Scream queens unmasked...

I love all the cheeky old spooky TV shows of the past, like the Munsters and the Addams family. And what little girl didn't want to be Wednesday Addams?  I miss staying up late to catch the creature double features that I'd watch at midnight as a teenager. It makes me wonder, where are those horror queens that would show all of those terrible b-movies? I suppose they are dead or retired. Well, I am happy Elvira is still around although I see her less and less of here these days...I suppose it will be an end to an era. This makes me sad. Who will inspire this next group of kids to go goth? This is a question I can not answer...

Sigh...Here is a little salute to the ladies that showed the naughty side of horror.  I've posted pictures of actresses that played these spooky parts for years and were pretty much only know as that character. I think they are beautiful both ways but I must say, it is amazing what a little makeup can do. Enjoy!

Cassandra Peterson

as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

Carolyn Jones

...as Morticia Addams

Maila Nurmi

 

...as Vampira

Here's a little extra scream for the Halloween weekend...Hope you all have an excellently spooky holiday!

little halloween ditty...

This has to be one of my all time favorite spooky moody songs. Does someone look familiar? Yup, it is Ryan Gosling and his band Dead Man's Bones. I'll admit I usually don't fall for the celebrity band thing but this time it is different. The album is amazing. It is a wonderful mix of artsy folk music and a children's choir from L.A. Check out the whole album here, I bet it will give you some an added music for your Halloween soundtrack.

Masks for Glob Natural Paints

 Here purty birdy, birdy, BIRD....

 Just a note....I've created some Edwardian Paper Masks for Glob Natural Paints. Now you can go on and make your own. It is a really fun project to do with your kids. Stop by Glob paints to take a look, get the masks and have some fun. The paints are amazing too. Just click here to get started.

There are 4 different styles right now with more to be added soon.

Update: Here they are painted...

Pretty fun aren't they?

Now... go and make your own!

Glob Natural Paints

The colors of fall

Today brings one of the first rains of the season in San Francisco and truthfully I really like the grayness of the skies. I suppose I am just a true New Englander at heart. I like being a bit cold.  It makes you want to cuddle.

Yesterday, I spent my day at Terra Firma Farms in Winters, California for their annual Farm Day. It was wonderful. There was strawberry picking, hay rides, a country swing band, and wine tasting. A all around lovely day full of sunshine and pumpkins. I love the fall and all the beautiful rich colors it brings.

Now... I'm off to cook up my first Butternut Squash soup of the season. I'm going with the Moosewood Cookbook recipe here, the added sage makes it perfect.

Pop Surrealist Portraits

If I lived in the L.A. area I would be at the Roq La Rue Gallery all the time. I love the bizarre artwork they hang. Here are a few pieces of my favorite artists they have exhibited. He seems like a nice homage to all of the old photographs I've been posting:

Mark Ryden was one of the first Pop Surrealists that I noticed. Discovering his work opened  up a whole new world for me as an artist. I was never that comfortable with abstraction or conceptual art. I wanted to paint and capture emotions through the eyes of the people I painted. I loved history and weird things...and really dark things. He became one of my favorite artists working to today...

Check out more of his work at his own site: markryden.com

"Drips" 2003

"Rose" by Mark Ryden 2003

"Awakening the Moon" by Mark Ryden 2010

A portrait of the artist as a young man by cutting.com

Travis Louie is someone I discovered when he donated some artwork for the Totoro Forest Project auction I went to a couple of years ago. I really regret not bidding on his artwork...maybe someday I'll have a piece of my own.  For now I can always look at these beautiful spooky portraits he has created. Aren't they wonderful.

For more...check out his website here.

"Ethel" by Travis Louie

"The Hypno Doll" By Travis Louie

"The Smiler" by Travis Louie

Beautiful aren't they? I wonder what would happen if they painted me...

October Art Nouveau

I love these Art Nouveau posters. Each has such style, grace and a of touch morbidity. The use of design is incredible. Every inch of these posters are so well thought out. Beautiful hand drawn typography throughout. Wonderful design elements are even in the "lesser" of the posters. 

Try to visualize these advertising posters being plastered on every empty wall you looked. Could you imagine what the inside of a simple local market was like? It must have been so amazing...These posters sure create a mood don't they. I would have loved these as a little kid.

Truth be told, these posters aren't exactly for Halloween but they do really work well for my mood these days. I love the artists use of blacks, oranges and grays to create such a subtle darkness. They are the colors of fall and death. I  love the fact these drawings are so "quiet". Not one of characters is looking at you. Yet...I'm  drawn into the pieces because they are so silent and haunting.  They are exactly the opposite of advertising posters these days when the actors seem to devour you.

Poster for The Lottery of National Unity by Alphonse Mucha

Poster by Eugene Grasset for L. Marquet Ink

Amazing Party poster Artist Unknown

by Coles Phillips for Life Magazine

by Louis Raemaekers for an Ad for the Anti-Tariff Act 1913

Nice ad for a Mortuary artist unknown

Absinthe by Leonetto Cappiello


What will happen after she drinks this? Such a creepy guy...

And some say illustration is not art...

Scary Vintage Halloween Masks Ahead.

As you would have guessed Halloween is one of my all time favorite holidays. I love spooking myself out. It is so fun. This year is will no different. Only 3 weeks time my annual Halloween getaway! I better start getting ready and working on my costume. I'm planning on making my own fox mask out of papier mache and felt. Hopefully I'll get it done in time for the big night.

Speaking of masks, I've been working on some Halloween masks for Glob paints the last few days and have been looking for some inspiration. There is so much fun stuff out there. Here is some of my favorite finds:

Who knew Victorians were so funny? This photo via here

spooky stuff happening over at Country Living Magazine

Amazing masks from Martha Stewart more here.

D.I.Y. , I presume...via costumerism

If your in a sexy Halloween mood check out this D.I.Y. from craftzine.

No time for DIY? These Edwardian Paper Masks are super creepy. 

love this one from opiummuseum's flicker set. The best vintage Halloween photo sets I've seen.

Hope you enjoyed my little Halloween mask adventure.  Hope you are all getting busy making yours, I better get busy with mine. 

Update: Want to see more? Here is a link to a recent post where I added even more creepy masks. Enjoy!

Feeling Nolstalgic...My Favorite Children's Books

I have been thinking a lot about books lately, and Children's books in particular. I decided to go on a trip back in time to share my absolute favorite growing up. It is interesting just how much we connected with these books even if they popular or not. I just loved them. I would look at them over and over. They were precious to me. Here are some of my favorites:

I love the simple drawings of this book...more here

This encouraged me to wanna draw everywhere.

Strangely enough I always wanted this one but my mom never bought it for me.

I wanted to be that doll.

Miss Suzy was just so cool.

This was one of my all time favorites...I love, love, love the drawings

Who didn't want to be Madeline?

Super fun, color and craziness

This makes me so sad, then happy.

This was always a favorite.

It is amazing how floods of memories hit when I look these. My God, I'm sappy. I don't have kids so I can't really live vicariously through their books. I wonder if kids still have that same kind of bond with...or maybe I was just weird. I suppose that is why I became a illustrator.

 What kids books were your favorites?