Mummy!

"Fresh from his crypt

in darkest Egypt,

this mummy is prone to wander.

From the Singing Sands,

he travels the lands,

with plenty of time to squander.

Though smelly and dusty,

with bandages crusty,

take heed if you want to live long.

When  he's after your neck,

better run like all heck,

or you'll find him inhumanely strong."

The fourth piece I drew for this project, and maybe the best one. I like the awkward sense of movement this guy has.

As with the others, this one started as a small thumbnail sketch, which I scanned, enlarged, cleaned up and finished in Photoshop. I've used this guy for varying promotional purposes--business cards, postcards, stickers and t-shirts. I still like him.

This illustration is © Chris Chuckry.

Thanks for stopping by.

Witch

"This talented hag

and her special trick bag,

are useful in any occasion.

Her extra long broom,

has plenty of room,

to take you on summer vacation.

Who she will spy

with her blue evil eye

is something nobody can tell.

Don't call her 'granny,'

she's mean and she's canny.

Watchout! when she's casting her spell."

The second monster I drew for this project was a Witch. I followed the same course as with the Werewolf--a small, rough sketch that I finished in Photoshop. I was happy with it at the time, but now I see that I would approach this illustration differently. I guess I've learned a little in the past twelve years.

Thanks for stopping by.

© Chris Chuckry

Werewolf

"This fine furry fellow

is not very mellow,

just check out his wide, toothy grin.

If he knocks on your door,

with a whimper or roar, 

be smart and don't let him in.

He's lacking in charm

and spreading alarm,

across the whole countryside.

So, beneath the full moon,

don't be a buffoon,

RUN! DUCK! Take cover, and hide!"

Here is the painted version of the first monster I did for this project. This werewolf kicked it all off. I did a very rough, small pencil drawing of him, then scanned him in and painted him up in Photoshop.

Up until then, I had mainly painted comic characters, but this guy was a new kind of fun. I quickly started drawing other monsters. The door was open, and I didn't want to close it.

This guy is © Chris Chuckry

Thanks for stopping by.

First cover

"With the second full moon,

every one hundred years,

the Creature Company

Catalogue appears.

Selling quality monsters

for every occasion--

a birthday, a bully,

a summer vacation!

Always a bargain,

but not at all cheap,

once paid for, these monsters

earn more than their keep.

But if things don't work out,

and you're not filled with glee,

remember, there is

no money back guarantee.

So make your choice wisely,

consider all thought,

the scare all your friends

with the monster you've bought!"

This project, which is now called "Spookeasy," began in 1996. First as "Mail Order Monsters"--until I found out that name had been used for a video game--then it was "The Creature Company Catalogue." It was styled as a catalogue of monsters that kids could order from, if they needed some inhuman help with a difficult problem.

 I sent it around to some children's book publishers without success. Those that did reply said it was a fun and clever project, but not something they would normally publish.

So, I've kept pushing the project along with varying degrees of enthusiasm, and alternately, leaving it to languish in neglect. However, I do have a fair amount of work done for it. I thought this blog would be a good place to present it and hopefully give it a life of it's own.

Here's the front cover as envisioned back in 1996. Thanks for visiting.


All work on this blog is © Chris Chuckry