Wishing You A Happy Halloween!

Victorian Witches c. 1875 via Tweed Life Tumblr

Haunted Organist via Tumblr

Dem Bones at the Piano via UK National Archives

Boo to you all! Hope you all have a wonderfully fun Halloween evening! Hoping you can forget a little of the crazy world for an hour or two and have a good old spooky time. This year, I must confess, seems a little harder to let myself relax enough to play...but I'm going to try. Hope you do too.

This NPR Halloween music stream is helping me a bit too. Enjoy!

New Illustration - Into the Woods

 As many of you may know, I have a deep passion for all things dark. Illustrating fairy tales is a great way to get some of this "Grimm" creativity unleashed. I just love painting a world of darkness. I like strong heroines that will usually survive the harshness that come their way. This is the case with my new illustration, "Into the Woods". The young girl is set out on her own as a punishment and she must face her deepest fears...and all the creepy harmful beings in the woods. Will she survive? Well, I'm creating her as a fighter...but only the next illustration will tell.

"Into the Woods" by Debra Styer is 6x8, painted with Watercolor and Gouache.

A closer look....

What is your favorite Fairy Tale? Do you like your stories spooky or sweet?
Oh yeah...a print of this lovely illustration is available in my shop!

Haunted Places

I thought I share this amazing haunted house I walked by the other day in Alameda, CA. I love when people have such passion for these things. It really made my day. My friend told that the folks behind this amazingness are set designers and, man you really can see that they do this for a living. Great job!

Here is a peek at their transformed house...

Donner Hotel "All You Can Eat Buffet" ha..ha..

Mister Bones

DOA Corral

So fun...I must make it there when it is dark out.

Happy October!

Here is a little film with some very devilish bits. It is a old film from 1899 by the cinematic genius George Melies. I love the crazy sets. Check out the wonderful large monster cat head in the middle of the story...