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I’m currently in the middle of a horrific horror story. Trying to buy a house, sell a house, organise finance and solicitors and moving. Who knew what horrors are in the real world. No wonder I draw all the stuff I do!!

Writing horror stories is something I’ve done for a while but never really had the bottle to put them out in the world. I read so many trashy horror novels when I was younger , I’m always amazed I didn’t start back then. James Herbert, Shaun Hutson and Harry Adam Knight to name a few. Gory, spooky, violent and smatterings of sex! Then later discovering M R James, Robert Aickman and Lovecraft ( Lovecraft was introduced to me via Metallica’s Master of Puppets album). They fired my imagination as a teenager , when horror was at its height! I highly recommend Grady Hendrix Paperbacks from Hell if you want to know more about this fantastic time for the horror novel.

This an outstanding book about the rise and fall of the pulp horror novel. A must read.

I find writing these stories are great way to exercise the brain muscles if I’m struggling for art ideas. I get ideas anytime and frantically try to put them into my phone or write them on random bits of paper with little abstract illustrations. Sometimes I’ll create just a title ( Fowl! Wildcamp! The Viking Dead!) and I tend to then find them weeks later, clueless about what I’ve written down, the memory lost to the several other things I have done since!

I try and create small low budget horror scripts and see what comes out of that ( Evil Dead making it’s influences known again!) Some of these stories simply get turned into comic ideas ( check out the comics page on the web page). Others are just simple sentences that end up creating an image on it’s own with no real back story. Anything else seems to need expanding, I can’t seem to just leave it and they get turned into the stories I upload onto my Bloody Pens blog. The ideas can become so big, I can’t justify with one image and certainly am not talented enough to create a comic strip from them. Strangely, once I’ve finished writing and then upload, a single image can pop into my head and I frantically get the sketch down. I was always a fan of the way the early pulp novels had black and white illustrations attached to the stories and it’s something I’d really like to publish, once I have enough stories and this whole moving malarky has sorted itself out, I’ll get on it! Promise!

I recently watched Mandy, the horror movie starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Panos Cosmatos . Being a fan of those wonderful Italian exploitation horror flicks, this ticked all the boxes for me. Nicolas Cage at his over the top best, weird trippy lighting , almost non existent script and buckets of gore. I also loved the fact the special make up effects looked like special make up effects. Not quite 100% real, but good enough.

I also watched Hereditary, which I know some people love and some people seem to really hate. I have to say I really enjoyed it. Gave me a Rosemary’s Baby vibe. I loved the way it built up a slow feeling of dread. I can see why some people would not like it, especially with movies like the Conjuring series and Get Out ( which is outstanding!) However, is it me, or whenever there seems to be a movie about witchcraft cults ( spoiler alert!) how come they always seem to be over 60 and naked??

Anyway, time to get back to the sketchbook and and get the inks out. Sorry this was a touch late. I promise I will keep up. Please check out my Instagram etc and let me know what you think of my stories and this blog.

Keep checking under the bed!

Dan

I get asked a lot where my inspiration comes from. Its hard to say to be truthful. Films (I watched Hereditary recently…wow!) TV (I started watching Night Flyers on Netflix, like it so far!) Books (Robert Aickman’s The Wine Dark Sea) music ( I’m writing this listening to John Carpenter Anthology) the usual offenders. I listen to a lot of podcasts these days, Lore and Shadows at the Door are two of my favourites at the moment.

I draw everyday. Even if I’m not in the mood, especially if you have a ton of other ” life” jobs to do first! The brain is a muscle , and it need warming up.
I’ve filled so many sketchbooks now, I’m running out of room to store them That’s why I at least try to draw a skull as soon as I get up. Kettle on, tea made and sketchbook out. A five minute doodle is better than nothing at all!!

Once I have an idea or two, I’ll try and steal a couple of hours in the studio. That’s a lot grander than it sounds, believe me. Its actually an old outhouse at the back of my home. I ripped all the crap out, put in a new ceiling , door and electricity. Its damp in winter and too hot in summer. Plus the occasional mouse, slug and a lot of spiders. Yet I can make as much mess as I like!

I start with a pencil drawing , figuring out shapes,sharp teeth and how the image is going to fit on the paper. Although I use a LOT of black ink, its amazing how important that pencil sketch can be. I’ll then transfer the image to some illustration board using my trusty light box. I purchased this about 10 years ago from a closing down sale in a craft shop for a fiver!! Best deal I have ever had! Art is an expensive mistress, especially when you use as much as I do.

I normally transfer onto Bristol Board. But, I’ve discovered some mixed media pads from Daler Rowney that are fantastic!

Then, it’s on to the INK! My main tools are:
Parallel Pen, 0.2 and 0.3,
Pentel Brush Pen
Kuratake Zig Cartoonist pen
Tooth brush
Acrylic Markers
and, of course, BLACK INK! ( with occasional white and red)

To be honest, I’ll use anything I can get hold of. I’ve several ruined brushes that I keep using.

Once my hands full of ink, I know I’ve finished! So it’s posting on Instagram, then loading up on Etsy.

So, there you go. That’s how I create!! Next time I will go a bit deeper into some of my artistic influences. Let me know what you think? Feel free to subscribe to the blog so you can keep updated (click the triangle at the bottom of the page) . Don’t forget to check out my Instagram and Twitter. You can my Dark Tales here and the web comic Deth Metal by myself and good guy Silent Mark.

Thanks again!

Dansmonsters

dansmonsters

Dark Art of Dan Charnley

Bloody Pens and Sleepless Nights

Creating Horrors!!!