Month of Fear Catch Up

So for the past week I was away in Chicago visiting my family and making an appearance at The American Academy of Art to give a lecture on the importance of networking. Thanks to the Academy for having me, and it was nice to see some old faces.

While I was gone I was unable to post the last two week's challenges so I will do so now.

Pickman's Model. Watercolor on Bristol

 So for illustrate your favorite horror story, I chose H.P. Lovecraft's short story Pickman's Model. I'm a huge Lovecraft fan and every year around this time I pick up and read my anthology of his stories. Pickman's Model has long been my favorite work of his, perhaps in part because is is about an artist. I would imagine that it was a lot scarier back in the day than it is today. I absolutely love it, and doing this piece has sparked a desire to dabble on the subject in the upcoming months.

Creepy Closet Door. Colored Pencils on toned paper.

And last week's challenge was to illustrate something that terrified you as a kid, which was perfect for me since I was at my childhood home. My parent's house is a bit over 100 years old, and now that everyone has moved out it's sometimes a bit more spooky than it was when we all lived there. 

As a kid I used to sleep with my mom in the master bedroom for a few years until one of my sisters moved out an I was able to have my own room. During my childhood I often was afraid of 'the fat lady in the closet'. I don't have any idea now, what that was all about, but I do suspect that I thought I was seeing the ghost of a rather large woman jam packed into the tiny closet space. I was terrified to be upstairs alone because I thought she might come out of there and get me. 

My mom couldn't help but chuckle when she saw me take a picture of the door with my phone so I could do this drawing (There is no way I was gonna sit in the room and draw it!). She told me that sometimes she is in there dusting (This room being vacant now), and she thinks 'I'll keep the closet door closed in case the ghost is in there trying to look out.' 

-What a creepy thing to say, mom.

P.S.

Carrie was on the other day (the original movie), and I was reminded how similar the closet in my mom's old bedroom with it's stoic white walls and religious paraphernalia looked like the closet door that Carrie's crazy mother used to lock her into. I assure you my mother never locked any of us in the closet...but I think my older twin sisters did that to me at some point in my life. I don't recall as I have probably blocked out those memories.

Until the next challenge: Phobias. Ta ta!

#monthoffear