Donn P. Crane is one of my favorite 20th Century illustrators. Unfortunately, there are not many resources I’ve found that share his wonderful work. Here are a few spooky/lovely pieces.
If anyone has seen extensive collections of Donn P. Crane’s work online, please let me know!
House of LIZARRAGA is the website of artist Bob Lizarraga, creator of great lowbrow art that features some of my favorite things.
Twilight Zone!
Beloved classic monsters…
Absolutely love this one:
And I also adore the Haunted Mansion Bathroom, where the bride is caught by surprise in the tub!
See more here or on the artist’s blog.
I was taken aback upon looking at this because it feels like someone did a high-contrast caricature of me without my knowledge (if you doubt it, see photo on upper right). Got the hair and my spindly little limbs down…
Hanging: you’re doing it wrong.
Files, not piles.
Has anyone been to the Heinz Haunted House? If so, I want to hear everything about it. Ketchup blood everywhere?
Chocolate Covered Strychnine! I wonder if fierce convulsions and eventual asphyxiation due to paralysis of neural pathways would be enough to deter me from something covered in chocolate.
Ten Realms Within the Body (1885). So THIS is what goes on in there. I knew it.
Ma’am, you have a…oh…nevermind.
If he were mine, I’d name him “Fluffy.”
Ah, this piece of street art reminds me of my many evenings spent in the subversive act of reading…my Wild(e) Nights.
YES!
How rare to see a cute piece of street art (this one is by MORA):
A monster I’d like to meet…providing it agrees to stand still long enough for me to read its heads.
You too, sir? What a coincidence.
Yikes. It’s about to get violent.
I seriously hope this is a “brain fog” typo.
“Let go. Be afraid. You all taste so much better when you’re afraid.”
Some pretty sweet skills (no artist credited):
Mmmmm…
I believe this actually comes from a company that makes theatrical hats. Brilliant.
Now, I don’t mean to undermine someone’s “art,” but if this scrap of paper sold for $500, I picked the wrong field when I decided to study medicine.
Mark Brown conjures up many pop surrealism delights.
Ah, the wild cacophony of colorful characters…
Doesn’t this just make you long for the days of winters?
So much to look at…
See more here.
Tim Lane’s Memento Mori series is quite interesting.
What a pinata:
He has some nice black and white illustrations as well.
See more here.
Adam Oehlers has a wonderful collection of illustrations and sculpture. His characters are so distinct…so alive…
Here we have one image from a series of Cinderella Jumprope Rhymes. The rhyme for this one: “Cinderella dressed in Black, killed all the robots with her BLAST ATTACK!” (Where was this when I was a child?)
This fine fellow comes from a story inspired by a curiosity shop in Norwich (UK) that had a huge owl taking up residence in the back room.
And this cat is the villain of an upcoming graphic novel (while he does look rather mischeivous, I fear I love cats too much to hold it against him).
His sculptures are wonderful as well.
See more here.
I’m getting a little nostalgic for autumn and Halloween treats. I know it’s out of season, but I came across some cute little pumpkin characters by Pinky Toast.
Pinky Toast also creates many whimsical little doll-like girls, sometimes with a dash of humor or darkness. She describes them as “peppered with pinks, sour pouts, big eyes, raindrops, baby doll dresses, twins, moon balloons, and flying bananas.”
See more here.
Let’s start with a little faux vintage science, shall we?
Yes. Please.
I think this cat-erpillar is on my craft to-do list now. You can make it move in many kinds of ways.
Just your average post-Easter bunny mass suicide (nice work decorating the seasonal isle, guys):
Best weather forecast ever:
You know it’s spring when the Chevys start blooming again.
Grandfather of the Michelin Man
If the Sears portrait studio offered this, I would totally get in front of a camera.
A quizzical little Max Ernst piece:
Excellent ad:
Love this…
Truly amazing top hat idea:
I’d be reluctant to buy these for the sheer amount of lacing required, but this custom painted pair is quite a work of art.
Cute crafty robot:
Perfect for Halloween season (or anytime, really):
Clock for the guest room, to make folks feel welcome:
Does anyone know the origin story of this ice cream truck?
If you haven’t heard, divorce rings are becoming…a thing, proving once again that no human milestone…however brutal…can’t be commodified.
Nice…
This has come up on a few favorite blogs now…
Exquisite.
Ghostly beautiful…
An amazing collaboration between Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli, circa 1938:
And Jesus rides in on a unicorn to save the day…
Marie Antoinette’s royal beauty regimen was far less time consuming after her loss…
Okay, here’s one for my you can’t HANDLE the cute tag.
Cuddly Rigor Mortis features a collection of sweet little creeps and misfits.
One of her plush creations was featured in my zombie plush roundup.
Poor Minty…
The cutest Christmas pudding ever:
See more here.
Just a small dose of pure evil here.
By Albrecht Dürer:
Another public display:
Now THIS is a rabbit installation (there was no source so I don’t know where it’s located):
Love this girl’s work (link on photo):
Bunny-ish?
By the wonderful Femke Hiemstra:
Yes!
Ghost Girl inspired eggs, done by Lauren Nemchik (thanks to the talented Tonya Hurley for sharing these!):
Steampunk egg:
Wow…this one has a little “stage” too!
Rather pretty…
Not the most elaborate Peeps diorama I’ve seen, but it gets major bonus points for the subject and wordplay:
Kitschy chickadees:
Fabulous vintage Easter hat featuring what seems to be…a colorful Shih Tzu:
Classic Easter parade gear:
This makes me sad. I highly doubt this feline felt “deprived of a proper Easter egg hunt” before being forced into this hideous torture hat.
And for the Alien fans out there:
Happy Easter to those who celebrate. If you feel like some blast from the past posts, check these out:
Sketchy Bunnies
Eggshell Sculptures
Easter Dekstop Goodies of the Past
Portrait Eggs
