Fall is here, and surprisingly it brought fall weather with it. It’s cold, the leaves are turning, the days are shortening, and my seasonal depression has finally lifted (it’ll be back when the warmth, and the insects, return). The artwork has not slowed down, and I can’t wait for you to see it.
Two years ago I was finally setting up my Etsy shop with drawings inspired by my favorite horror movies and books, and taking on the occasional commission (so long as it was centered around horror movies, books, or creepy houses, of course).
The Etsy shop, which I originally opened to fund a new chair for my living room, is gone now. I never would have predicted that there would simply be no time to update it and keep it fresh because I’d be too busy working on illustrations for novels, some incredibly cool horror novels written by some of the nicest creative-minded people I’d ever met. I get up, let the dog out, brew some tea, find some good background noise, and work. At about noon I break for lunch and household chores, and get some more work done between loads of laundry. At about three, I stretch my legs and walk the dog around the neighborhood. I come back home and work until five. The money isn’t great, but maybe one day it will be. It’s a good life, and I’m grateful.
So, what have I been working on? Sadie Hartmann’s collaboration with Cemetery Gates, called My Dark Library, is still going strong. Smartly, they’ve spaced out the book releases a couple months apart, and it’s always fun when they pop up. Sadie has curated an incredible variety of stories, so needless to say each illustration I draw is unpredictable and sure to stretch my creative muscles. The first three installments, Stargazers by LP Hernandez, #ThighGap by Chandler Morrison, and Bound Feet by Kelsea Yu, are available now; the fourth, Taboo in Four Colors by Tim McGregor, will be available mid-November.
Also available this November will be Rootwork by Tracy Cross, which I created the cover for. Rootwork is the first installment in a series.
More ambitiously, I’ve been working with Ross Jeffery (author of Only the Stains Remain) on his new trilogy set in the American south: Juniper, Tome, and yet to be released at the time of this writing, Scorched. I’m creating 3 original, full-page illustrations for each book. The first is completed and available for purchase now. I intend to wrap the second one up by the end of this week, and I imagine very shortly after it too will be ready to grab.
It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t have something in the works with the brilliant Tyler Jones. The full-wrap cover for Turn Up the Sun was wrapped up ages ago, and they’ll be announcing that soon, I suppose. Tyler has several projects on the horizon, one of which is a story called Heavy Oceans, which I will be designing the cover for.
Outside of the art, I am excited to announce that I’ve taken up a podcast with a very good friend of mine, Sherri. It’s called The Castle Rock Book Club, and in it we take deep dives into the work of Stephen King, with a particular emphasis on the connections and overlaps these stories share. The Castle Rock Book Club started as just that – a book club. When it ended last month, I realized I had simply far too much information about Stephen King’s world, so we’re passing it along to you. Be sure to check it out and let me know what you think.
Thanks for checking in. Talk soon! -Ryan
