Month of Fear: 2014-10-05

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Scott Brundage- What are you Afraid of?

Got a bit choked for time this week, so had to keep it pretty simple this time around.

Seems the more important fears have been covered. Mediocrity, failure, death of a loved one, all relevant to me in may personal ways.

But for reals. Little Richard terrified the shit out of me growing up. I know, now, that he is music royalty and a groundbreaking artist. As a child, however, he was the disturbing half-clown with huge teeth and weird eyes, rockin a hairlip creeper stache. I'd be minding my own business watching Full House or PeeWee and this guy would come on and the lights would dim in the room, his caked makeup face would eclipse the television and WOOOO!!!! WOOOOO!!!
WOOOOOO!!!!!
WOOOO!!!!!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Kristina Carroll - What are you Afraid of

False Muse
charcoal 18 x 24

The fear of being original is one I think all artists have. There is always the worry of one's art being seen as derivative or just plain boring. What if the work that we sweat hours over and put out into the world never finds an audience? What if what we create is just a shattered mirror or window, showing only a distorted image of what has come before and never anything true? The False Muse sits on your shoulder and shows you images drawn in the dirt, to be washed away by time. It is my worst fear.

Steen - What Are You Afraid Of?

Self portrait

Ink and digital.

I grew up in an abusive household for fifteen years and even though I have done a lot of healing, there is a long way to go. Full recovery might never happen, but I am hopeful. Underneath this hope there is a dark and deep fear that I will turn into a monster like my abuser and there is nothing I can do about it.

Reiko Murakami - What Are You Afraid Of?

Flushing toilet in the middle of the night after reading scary stories, period.

Sarah Gay-O'Neill - What Are You Afraid Of?

Digital

Not getting to say goodbye to someone I love before they die.

Generally speaking, I am not a negative person…but I have a horrible fear of having my last interaction with someone I love…be negative.

Shannon Knight - What Are You Afraid Of

8 x 10 inches
watercolor, acrylic, and coloured pencil on paper

Nothing scares me as much as the idea of failure. Nothing is more frightening than feeling like you are drowning in the thousands of things you want to do, or the obstacles between you and a successful life. I wanted to depict the sensation of being drowned by your fears.

Daniel Nyari - What Are You Afraid Of?

I know most of you think of me as a hip, fresh, sexy, and cool kind of guy but allow me to shatter the illusion. While most of those things are still very true I must admit that I've always struggled with social anxiety and I fear that I only know how to deal with it through extreme self-deprecation. It also took me half an hour to write this.

Jensine Eckwall- What Are You Afraid Of?

Taryn Cozzy - What Are You Afraid Of?

When my eyes are pinched shut and my ears are under the shower water, I get the feeling I'm being watched and that when I open my eyes someone will be staring back at me.

And swings...I'm also afraid of swings.

Tim Paul — What are you Afraid of?

Growing up, I struggled to make friends and connect with people. I feared that I would never be able to make lasting friends and relationships. That as I got older, it would get harder, and I would remain isolated, and eventually die alone

But I did meet someone, fall in love, got married, and I adore and love him so much.

The longer we are together, the more I can't see my life without him.

But everyone dies. It's just a matter of who dies first. I would want to die first, because after decades of being with him, the pain of losing him, would be to much to handle.

And so as an adult, I fear he will die first, leaving me alone. Making my childhood fear of dying alone still come true.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Amanda Atkins - What are you afraid of?

I am afraid of what is there but can't be seen.

-Amanda

Jenna Kass - What Are You Afraid Of?

Shatter
Oil on gessoboard, 8"x8"

I think every artist fears this, but it was underscored for me recently. My day job is one that involves strain and repetition, and last month, in the run-up to Illuxcon, I was a little to careless a few times too often, and wound up being in enough pain that I was wearing a wrist brace for everything but sleep for almost three weeks. I was drawing and painting in only short bursts, and it was miserable and terrifying.

Through the brace, overprotectiveness, and some hand stretches I learned from a mentor, it got better.... but I'm paranoid now.

Angela Rizza - What Are You Afraid Of?

Not too original, but I really really can't stand spiders.

Iris Compiet - What are you afraid of?

-Bozo and his balloon, graphite pencil color added in photoshop-

Bozo the clown was never very successful at making people laugh. He did however, to his delight, have an exceptional talent for evoking fear, anxiety, nervousness, angst, concern, despair, dismay, doubt, dread, horror, the jitters, pure panic, trepidation, chickenheartedness, terror, unease, worry, agitation, aversion, consternation, the creeps, discomposure, distress, fright, nightmare, phobias, presentiment, revulsion and what not.... add a balloon in the mixture and Bozo is the stuff that makes up my nightmares!

star

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Marc Scheff - What Are You Afraid Of?

As of last week, I had only really ever read/listened to one Lovecraft story, "The Artist's Model."

I was in a small cabin in the woods this weekend and I thought, "Why not put some on?" So I chose an audio recording at random, and started sketching. The story contained no real surprises until the end, in textbook Lovecraftian style. It was good to sit and sketch by the crackling fire, while the mellifluous english tones of my orator soothed away the troubles of the day.

As I tucked my pencil in, and closed the book, it occurred to me quite strange that the location where the story took place was the very cabin in which I then sat.

Kurt Huggins- What are you afraid of?

I'm Telling. Keeping with a theme of childhood, I was always afraid of getting in trouble with all the little children I played with. I never knew what tiny indiscretion would cause them to turn on me and report me to some scary authority.

Tim Durning – What Are You Afraid Of?

My temper has been reined in as I've gotten older, but it's still something that plagues me. I sometimes get anxious that I'll make a big mistake in an angry flare up.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Alice Stanne - What Are You Afraid Of?

Though I guess I'm technically an "adult" I still find myself afraid of the dark. It makes me jumpy, anxious, and I find myself walking a little more quickly than usual towards the nearest light.

I decided to double down on this challenge month, and have challenged myself to make not just an illustration a week, but a book a week (albeit probably pretty tiny books). The panels on this one measure 2.25 x 2.25 inches.

Lee Moyer - "What Are You Afraid Of?"

Years before the terrifying self-healing metal menace of the T1000, there was a far more dangerous, and far more famous, monster of Filmland. He wasn't a mimetic poly-alloy of liquid metal that allowed him to assume the forms of objects. He was purest Teflon, and mimetic enough to be all things to all people.

When he had lived, he had been a negligible B-List actor who worked with chimps. But when the Republican Establishment resurrected him, he became a mindless threat to the whole world. Deeply discontented to rest peacefully in his fabled shining cemetery on the hill, he is continually revived and trotted out to frighten thinking people everywhere.

And while Colin Clive swore that lightning never struck twice in the same place, his Children of the Damned (Murdoch, Kochs, Palin, Limaugh, Beck, et alia, ad nauseum) terrify me too!

Monday, October 6, 2014

Michael Marsicano - What Are You Afraid Of?

As I awake to greet another normal day, I have no idea that just out of sight treachery is lurking in an infinitesimal and undetectable corner. We both start this day like any other. Myself, blissfully minding my own business. Itself, quietly amassing energy for it's inevitable moment of materialization.

Carly Janine Mazur - What Are You Afraid Of?

"As Above" (left) "So Below" (right) each 2.5" x 3.5" oil, acrylic, gold and silver leaf on board

I believe in karma. that any good deed will come back to you, and any malevolent deed will come back and bite you in the ass. I also believe in self-fulfilling prophecy. Life has a tender balance, and to me, when I have a bad day, I can't help but wonder what I could have done to someone or myself to warrant such bad luck!

Sunday, October 5, 2014

2014 Challenge #2: What are you Afraid of?

"Fear has many eyes and can see things underground."

-Miguel de Cervantes

It's easy to talk about childhood fears. Childhood is full of the unknown and irrational. Things under the bed and very real monsters in our closets. But what about when you grow? Fears come from unexpected places sometimes. Some are rational and some even more irrational now that we should "know better". What are you afraid of?

From October 6-10: we will be making art about our "grown-up" fears. Share yours with us on twitter using #monthoffear.

Guest Art - Things that go bump

Only one challenge in and we've had our most active Month of Fear yet! There were a ton of terrific monsters floating around the internet this week and I've picked a few of my favorites from outside the blog to share: