Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 43

Week 43: Monster

"Can't sleep." Cartoon in black Sharpie, coloured with watercolours and highlighter marker.

Update:

Week 43: Monster II

Sketch of oblivious Granny, in black Sharpie on white Quill linenbond card, and freehand-cut black silhouette collaged onto green card.

Week 43: Monster III

Charcoal and watercolour wash sketch of actor Reggie Nalder as Mr Barlow the Vampire in "Salem's Lot". Highlights in white fabric paint, black ballpoint and collaged yellow paper eyes. Based on a publicity photo from the TV mini-series.

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 22

Week 22: Eyes

I originally printed out an A4 sheet of cartridge paper with the text on it, intending to use it last week as a Jack-in-the-box for Boxes, but it evolved, instead, into a focus on the hypnotic eyes. (Coincidentally, I've spent the last week packing books into many, many boxes. Preparation for internal house painting!) Collage with acrylic and watercolour paints, permanent black marker and the nose of Roger Woodward.

Update:
Week 22: Eyes II. What to do when you've worn out your welcome? The school library's "Welcome" mat had lost all of its signage due to four years of kids trampling in and out. With only an hour to spare, I cut some paper templates freehand and used three cans of spray enamel to create this new message. Final detailing with permanent black marker.

Week 22: Eyes II

Paper templates

Those scary moments of cinema

What movies scared the hell out of you?

The first thing that comes to mind is, bizarrely, the lead black-out windows going up automatically in Doctor Morbius (Walter Pidgeon)'s house on the "Forbidden Planet". Spooked me as a kid, watching it on TV. And the music ("tonalities") accompanying the coming of the invisible Id monster was pretty freaky as well.

In fact, I think my appreciation for movie soundtrack music probably came from seeing how effective music could be in the scariest parts of scary movies. The spooky music FX accompanying the astronauts finding the black monolith on the moon in "2001: A Space Odyssey" does it to me, too. I still cannot play the soundtrack when alone at night. If that track comes on I have to skip it forward to the next track.

"The Invisible Man", unwrapping himself in the British b/w TV series of the same name: he also gave me nightmares, but it was my Dad's favourite show at the time!

I never went to see "Alien" in the cinema, because I had a feeling that several scenes might be too scary, even as a guy in my early 20s at the time. Was very pleased I saw it on VHS first. (No problem watching "Aliens" or "Alien 3" on the big screen, though.)

Ah! And I just remembered! I was once followed home by a big black dog, at about 11.30 at night, after having seen "The Omen" at a local cinema!


Robbie the Robot vs Monsters Inc.