“Summon” by UrbanKnightArt
Welcome to the first installment in an ongoing series spotlighting original horror creations. The first piece we have is an illustration titled “Summon” by UrbanKnightArt on DeviantArt. Be sure to read out exclusive interview with the artist as well.
What was your inspiration for “Summon”?
Honestly, it was just one of those illustrations that developed itself as it went. Most of my art I don’t plan out ahead, I have a base idea, and then I let it emerge as I draw. I wanted to use my goat monster (‘The Eyeless One’ as I refer to him) in a scene with a human, just to put his size and presence into perspective.
What sort of tools did you use for the piece?
Pigma Micron pens for the sketch and details, and Winsor & Newton ink and a brush to fill in the bigger spaces. I use paper around 140gsm to be able to take the ink.
Do you have any projects you are working on?
Yes! The illustration is foreshadowing for a graphic novel I launched recently, titled ‘Terms and Conditions’. The best way to describe it would be a Lovecraft inspired Faustian story, about a girl who gets involved with these creatures from a dark parallel world. It mainly focuses on character progression and the darker side of the human existence, through both humans and how these creatures perceive and live alongside humanity.
Being my first graphic novel, it’s certainly a learning curve, but it already made me grow a lot as both an artist and a writer.Â
Do you have any particular horror themes you like to explore in your art?
I enjoy creating creatures and stories that are related to the occult.I always had an interest in exploring unsettling themes and monster designs, but never really had the confidence or means to up until the past few years. I’ve been trying to push my designs and illustrations more and more as I get braver with the topic and my ideas. People usually have strong feelings and opinions about occult themes, which makes for interesting insights and conversations. I enjoy making an impact.
Do you have any particular horror films/books/movies you particularly love?
As cliche as that sounds with horror artists, H.P. Lovecraft is definitely among my biggest inspirations. Other books that I still hold dear are The Silence of the Lambs and the Hannibal series by Thomas Harris, and some of Stephen King’s work. With movies I prefer some of the old classics, such as An American Werewolf in London, The Fly, The Thing, and the Alien series. I also enjoy horror video games, particularly inspired by the mood and designs of the Souls series.
Have you ever experienced something supernatural? Anything you would like to experience?
Nothing grandiose or noteworthy, honestly. There were a few instances that left me to wonder, but I still have an open mind about the supernatural. I mean, as humans we’re surprisingly not that perceptive! As for wanting to experience… as long as it’s not a ten foot monster out for my blood, why not!
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For more of UrbanKnightArt’s work, you can follow them on social media such as Instagram, Twitter, and DeviantArt. You can also check out the webcomic Terms and Conditions.
If you have an original creation you would like us to spotlight here on Haunted MTL please let us know!
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 we continued to devolve, join us again next week for the final installment to see how this ended… And again, if you want to catch the last AI art journey, you can find it on Haunted MTL here. To see more such devolutions into AI generated art, check out the Will the Real Jennifer Weigel Please Stand Up? blog.
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…
Well, that’s not quite right…
Yeah more of the same…
And as you can see this is starting to devolve quickly. Join us again next week to see how this continued to develop… And if you want to catch the last AI art journey, you can find it on Haunted MTL here. To see more such devolutions into AI generated art, check out the Will the Real Jennifer Weigel Please Stand Up? blog.
So considering my recent revival of a wolfwere and his Lucky Days and Nightmarish Natureâs hostile humanity, it seems we are due for a visit from Little Red Riding Hood, or perhaps even Big Bad himself⊠Here’s a poem on the subject by Jennifer Weigel.
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.
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
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.
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
Feel free to check out more of Jennifer Weigelâs work here on Haunted MTL or on her writing, fine art, and conceptual projects websites.
