Saturday, June 03, 2006

Howard Phillips Lovecraft



This weeks topic for Illustration Friday is 'Portrait', so I did a portrait of Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

Born 1890 and passing away (we think) in 1937, Lovecraft was (is ?) the master of weird horror stories. From 'The Call of Cthulhu' to 'At The Mountains of Madness' his work influenced most horror writers and movie makes since.

He was a scholar and a gentleman, liked ice cream and cats, and had a wicked sense of humor. Most of his stories were based on vivid nightmares that he suffered from, and he did a damn good job of telling those stories !

If you want to try his books, they tend to be anthologies of short stories, the best to start off with might be short but creepy 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth' or the lengthy but ghoulish 'The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'.

The Necronomicon is closely tied to Lovecraft...
:-)

24 Comments:

At 11:47 AM, Blogger Teri said...

Awesome pen work Steve! Never heard of him before but sounds interesting.

 
At 12:35 PM, Blogger Eric Sevigny said...

Good Job Steve! I like the Sinister Expression and the idea of the monsters in the back it's nice too!
Relly Nice!

 
At 2:49 PM, Blogger s4ndm4n said...

Cool! I've never seen H.P. Lovecraft before, but know who he is and his works. I too like the horror imagery in the background. Nice job! :-D

 
At 5:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey we have similiar lit tastes it seems - I've read every Lovecraft story. I have a tendency toward obsession (no kidding) and if I like a writer I read everything they've written. This is a very good drawing, like all the background activity and your siggy is great. Oh and by the way - hi there ;D

 
At 5:43 PM, Blogger Ginger*:) said...

Excellent, eerie and inviting. You were so able to show his sensitive side. Great penandink as always!

 
At 1:24 AM, Blogger tim said...

great caraciture! thanks for the info about him as well.

 
At 8:00 AM, Blogger isay said...

one of your best work steve.

thanks for your support steve. i am not really back but i hope i can very soon!

 
At 8:55 AM, Blogger AscenderRisesAbove said...

wonderful pen and ink; will take a look at his books. As I recall Stephen King also writes from his nightmares and fears. I often wonder if he is really feeding his fears... or freeing them. This might be the same thing though. Hmmmmm; Food for thought...

 
At 10:34 AM, Blogger valerie walsh said...

This is my favourite drawing so far Steve!!! I LOoove this!!! I was expecting big things from you on this subject and you did not disappoint. I like that you teach us and visually tantilize! Great work!!!

 
At 8:52 AM, Blogger Patrick said...

Lovecraft rocks! I used to read his stuff a lot back in high school- bought the paperbacks with the stunning grey and red paintings by Michael Whelan... great stuff! This is a really cool illo- Always a soft spot in my heart for horror related artwork! Keep up the good work!!!

 
At 7:55 AM, Blogger steve said...

He is still kinda obscure to the mainstream public, despite his significant influence, Teri C.
Thanx for the compliment !
:-)

 
At 7:56 AM, Blogger steve said...

Sinister expressions are a fav of mine too, EricSevigny.
:-)

 
At 7:57 AM, Blogger steve said...

His lantern jaw and distinctive nose both give Lovecraft an interesting profile, MgBeers. Glad you liked it !
:-)

 
At 8:00 AM, Blogger steve said...

Hi there, Janey ! Welcome back ! I don't blog as often as I used to, but I think most bloggers are becoming that way. You sure seem to be as active as ever, your fame is growing !
As for reading, great minds think alike kiddo!
:-D
Luv ya !

 
At 8:01 AM, Blogger steve said...

Hiya Ginger ! I do so like creeping out my visitors, it makes things interesting !
:-D

 
At 8:02 AM, Blogger steve said...

Thanx Tim ! And you are welcome to listen to me rant and lecture any time...
:-D

 
At 8:04 AM, Blogger steve said...

Well howdy Isay ! Welcome back stranger ! Hope you are back up to 100% soon !
=^_^=

 
At 8:05 AM, Blogger steve said...

It's probably equal parts of both, AscenderRisesAbove. Great points to consider !
And enjoy the stories !

 
At 8:07 AM, Blogger steve said...

It's all a part of my master plan to corrupt the minds of the worlds artists and bloggers, ValGalArt ! Everyone else can get in line...
:-D

 
At 8:12 AM, Blogger steve said...

Y'know Patrick, it's hard to find a diehard fan of Lovecraft. You are most welcome here and I am pleased to meet an esteemed colleague of the horror base such as yourself. In other words...
Whatz up dawg !

See ya either in the Dreamlands or Carcosa.
:-D

 
At 12:51 AM, Blogger Jayster said...

Lovely work there as usual Steve. I know the name, but I dont think I've read any of his work. I'll have to track some down and give it a go.

Crazy looking guy!

 
At 4:42 AM, Blogger buep said...

Cool!I never read lovecraft, but I think I've got to find one of his books quite soon. Yes, I'm so motivated! Good job and thanks for visiting my blog!

 
At 4:47 PM, Blogger steve said...

Lovecraft had a very memorable face, Jayster. I hope you enjoy reading his stories ! Thanx for stopping by !
:-)

 
At 4:49 PM, Blogger steve said...

The pleasure was mine, Buep ! Try not to read his stories in a dark room late at night during a storm...
you might regret it. But then, that's half the fun !
:-D

 

Post a Comment

<< Home