Handmade Halloween
Some samples from my decades-old Halloween card collection.
I’ve got a top five for the Halloween season and it’s remained unchanged for most of my life. Trick or treating, scary stories, pumpkin farms, haunted houses, and Halloween cards. I think the practice of sending Halloween cards might’ve fallen off in recent years, but I’m an old-school holdout. And while store-bought is just fine, I get a kick out of making my own.
Peek-a-Booooo!
So this week on our YouTube channel, I create two handmade Halloween cards while Michelle and I go over my process. One of the cards, Frankenstein’s Monster, I illustrated digitally in Clip Studio Paint.
You can’t beat Frankenstein for a classic Halloween card image. If he isn’t the most-used monster on Halloween decorations I’d be shocked. He’s at least tied with Vampire and Witch for the top spot. I inked his pop-top head with a variable-weight brush in Clip Studio Paint. I wanted it to look the way brushed ink on paper looks.
Why so serious?
After coloring Ol’ Frank in the computer, I printed him out on heavy matte paper. I designed him so that with a little interaction from the recipient, Frank can deliver a ghoulish seasonal greeting.
A brainy idea for a Halloween surprise
Digital Frankenstein wasn’t the only card we worked on, though. We also made a mummy card with traditional media. Mummy’s another popular choice for Halloween cards and decorations. I inked him with a brush, Dr. P H Martin’s matte black ink, and Micron fine liners on 140lb watercolor paper.
I used watercolors to flesh out his face and stain those ancient wraps. It’s a shockingly similar process to my digital workflow. Same basic steps with just a little more cleanup. Which is why it’s so strange to think that a lot of people would call this mummy card “hand made” but refer to the Frankenstein as “done on a computer” or some other dismissive term. I can confirm: I used the same hand for both. It’s stitched right onto the end of my arm like it always is.
Once the card illustrations were finished, there was a bit of cutting, folding, and gluing to complete them. And, yes, I made sure they both fit in an envelope. Wouldn’t be much of a greeting card if I couldn’t send it.
Both cards have a little surprise inside for the recipients — additional art or a secret message. You can watch me make both of these in our YouTube video this week, which I have placed conveniently right at the bottom of this post — much like that last, cherished Peanut Butter Cup at the bottom of the trick-or-treat bag. Happy Halloween!