Welcome to our ongoing series spotlighting original horror creations. This time we have is an illustration celebrating Halloween by Julie Devin, creator of the webcomic Monster Soup.
We’ve previously interviewed Julie about her comic, but her Halloween image was just too cool not to share. We really dig those Junji Ito vibes. But what did Julie have to say about the illustration?
Hello Julie, it’s been a while since we last talked to you. How have you been? How is Monster Soup going?
I just finished Chapter 7 this month and started working on Chapter 8. Got to keep that productive momentum going! This chapter goes back to the castle and the main story. It deals with Jacklyn, the ghost character, as her fellow inmates help her remember her past.
So, how long did the Ito-style take you to figure out? What was it like working on this?
I had plenty of references on hand to help guide me, and it took me about two days, on and off, to finish it. I like working in different styles from time to time. Fun mini-challenges, as I like to call them. The hatching of lines is an important part of his style, and there is the way he draws eyes. I tried my best to recreate those elements.
What is it about Junji Ito you find so inspiring? Any particular favorites in his work?
Iâve been familiar with his work for a while now. He has a uniqueness, and when you see his art, you instantly know itâs his. I think one of the things that draws me in is how his stories feel like old school horror. I canât really pick out a favorite story, but I do have some of his collections, particularly âSmashedâ and âShiver.â Though, the stories in âShiverâ have stuck with me well after reading.
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Be sure to check out Julie’s webcomic Monster Soup. It is part of the Comicadia webcomic collective, so be sure to check out some of those titles as well!
Continuing our AI journey from last time exploring Little Red Riding Hood herself as the Big Bad Wolf… All of these are based upon the AI generated art and prompts using NightCafe and then created as posters in Canva.
How very… Phantom of the Opera predatory… this is definitely not what I had in mind. Maybe something more cutesy?
Ugh. Maybe not.
Wow, that seems like such a cop out, cropping off the head so you don’t have to depict it. And I don’t want to lose the Little Red Riding Hood reference completely.
So no surprise there, I knew that was too many references to work.
And as promised in Big Bad Poetry, we shall embark on our next AI journey, this time looking at Little Red Riding Hood. I had wanted to depict her as the Big Bad Wolf one and the same, although maybe not so big nor bad. But it just wasn’t happening quite as planned. All of these are based upon the AI generated art and prompts using NightCafe and then created as posters in Canva.
So I actually like this even better than my original vision, it is playful and even a bit serene (especially given the Sinister style). The wolf is just being a wolf. It’s quite lovely, really. But it wasn’t what I had in mind, so I revisited the idea later to see if I could get that result…
Over the river and through the wood flashed the fleet-footed Red Riding Hood on her way to her âgrandmotherâsâ house.
When running past, who should she see but just one of the little pigs three cowering like but a tiny mouse.
âBut my dear piggy, what do you fear?â Red Riding Hood asked as she slunk near, teeth hidden under a sheepish smile.
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The nervous small pig looked up in fright and decided that Red was alright, missing the subtle clues by a mile.
âThe Big Bad Wolf, that horrible beast upon the other wee pigs did feast!â the last little pig said with a squeal.
Red Riding Hood laughed with a great growl and threw back her heavy long-robed cowl, in a vast terrifying reveal.
For she was really the wolf Big Bad hidden beneath the cape that he had stolen from Red Riding Hood at point.
âAnd now Iâve caught you too my pretty and surely tâwouldnât be a pity if I gobbled you up in this joint.â
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Tâwas then the wee pig leapt to his feet And cried, âBig Bad Wolf, I shall defeat, for I am no ordinary swine!â
The little pig also wore sheepâs clothes spun in spells every woodland witch knows; Old Granny herself was quite divine.
âNow give me back my granddaughterâs cape, before I grab you by your ruffed nape and send you pig-squealing down the roadâŠâ
The wolf dropped the cape and ran, that cur, but Granny was swifter and hexed his fur and the wolf she turned into a toad.
Thus the moral of this story goes, when in the woods, no one really knows what sheepish sheepâs clothing is a ruse that big bad wolves and old witches use.
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So this is actually an intro to my next AI art journey with NightCafe which developed from me not getting the results I wanted (Little Red Riding Hood herself as a wolf). Here’s a preview with Eric’s versions as he is much more literal in his prompting than I am, but where’s the fun in that? đ
Prompts (from left to right) in Dark Fantasy style, executed Aug. 1, 2023:
Bipedal wolf in Red Riding Hood’s cloak
Bipedal wolf in Red Riding Hood’s cloak close up portrait
Bipedal wolf in red cloak close up portrait
Portrait of myself with dark makeup and crow skull headdress, backlit by the sun.