Tag Archives: Halloween illustration

Featured Artist Interview January 2017: The Painted Peep Show

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To find where Blake Roberts sells his wares visit him on his artist page on HAB. 

Interview with Blake Roberts of The Painted Peep Show:

At what age did you discover your love of Halloween?

Between my love of monsters, scary movies, and making costumes, I probably started leaning towards Halloween as my favorite holiday when I was 10 or 11.

What is your fondest Halloween memory?

I can’t say I have just one, but a fond memory that’s ongoing is my annual costume creation process. I spend weeks designing, building, and tweaking my costumes. This usually involves scary movies and multiple glasses of wine (or cider if the weather is cool enough).

How do you celebrate Halloween?

Every year, I host a costume party with custom props and special effects. Recent party themes have included 7 Deadly Sins and Psycho.

When did you start creating in your medium and what training have you had?

I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil. When I was very young, I’d make comic books, xerox them, and sell them to classmates for a quarter a piece. Since then, I’ve graduated with an Illustration degree from Savannah College of Art & Design.

What was the inspiration to create what you create when did you know
you wanted to create Halloween?

In 2009, I was laid off from my job and had trouble finding a new gig (this was during the height of the financial crisis). My sister suggested I open an Etsy store to keep myself active, so I did. I started with Halloween greeting cards and expanded from there.

Featured Artist Interview December 2015: Chad Savage

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To find where Chad Savage sells his wares visit him artist page on HAB. 

Interview with Chad Savage of Sinister Visions:

At what age did you discover your love of Halloween?

I’m quite comfortable claiming that I didn’t discover my love of Halloween so much as it was always innately in me. It’s been my favorite thing in the world, quite literally, as long as I can remember. My family celebrated it and decorated for it during October, but I wanted it all year long.

What is your fondest Halloween memory?

Halloween 1977. I was Luke Skywalker, my aunt was on our front porch as a witch with a “boiling cauldron” of hot apple cider, my dad was a ghost who shepherded us kids while we went trick or treating (he would just stand in the street, covered with a white sheet and wearing sunglasses so you couldn’t see his eyes, and stare into the open door – very unsettling to the folks handing out candy!). Everybody decorated, some houses had set up make-shift haunted yards and garages – the whole neighborhood enthusiastically participated. It was the kind of Halloween you seen in movies now.

How do you celebrate Halloween?

On a base level, I celebrate it all year – I am surrounded by jack o’lanterns made of rubber, plastic, clay, metal and more in my office, and both of my arms are sleeved in Halloween-related tattoos. In late September we decorate the house and yard. During September and October we go to as many Halloween and Autumn themed occasions, parties and events as we can. Haunted houses, too. On Halloween night up until this past year I took my daughter trick or treating, dressing up myself as something scary enough to make people cross the street rather than walk past me on the sidewalk. This last year, however, my daughter decided she was too old to trick or treat, and the weather was awful, so we stayed in to hand out candy to trick or treaters who never really showed up and watched Halloween-themed movies. Kind of a let down, really. We’ll have to think of something more exciting for 2015*…

*Interview conducted pre October 2015-hope Chad and his daughter got to do something really cool!

When did you start creating in your medium and what training have you had?

I come from an artistic family on my father’s side and have been drawing and painting since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I have a BFA degree in illustration and graphic design.

What was the inspiration to create what you create and when did you know you wanted to create Halloween?

Monsters and spooky things have always informed my artwork, even when I was a kid. My full time job now is creating marketing materials, branding and websites for haunted attractions and horror/Halloween-themed businesses, so my life on a daily basis is inspirational when it comes to creating Halloween art!

Featured Artist Interview August 2015: Intricate Knot

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To find where Intricate Knot sells her wares visit her artist page on HAB. 

Interview with Intricate Knot of Art For A Gloomy Day and Tarryfails Corner:

At what age did you discover your love of Halloween?
My love of Halloween began several lifetimes ago, at least a few centuries. Hope there aren’t any witch hunters out there reading this!

Seriously, my love of Halloween did begin over a multitude of pagan incarnations. In this lifetime it is pure icing on the Jack O’ Lantern. From the time I was first allowed out of the house to Trick or Treat (somewhere around the age of 6), I realized that Halloween is the best thing going.

What is your fondest Halloween memory?

This is a challenging question, as all my Halloweens are filled with fond memories. If we’re talking this lifetime, putting together costumes for my son’s trick or treating adventures. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we loved getting creative with my brother’s old make up kit (from his theater days). One year, my son transformed into the Terminator. Resplendent with partial robotic skull exposed (alá scar putty, oozey fake blood, and humble tin foil), and the ever-important black leather motor cycle jacket. Schwarzenegger eat your heart out.

Recently, I would have to say the first year after I joined HAB and participated in the Trick or Treat Giveaway. It was a first in many ways, not the least of which it was the first time I’d ever participated in a giveaway. It gave me such a wonderful feeling seeing a photo of my offering lined up next to such amazing pieces done by the other artists in the group. I felt like, phew! It’s been a long time coming folks, but I finally found my tribe.

How do you celebrate Halloween?

If time and energy allows, Halloween celebrations begin with some kitchen magick: making candy apples, apple pies, cinnamon potpourri, simmering, savory stews…and the list goes on! My husband and I decorate our sizable patio and our house. Stringing up candy corn lights, red skulls, and glowing purple LEDs…oh my!

Halloween is the great no-pressure holiday. It’s more than that, though. There is the entire season of autumn…the snap in the air, the energy that all builds to the day itself. The images, art work (especially the creations of our group!), sheer fun (and horror), not to mention the most excellent treats and tricks of Halloween is a spirit that I carry within all throughout the year.

When did you start creating in your medium and what training have you had?

Well it all started with a doodle of something that looked like a cross between a gloomy gene and a disgruntled meatball. (Hopefully) I have improved from there. I’ve had no training what-so-ever or at least not in any formal capacity.

When I was a kid I wrote stories and doodled pretty much 24/7 and by the time I reached the age of 16, I’d decided that this was what I was meant to do with my life. Then [insert dramatic music here], I allowed one teacher’s opinion of my work dissuade me from this course. Years went by. Then one day, I had the proverbial epiphany (more like a swift kick to the head) and now I just don’t look back. I still doubt my work…I think all artists and artisans do. Just part of the package! But the difference is now I keep going, despite the doubts.

What was the inspiration to create what you create and when did you know you wanted to create Halloween?

I’ve always loved all of the symbology of Halloween: witches, black cats, Jack O’Lanterns, scarecrows, ghosts, goblins, things-that-go-bump-in-the-night, ravens, owls, haunted trees, and on goes the list! Artists are inspired by what draws them in and Halloween draws me in. It’s simply a magical time and the only time of the year when it’s not only okay, but you’re actually encouraged to come out of the proverbial closet and be a witch, which is freeing. That’s what inspires me.