Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Halloween Sketchbook


16 comments:

Little Gothic Horrors said...

I adore these Halloween sketches that you're doing!

Little Gothic Horrors said...

They've got a Ray Bradbury mood about them! :)

Drazen said...

Thanks Emma. I love early Bradbury and of course the Halloween Tree but my favorite is The Homecoming..perfect story. You know he worked with Charles Addams on a monster family story based on The Homecoming before Addams created his family if I remember the timeline correctly.

Drazen said...

Addams did the original magazine illustration for that story.

Little Gothic Horrors said...

'The Homecoming' is my favourite Bradbury story too, Drazen! :) I've got a vintage copy of 'Dark Carnival' with 'The Homecoming' in it.

I managed to track down and purchase a copy of the extended story based on 'The Homecoming' ('From the Dust Returned') with the original Charles Addams cover art, but when it arrived in the mail, turned out it was very badly damaged with mould and I had to throw it out, which was heartbreaking. I've read that the plan was they were to collaborate on a fully illustrated version of the story, but they both got caught up in their own projects. It would have been amazing if it had ever happened.

Drazen said...

Do you mean you have a original Arkham House hardcover of Dark Carnival or another edition? If so thats amazing.
I have From The Dust Returned, thats a shame about your copy! I read an interview online where Bradbury talks about it little while back .. I think he mentions something about not being able to sell their idea to a publisher so they each went off and did there own thing. But yeah that would have been really cool. It never really got talked about in the Addams bio book.

Drazen said...

But idea wise and feel that story seems like a touchstone for lots of things that came after and people riffing off of.

Little Gothic Horrors said...

I've got the Hamish Hamilton UK edition of 'Dark Carnival' (1948) with Michael Ayrton cover art. It was originally my father's but he gave it to me.

I ended up getting the paperback of 'From the Dust Returned' from Amazon because I wanted to read it anyway, but I'll still keep my eyes open for the Addams cover at a reasonable price. :)

Drazen said...

Wow! Thats awesome! Thats a pricey book you're lucky. I just have the stories in paperback:-(.
Have you checked ABE books? They should have affordable copies. Its a killer cover its too bad it has that gold seal on it tho.

Little Gothic Horrors said...

Ha! I completely agree about that gold seal on the cover. Such a shame to spoil the illustration!

I've got a couple of copies bookmarked on ABE. Of course, I'd love the Bradbury-signed copy they've got for sale... but that will have to wait until I win the lottery! ;)

Drazen said...

There's a copy of your book signed as well... for well over a 1000 haha.. I'd love to have a copy of The Dark Carnival signed.
I have a copy of The Halloween Tree (unsigned) in a first which is really beautiful tho.. they've never reprinted it with the original cover which is crazy to me.

Drazen said...

Tho a regular edition of your book is around that anyway.

Little Gothic Horrors said...

Ha! I seriously had no idea that the book was worth that much. Not that I'd ever part with it of course. :) So do you have 'The Halloween Tree' with the Joseph Mugniani cover? I love that illustration.

Drazen said...

Oh yeah thats a beauty you got! Yes with his cover. Yeah its an amazing illustration I can't believe they've never done a proper reprint the same as the first edition. There was supposed to me a big book Mugniani coming out but it seems to be perpetually on hold.

Seb Mesnard said...

Wow Drazen this one I really great!! Maybe one of my favorite from you!
Thanks for sharing it Drazen;

Anonymous said...

This picture, this *right here,* is what Halloween is all about. Very Bradbury-esque.