On this I’ve got three attempts at designing a Frankenstein monster based on the Edison Frankenstein. At the time I did these sketches wasn’t able to find much photo reference to the creature. The best I could find is the one that’s the first image on the other side of that link. Unfortunately the versions I had were pretty small and blurry. I’ve since seen the film on youtube and found out that my local video store has a copy. If I were to draw the creature again I’d rent the DVD and stop the film on a regular basis for quick sketches.

The other creatures on this page are:

In the upper right, the closet monster from The Brain That Wouldn’t Die.

Under the closet monster is a version of the Peter Cushing Frankenstein with a version of the Christopher Lee creature under the Edison creature’s arm.

At the left, midpage, is a version of the David Prowse creature from Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell.

And under that is an exaggerated version of the Universal Frankenstein.

This Frankenstein is more “inspired” by the creature in I Was A Teenage Frankenstein than “based on” said creature. I haven’t seen the film yet but I’ve been looking at photos and paintings of the makeup since I was a kid. I’m pretty sure that the monster in the film isn’t a motorcycle riding thug but that’s what my imagination called up when “Teenage Frankenstein in the 1950s” got tossed into the machinery.

Technically I suppose I should call this guy the Pierce Frankenstein since it’s Jack Pierce that designed and applied the make-up the makeup for this version of the creature. The same creature design was worn by Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, Lon Chaney Jr. and Fred Gwynne. A more appropriate moniker would be the Universal Frankenstein since it’s Universal Studios that holds the copyright (or, more likely, the trademark) on the makeup. Still, it’s Boris Karloff who wore the make-up first so it’s Karloff that I think of when I see this version of the creature no matter who is actually under the latex and greasepaint.

I’ve given the poor guy leather shoes. Those big platform boots that the creature wore in the movies helped to make him taller and more intimidating than the rest of the cast but seem like an odd choice of footwear in “real” life. Who has a pair of those things lying around the castle? Maybe if Frankenstein had made (and dressed) his creature in the 1970s …

An early sketch for a Legion of Frankensteins. Here I’m mostly working out differences in height and bulk between the different creatures.

An early sketch for a Legion of Frankensteins. Here I’m mostly working out differences in height and bulk between the different creatures.

These sketches were done prior to The Legion of Frankensteins. Drawing Frankenstein monsters is fun. Beauty or practicality doesn’t seem to be part of the Frankenstein skill set, at least not as far as surgery (or tailoring) is concerned. For the poor creatures it means they are shunned and rejected by humanity. For their portraiteers it means a constant challenge to find new ways of depicting mismatched parts.