Jack O'Lantern Leads the Way

Is it Halloween time yet?

by Jean-Baptiste Monge, from Halloween 1996

More of Monge's Work 

My Favorite Nightmares

Been having so many nightmares lately. It reminds me of when I was a kid, back when the nightmares were due to my indulging in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series by Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by the amazing Stephen Gammell. I love looking at Stephen Gammell's work this time of year anyway, so why not revisit the old nightmares? At least they were more interesting back then...

    I usually share the classics, from the Scary Stories series, but here are a few rare illustrations from other books featuring Gammell's work. I found them on Pinterest (here's my #HaunterLife for more goodies) which led me to a great blog called Razorwire Pictures, featuring even more rare illustrations. It also included a few other Halloween-themed/spooky throwback books from childhood - not illustrated by Gammell, but are still part of a great trip down memory lane!

Oh, and then there's these... I want them. 

Pinterest Link

Silhouettes by Jordan

Speaking of silhouettes...

I met Jordan Monsell, an extremely nice guy and incredibly talented artist, at Scare LA back in August and I absolutely love his work!

Keep updated with new silhouettes, events, and more when you "Like" his Facebook page, Silhouettes by Jordan

And don't forget to check out Silhouette's by Jordan on Etsy and purchase your favorites.

Here's one of the silhouettes I just couldn't resist!

While at Scare LA, my friend Angela (obsessed with the Scream series) spoke with Jordan and mentioned that Ghost Face would be an awesome silhouette to have. A little while later, I checked my Facebook updates on my phone. Being a fan of Jordan's Facebook page already, this happened to be the first thing I saw when I logged on:

Of course, Angela and I dashed back to Jordan's booth to purchase Ghost Face!

Gorey Children's Tales...

"Three Classic Children's Stories brings the unmistakable Edward Gorey aesthetic of the irreverent fancy to Little Red Riding Hood, Jack the Giant-Killer, and Rumplestiltskin, charmingly retold by James Donnelly. The result is a gem that lives somewhere between the best of the Brothers Grimm, early Arabian Nights illustrations, and Harry Clark's haunting artwork for Edgar Allen Poe, with a distinct Gorey flair..."

Read More Here

Gammell vs Helquist

It has been brought to the attention of many a haunter and/or Halloween enthusiast that our favorite series of childhood ghost stories has now undergone the “R” word… redesign. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a series that we have all grown up reading whether we read these tales to our friends over a campfire, in the library, or under the covers with a flashlight. With all the hype these books brought to our childhood, we always looked forward to getting the wits scared out of us from these books. However, as we all know, what really kept us coming back were not so much thestories, as it were the illustrations. Stephen Gammell’s drawings from this series gave the stories their true edge. Their abstract and disturbing imagery really sunk deep down into our psyches, and boy did they give us a few nightmares. Who could forget the stern look on "Harold"’s face as he hung form a think rob by a string, or the eyes of "The Thing," not to mention the spiders hatching in "The Red Spot", or the lifeless skull of the woman in “The Haunted House?” How about Addy Finch walking toward us with her cane, or even the simple blood dripping from the window in “Sounds?” All of these images, although gruesome were ones we remember from our childhood and are still ones we look to for spooky inspiration.

Stephen Gammell's Covers

After hearing about the new look of the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” series, I had to check it out at The Haunted Closet & Adventures in Poor Taste. I have to admit that I am really fond of the new drawings, they are incredibly charming, uniform, and still spooky. I have become a big fan of Helquist since I finished The Series of Unfortunate Events, where his work was outstanding.

Brett Helquist's Covers

But of course, they lack the intensity, wildness, and bizarreness that Gammell’s incredible work brought to our young lives. I do admire their beauty and style, but while looking at the compared drawings I can’t help but wonder if this ‘redesign’ was done to purposely make the drawings less scary…

Stephen Gammell's Harold

Brett Helquist's Harold

I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I must say that it seems the intentions behind the change were indeed to keep things a little less disturbing for the future generation. If this is so, then I say if we could do, they can too! At the end of the day, I must say both versions have a beauty all their own, and at least they are both spooky. Although, as Haunters, we are a very nostalgic people... hopefully the future generation will still keep going back Scary Stories like we did, regardless. Hey, every kid's got to have their nightmares, right?

Under the Weather

Been feeling icky all day, but I refuse to get sick!

Having Migraines

Image Source

"Imagine someone sawed open your head, filled it with razors, and shook it as hard as they could."

- Shutter Island

Illustrator Ian Lowry... .com!

One of my all-time favorite illustrators, I.M. Lowry has just published his new website:

Illustratorianlowry.com

Be sure to check it out!

The Latest from I.M.Lowry

One of my favorite illustrators has been creating some amazing pieces of work lately...

I.M. Lowry's Photostream

Bloody Mary

I love the witch in the background.

Some info on the legend(s)

Underground

A Journey Round My Skull Blog

One must love the Dame!

Can't believe it's been a month since I have posted something on the blog, shows how busy I have been. I thought I'd post about someone whose art has been very influential to my own over the past few years, and that would be Dame Darcy. I may have only mentioned Dame Darcy a few times on my blog, so I think it's about time I do a proper post about her.

I first heard about Dame Darcy when a friend of mine read a copy of Jane Eyre illustrated by her. The artwork was so interesting that she decided to look her up and discovered some more of her artwork and music. My friend then introduced me to Dame Darcy's work, and I was inspired. I fell in love with her southern gothic influences and really liked how original she was, even if not all of her art was my cup of tea. Overall, I really enjoy the music, films, and illustrations she has done and thought I'd post a few links and samples.

Here is video I came across not long ago that was illustrated by her, the music by Rasputina:

Another video I love is one that inspired my Mercury Wine film: Golden Shoes and don't forget to check out her Etsy shop!

Pumpkin Kid Film: Original Storyboard

Looking for a few notes and found my old Pumpkin Kid Film storyboard. At the time, I really wanted a short film that was a logo for my production name in my film class so a year after creating my logo, I decided to create this short with stop-animation.

The Original Storyboard

Another Intro Idea (Pumpkin Kid walking out of a standing coffin)

The Final Storyboard (Decided to have Pumpkin Kid sit up in lying coffin)

Watch the final product:

The Girl Who Stood on a Grave

Image Source

... Reminded me of the Stephen Gammell illustration for the story "The Girl Who Stood on a Grave" from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

"She picked out a grave and stood on it. Then quickly she bent over and plunged the knife into the soil, and she started to leave. But she couldn't get away. Something was holding her back..."

The original drawing for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Stephen Gammell:

Viscount I.M. Laurie's Latest

As a filmmaker, I am very influenced by costume and set design and always find myself making collages or searching for photos and illustrations that inspire me. I often write blog posts about my findings or about other artists whose work stands out to me, like one of my favorite artists, I.M. Lowry. When I saw his most recent piece of artwork I immediately asked if I could feature it here.

View Here

I.M. Lowry often creates entire stories that go along with his beautiful illustrations, much like this one. His work consists of a detailed and structured point of view which can be seen in the buildings, clothing, and decor in his artwork (often inspired by Victorian age illustration). All aspects of his art, whether he is drawing a scene from the 18th century, iconic figures in history or mythology, or amazingly creative mechanical devices, I.M. Lowry produces his artwork in intricate and architectural ways. An artist with great talent, great style, and a great imagination- I.M. Lowry is definitely one of the best!

I.M. Lowry's: Artwork, Photostream, Paranormal Glimpses