A Christmas Carol: Final Poster

Posted on by Thor

For the final A Christmas Carol poster for the Orlando Shakespeare Theater had to revise Mrs. Cratchit and I think she turned out well. Tiny Tim was updated and I paid particular attention to how the leg braces were assembled. I pumped up the light shining from behind Tiny Tim to get him to pop out from the background better. Ebenezer Scrooge just needed a top hat. Cratchit was revised several times. He isn’t holding Tiny Tim as solidly so I think his intention is a little lost but overall the poster is working solidly.

If I were to assemble all the Christmas Carol posters together, both approved and not, it would make a fun collection. Many feature this dark snow filled gas lit street scene. For some reason A Christmas Carol for me is dark and brooding with bright sparks of light and hope.

I have been doing write ups for all these posters because I realized that I didn’t have time to do write ups at the time the shows were being performed. I am thinking there should be a category on this site for process images that show the evolution of any given concept. Illustration is seldom a one and done approval process. Changes are very much a part of the creative process. I am always searching for a way to express the idea behind a show as boldly as possible. Each poster has it’s own challenges. I started doing these posers after doing a painting every day during the height of the pandemic. I gather my thoughts and assemble the ideas in very much the same way I did then. Working digitally is a blessing. Changes can easily be made, especially if I plan ahead. If a character must be removed or replaced. I can often just turn off a layer in the painting program to make that happen at the flick of a switch. Another advantage is that the previous version remains in memory if I should want to refer back to it.

A Christmas Carol ran at the Orlando Shakes from November 26-December 24, 2025.

2022 Christmas Carol

Posted on by Thor

The 2022 version of A Christmas Carol poster for the Orlando Shakespeare Theater (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL) was built around the vision of Christmas past with the whole cast having a grand time dancing at the Fezziwig Christmas party. Fezziwig was Ebenezer Scrooge‘s jovial, generous first employer. He was a “foppish” and jolly, stout man, and he hosted a lavish Christmas Eve party every year for his employee. He stands as a stark contrast to Scrooge’s stinginess.

Scrooge and Christmas past are far back in the crowded room near the torch at the windows. I put the focus on Fezziwig and his wife dancing.

My decision to leave Scrooge in the background would have to be changed, so this was not the final version of the poster. A number of faces of members of the cast were changes and Scrooge an Christmas past took center stage to replace Fezziwig and his wife.

I painted Scrooge and Christmas past with blue tones to separate them from the crowd. In the play no one ever sees scrooge of Christmas past, so if they danced then perhaps others at the party would have danced right through their holographic visages.

With so much intricate detail this poster was a joy to work on while the changes kept me adjusting the composition throughout the process. Tiny Tim had to be added and brought to the foreground. The woman that Scrooge loved and lost is dressed in blue and dancing in the mid ground. She has her back to the audience and is facing scrooge but does not see him. That is how many relationships erode. Someone you once trusted becomes a passing acquaintance.

I like the chaotic flavor of this poster. The Shakes had sent me photos of the cast dancing from past productions, so I had plenty of reference to add people dancing, drinking and having a great time.