Masks - Tim Paul

Lock, Shock and Barrel from The Nightmare Before Christmas are some of my favorite Character designs, because I think they capture perfectly all the iconic figures from my childhood for horror. On top of that, their real faces are so close to their masks, when they wear them, there's not much difference.

Their design is awesome in it's simplicity. They are, the quintessential trick or treaters. More trick than treat. 

Tim Paul — The Demon Within

On Sunday, I went to see Journey Into The West: Concurring the Demons. Which is a great movie. Very funny. The basic plot, a young Buddhist Demon Hunter tries to convert demons, rather than slay them like other demon hunters.

The demons he faces in the story, are all people who have had horrible deaths/life experiences. The River Demon was set upon by villagers who mistook his actions to save a girl as trying to kidnap her. They beat him to death and hacked his body apart and threw it in the river.

The Pig Demon, his wife betrayed him and he vowed to take revenge on all women who looked only at the physical aspects of men, and all beautiful men.

I have always like the idea that monsters come from us, and not some outside world/plain of existence. The background story of Freddy Kruger, or Jason are great modern examples of this kind of monster.

The idea that we create our own monsters or demons out of our actions towards each other is what true horror stories are made of, for me.

The demon within is often ourselves.

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. 

Tim Paul — Things That Go Bump in the Night

When you are young, and in bed, having watched all the horror movie double features on tv that day, the night seems to be filled with eyes, waiting for you. 

2014 Artist Spotlight V

Primary Hughes
http://www.primaryhughes.com/

Tara Jacoby
http://tarajacoby.com/

Taryn Cozzy
http://www.taryncozzy.com/

Tim Durning
http://www.timdurning.com/

Tim Paul
http://www.timpaulillustrations.com/

Travis Lewis
https://www.facebook.com/HauntedPencil

Winona Nelson
http://winonanelsonart.com/

Wylie Beckert
http://www.wyliebeckert.com/

Jim Pavelec
http://www.jimpavelec.com/

Tim Paul - Childhood Memory

I loved Halloween as a kid. My mom worked in a fabric store and would make all our costumes. Usually the one I would wear was a hand me down, but i didn't care. For kids, they were really good costumes. There were several clown costumes (before clowns became creepy), a green and brown Robin Hood costume and a reg and gold velvet bull fighter.

We'd get dressed up, take a pillow case and go out for hours when it was dark, getting candy.

I actually have one of the clown costumes we used to wear.

Tim Paul - Avian Coprophobia

I fear being crapped on by birds (well anything, really) while in public. Heck in private too. Look just don't crap on me period.

Tim Paul - What Terrified You as A Child

I was terrified of taking a bath at night, alone. I would spend all of Saturday watching horror movie double features. And when it was time to take a bath, my active imagination would kick in. I was convinced that if I ran the water, it would make to much noise, and some horrible monster, like a werewolf would come and kill me. So I would sit there naked in the empty tub. Eventually I would come downstairs pretending I had taken a bath.

Tim Paul - My Worst Nightmare

I had several re-occuring dreams growing up. The one that caused a lot of terror was where I was trapped in a house, similar to the one I lived in. It was a huge Prairie style house. In the dream, there were lots and lots of stairs.

In the house was also an feeling of violence and dread, seeking me out. I would try and escape by running up and down the stairs. But the stairs were a trap. And once I started up or down, there was no way to go back. I was being driven forward by the violence and dread chasing me.

I would end up going down deep below where the cellar was. And all the stairs lead to the same place. A small square room, maybe a few feet across.

And in the very center of the room as a pit with no bottom. And there, I would sit, staring down into the pit. Knowing that the only way out was to jump across the pit to any of the other stairs that lead up.

But if I missed, I would fall into the pit, tumbling over and over forever.

Tim Paul -- What Lives Under My Bed

I slept many nights with my head under the covers, under the belief that if I couldn't see the monsters, they couldn't see me, and I would not experience a painful death.

These nights often happened after watching various monster movies all day long on Saturday, or after going to the local drug store and reading the Horror/Gore magazines, like Fangoria. 

I never put a face to the things I felt lived under my bed. It was enough to know that bloody death awaited for me, if we ever made eye contact. 

Artist Spotlight II - 2013

The second group of incredible artists that will be contributing.

Jeffrey Alan Love
http://www.jeffreyalanlove.com

Jensine Eckwall
http://jensineeckwall.com/

Jorge Mascarenhas
http://jorgemstudio.com

Kristina Carroll
http://www.kristinacarrollart.com/

Marc Scheff
http://www.marcscheff.com/

Narciso Espiritu Jr.
http://narcisoespiritu.com/

Ricardo Lopez Ortiz
http://rlopezortiz.com/

Sarah Gay
http://heysgay.com/

Scott Brundage
http://www.scottbrundage.com/

Scott Murphy
http://www.murphyillustration.com/

Tara Jacoby
http://tarajacoby.com/

Tim Paul
http://www.timpaulillustrations.com/