transformed into the vampire as dusk settles but as the sun dips under the horizon he realises he will never see it again or feel its warmth. He sheds his last tear as his humanity and soul slips into the demon he becomes as Dracula. I thought Karol Rudyk's sculpt was perfect for this, particularly because of its almost Shakespearean pose.
I was inspired by a great photo of Lyon at dusk by www.instagram.com/tomedgerry/
With the help of Roman Lappat at a 2-day private coaching session, I think we may have achieved it. It was an unusual coaching session as I didn't do the usual exercises (i.e. paint the wolf etc) but we dove straight in! My goal with coaching overall is to develop the capability to bring to life some of my ideas that are bubbling away. My goal with roman, other than 3-4 light effects was to create visual interest and texture. My thanks go to Roman for such a great time.
I shot some of the images with a macro lens on my new DSLR. It was awesome and reveals an almost impressionist quality to his face on close-ups. I was painting fast at the workshop and this meant I had a freedom of brush strokes that I think fit with bounce lighting in a dusk environment. I hope you this work as much as I did.