Happy Halloween

 

DODGERS!!

 Great game last night to end the World Series with the Dodgers being the winner! YAY!!

Paper Lantern Pumpkin

 Halloween morning in Seattle...

(quickly done on my iPad Pro last night, using Procreate)

SCARY FISH

 Finishing off the month of October/Halloween drawings and such today and tomorrow with some extras that I didn't post yet this year.

Sometimes we are just going along in life, fishing for one thing or another and then something happens without our knowing about it and it can shock us and send us into panic.
Be calm and still. This too will pass. Hopefully without eating us whole.
Have a safe Halloween tomorrow.

Tonight is Devil's night

 Old school monsters to give you a fright Halloween night!

Vampire sisters

 What if Vampyre-ism runs in the family. What would that look like? Perhaps like this. More investigation might be warranted.

Monsters and phones

 Life can be confusing sometimes and even monsters loose touch when they pay too much attention to their phone instead of being aware of what is around them and how they got there.

Be safe out there this week for Halloween.

A drawing in progress.

 Last week of Halloween oriented drawings, paintings, etc.

Today showing the progress of one of my Halloween drawings in a sketchbook while at a cafe. Drawing in public took a while to feel comfortable with but I've been doing it for so long that it's just easy to do now. I'm always glad to answer any questions that someone might have when they stop and take a look at what I'm drawing. Mostly it sparks something in those that want to engage in a conversation. And I'm always open to making new friends.

Saturday Morning Doodle

 This weekend's Saturday Morning Doodle:

A scary Halloween edition for todays doodle. The floating skull monster head in flames, late at night when no one is watching, it roams the land. In search of what, nobody knows. Boo!

INKY FRIDAY

 Inky Friday: Halloween Edition!

Little monsters aren't so scary but they can be mischievous. Like these little creatures who are supposed to be sitting on some shelves but can't help themselves.

eBook "ENATAI BEACH"... ALL 12 CHAPTERS!!

 I’ve heard from people/friends and acquaintances over the last few years who kept asking if my graphic novel series “Enatai Beach” is ever going to be collected into one book instead of having to buy all 12 chapters individually?

During that time I always said “When hell freezes over bitch.”… NO, JUST KIDDING!!!!

Actually, what I said was “Maybe, when I have time to do that.” 

Well, I’ve had some time since leaving my previous employer. 

So what I did was,… put all 12 chapters, plus their covers into one 379 page book. And I can tell you, it’s been a hell of a time getting that through the reviews at KDP/Amazon. Changes after changes after changes… UGH!

First off, still waiting on approval for the paperback version. That may take a long time. And doing it as a hard cover was just too damn expensive. As it is, I have to charge $55 for the paperback version because it’s so freakin’ big that Amazon wants a big chunk o’ money for printing and distribution. (Bastards!)

So wait, there’s more. 

And this is the best part.

I made an ebook version that only costs $15… HOO RAY! That’s all 379 pages for only $15!!!

And that version is now on sale as of today on Amazon! Can you dig it?

Not that I’m trying to push you to buy it but I do want to get the word out all over the place. You know, just in case you know someone that might want to buy an ebook copy. :D

Here’s the link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DKTVB7H1

I picked the cover of chapter 5 to make the cover of this edition with a few slight changes to the Title.

Here’s what it looks like on a tablet or phone and what it looks like on Amazon.

SNIPE!

A little lighter Halloween drawing for today. Alan Rickman's "Snape" from the Harry Potter series of films. This isn't so much a portrait as it is a caricature of the actor in that role. Using a #19 blue polychromos pencil on sketch paper.

WRAP!

 This week's Wednesday Random Art Post.

Halloween drawing.

For a while I was playing around with using detailed hieroglyphs to tell a story so that anyone from anywhere could read the story without having to parse a foreign language. The story in this drawing was about a creature, sort of a monstrous caterpillar, who at the end of its search for its way in the world, finds that it must create a cocoon in order to transform to a large bird.

Each character in the drawing had a part in the story.

Even monsters can evolve.

Vampire sadness

 Today's Halloween drawing: Even vampires can have a bit of "ennui" in their favorite season of the year.

Creatures

 Halloween season inspires many ideas for bizarre creatures. Several here are among those concepts from years past.

SKETCH31

 Still time to get a fun but very Halloween book with 31 days of ink drawings about the season. Get yours today!

https://www.amazon.com/Sketch31-Pen-Marker-Mike-Cressy/dp/1651922705/ref=sr_1_1?crid=22BU3PNYCV2KI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.f_uddGRP5okjZcl4uUjYakwzlSnlr68OVMfzoLkuXg1eoOxihLS9fGzQPXRE1wE0krfWB2ipwm6bC926JzdcryiZe-BY1-_g4KNvDFbgpGrcyDCE2PjE3p8PizZkP203WnXF_M0FCo37r_r4-1JSpgunb3sQdgATQd3VF66eygnTCxh2gI__anIm-R7X1biWqDrcWvQZhYP93K2_kGoQEGwAWl2QTY3iN3Nn2GoJ5DA.8LOyZFcycNYDtNp6mz9AcRPdaWvKUsK6m3V4fZtCxUo&dib_tag=se&keywords=mike+cressy&qid=1729521429&sprefix=mike+cressy%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-1

Halloween Portrait!

 Halloween Portrait Sunday... Lon Chaney's character from Phantom of the Opera.

Happy Pokeween

 One of the last projects I did for my previous employer. I always loved working on all kinds of projects there and miss all the people. Enjoy!

MONSTER BURGER!

 This weekend's Saturday Morning Doodle and since it's Halloween,... even Monsters love Burgers! I don't eat them as often as I used to but every once in a while I get the urge to have one and I don't just get any old burger. I've been a fan of FatBurger for years, since I lived in Los Angeles. Up here in the Seattle area, mostly on the east side in Bellevue, Redmond and Issaquah, FatBurger arrived in the later part of the 90s. But now I think there is only the ones in Redmond and Issaquah.

Lately I found a new place that is just as good if not better and it's really close to where I live. Red Wagon Burger #5. What?! There are 4 other ones?

Never heard of them but one day I stopped by after clearing out some boxes in the garage and thought I'd try it. Wow, one of the best I've ever had.

But as I mentioned, I don't have a burger very often but when I do it's probably going to be Red Wagon Burger.

EMERALD LENS

 The e-book version of my soon to be released hard cover photo book "Emerald Lens" is available now on Amazon Kindle for the low price of $10.

Download today or wait for the hard cover version. Which would be a nice addition to your coffee table.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DKBBXNTZ

Vampyre weekend

 For Inky Friday and the start Vampyre weekend, the first of three drawings of various vampires in their world. 

Vampires resonate with our most profound desires and fears. The temptation of immortality, perpetual youth, and extraordinary powers aligns with our wish to command our mortality. While their eternal existence entices, it also mirrors our dread of death and the mysteries it holds.

But don't fear, it's just a drawing.

Pumpkins and Ghouls

 Less than two weeks before Halloween and decorations are proliferating around the neighborhood. In this neighborhood where my house is located, it hasn't seen trick or treaters the whole time I've lived here and from what I've heard from others who have lived here longer, it hasn't been a destination for costumed revelers for more than 3 decades. The streets are steep and it's difficult to walk around on them with costumes that already hinder their ability to be careful.

Remember to look out for others on that night and be safe where ever you go to revel in the season.

FRANKENSTEIN

 Today's Halloween post: Frankenstein.

Experiencing the 1931 film adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus" is an unusual journey, and there have been numerous other cinematic interpretations of the story. The novel, however, dives deeper than just recounting a scientist's creation of a being through unconventional scientific means. Shelley’s prose, like "The starry sky, the sea, and every sight afforded by these wonderful regions, seems still to have the power of elevating his soul from earth...," captures a profound connection to the natural world. The recurring symbolism of light throughout the novel reflects themes of knowledge and power, interwoven with myths and allegories, making these ideas more intricate. Ultimately, the book challenges the notion of whether true enlightenment is attainable for humanity.

Along with seeing your favorite scary movie this Halloween season, give the book a read. You might find it more fulfilling. 

 

Haunted House

 Doing a lot of Halloween concepts has always been fun to draw. Ideas can come quickly if there are several prompts from other people but sometimes there just needs to be a glimpse of an idea, sparked by something I saw somewhere. This is from an idea of a haunted house with a family of monsters, ghouls, ghosts and various creatures.

Buy the book!

 Time of the season... Halloween. A great time to read and have fun with my book "SKETCH31". Available now for quick delivery before Halloween on Amazon. Get yours today!

Fish Face

 Many of our fears and anxieties are on display during the Halloween season, like this one... Ichthyophobia, the fear of fish. Never heard of it? Me either but perhaps a bit of it might exist when some of us find that we are repulsed by the texture, smell or eating of fish. Whether it is shellfish or something as good for us to consume, like Salmon.

And it could also show up with those of us who are somewhat allergic to seafood. Whatever the reason, this fishy ghoul is scary.

Saturday Morning Doodle

 A belated Sunday version of my normal Saturday Morning Doodle... A bicycling Pumpkin riding home from a bike ride in the Autumn/Halloween night.

Bicycles, unless really thought out, can be hard to draw from memory and figure out where everything goes. This image serves as the last of the bike riding season, which in some years can be as long as 6 or 7 months but up here int he PNW it can sometimes just be about 4 months. Sadly. Then I have to bring my bike inside and put it on a stationary stand and watch movies while cycling till the spring. I guess I'm a fair weather cycler.

Anxiety

 If I had to define or explain this drawing I would have to say that it has to do with this creature doing it's best despite all the skulls, ghosts or ghouls, perhaps representing various anxieties that surround it. Such things make their way into our dreams and nightmares. Might we exorcise those anxieties through this Halloween season.

INKY FRIDAY!

 For Inky Friday... Appearances can be deceiving sometimes. With these bigger than usual monsters, they may look menacing but they are friendly and like looking after their neighbors. Be safe this Halloween season.

Nightmare landscape

 Today's Halloween season post is about nightmares. We've all had plenty over the course of our lives. Weird dreams and nightmares are usually the result of some stress or anxiety we have during the day. Occasionally nightmares can happen without stress or anxiety. Possibly those are a result from seeing a difficult or imaginative movie, show or story we've read.

This drawing was from a dream that had a shape shifting landscape that I remember as being less of a nightmare and just a fascination with the ability of the landscape to do such a thing.

Wednesday Randome Art Post

 A lot of scary things from childhood remain in your subconscious for the rest of our lives and sometimes they can float up to the surface and you see that they aren't all that scary. For creative types (like me), we can use those feelings and images to create something fun and consequently that helps to dispel those old fears. Perhaps that's a cause for Halloween.

When I painted this one (acrylic on canvas) I titled it "You don't know me".

Pumpkin Witch

From a few years ago when I was doing one ink drawing per day for my Ink-tober post. A living pumpkin wearing a witch hat with octopus tentacles in the background and some sort of brimstone smoke.

I got used to drawing in public from working for game companies where sometimes I had to demonstrate my concepts on a white board in a meeting. I would also draw a lot during meetings (sometimes just to stay awake in a boring meeting), so I'm used to people observing me while I draw.

And it's just good to get out of my studio space and have people around to inspire some of that drawings that I do in my sketchbooks.

 

Jolly Roger

 Some years ago while working on a project and wondering what would be a good Halloween-ish ornament for a fence, I thought about the skull and crossbones (AKA... the Jolly Roger) on pirate flags of the 17th and 18th centuries, and what kind of interpretation that I could do. So I came up with a skull that was made with planks of wood with wooden dowels for the crossbones, surrounded with a metal compass with a wood and steel base with an iron flower at the top.

Another seasonal drawing using a ploychromos dark red #225 pencil.

Little Monsters

 Monsters can take a variety of forms, like this one that was based on examinations of bugs/insects, with some liberty taken. Those little critters can occasionally be helpful but mostly we regard them as a nuisance. I can only feel itchy when I think they might be crawling on my body. Which is creepy.

And isn't that what Halloween is about?

Halloween Merch

 Halloween Merch to make you laugh or scare you into the night. Either way, come and get some Halloween Merch before Halloween arrives!

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/4301748

Bye bye tomatoes

 This weekends Saturday Morning Doodle is a bit of a silly doodle from my Tomato plants outside who are lamenting the shorter days of sunshine and that many days have been cloudy, dark and cold. I take that is why the huge remaining tomatoes on the vines haven't turned red yet. Time's a wastin' guys... I want eat these sweet tasting nightshades raw and not have to make fried green tomatoes.

Using my Dark Blue Polychromos #19 pencil.