Brooklyn Horror con 2021

| M. R. Kessell

GREETINGS, CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT!

I’m super excited to announce that I will be appearing at the first annual Brooklyn Horror Convention October 23rd & 24th 2021. You can find me somewhere in the Artist Alley. I will post more info as it becomes available.

In preparation for my first real convention appearance, I’ve been painting up a storm and having a blast!

Below you can see one of my dear friends who will be attending the convention.

Portrait of Bela Lugosi, Acrylic on 11x14 Canvas Board by M. R. Kessell 2021
Portrait of Bela Lugosi, Acrylic on 11×14 Canvas Board

In addition to my original paintings, I will have an assortment of prints and postcards. Good ol’ Pumpkinspice will be on hand to ruin your pastries and spoil your coffee drinks.

The Return of Pumpkinspice, 11x14 print by M.R. Kessell
Pumpkinspice ruining your breakfast

I will also have a few copies of my illustrated book on hand. Pick one up for the monster kid in your life. I’ll even sign it for you (although that might actually decrease its value.)

If you can’t wait until October, you can order a copy from Amazon, by clicking here!

I’ll be posting more in the upcoming weeks, I’ve got quite a few new artworks to share with you! Hopefully you’ll want to come peep them in person.

I might also do a few posts on the logistical prep as an artist for their first convention appearance. I’m learning a lot and hope the info could be helpful to some of you.

Until next time!

Curse of the Zombie Witch

| M. R. Kessell

Greetings friends!

Sorry it’s been so long since my last post. There was a lot going on recently.

For one thing, I now have an actual art space/office where I can physically put paint on canvas like this:

You can check this out over in my portfolio.

“Curse of the Zombie Witch” is the temporary title I’ve assigned to this piece. I’m open to better suggestions.

I hadn’t really planned out this post, so I will leave it there. Maybe I’ll show you my new art space in the near future.

Talk to you guys soon!

Don’t Forget to Like and Subscribe

| M. R. Kessell
Illustrated headstone, with decorative carved skull and flowers with an epitaph that reads "Don't forget to like and subscribe."

I don’t often like to promote my own merchandise, it just feels dirty to me, I don’t know. But the image above has been added to my shop at redbubble, you can pick up a print if you so choose.

Or just enjoy it on your screen.

Of course I provide many, many illustrations on my website or on social media for free, you should, uh, not forget to like and subscribe.

cartoon batboy looks out an old victorian stained glass window on a rainy day, the quote below reads: "Rainy days are a relief, I suffer no guilt about remaining indoors."

For instance, have you seen the latest installment in my original Batboy series? You can find him on Instagram and Twitter, hopefully he’ll make you laugh.

Until next time!

Enter Sadman

| M. R. Kessell
A sad batman turns his back on the bat signal because he feels they only call when they need something.

Ain’t that always the way?

We all know people like that, or we’ve done it ourselves. Make sure to check in with your friends and family just for the heck of it. It’s as simple as a text (although a phone call is good too.) Ask them how they’re doing.

BS with them a little bit.

They will appreciate it. And you’ll feel better too.

This is my message to you, internet. Now excuse me, I have some calls to make…

Coffee is for Closers

| M. R. Kessell
Illustration of a business man emerging from behind an office plant and a filing cabinet, he seems to be spying on someone.

I’m super excited to share this album art I created for CODE OF THE JAGUAR, a punk band from the “old, weird Philadelphia.”

This two-song single is streaming now, you can listen on bandcamp , and also preorder a physical 7″ record.

While you’re there, I recommend checking out their whole oeuvre, you’ll have these songs stuck in your brain for days.

And speaking of weird, old Philadelphia, in the 80s and 90s there was an all ages nightclub in the area called Pulsations, which featured a dancing robot. Take a look if you don’t believe me.

Introducing Batboy

| M. R. Kessell

A few weeks ago I created a random, ten-minute doodle. It was intended to relieve some pressure in between other more serious projects.

It turned out to be a new character. I call him Batboy.

He is able to voice some of my worries, my boredom, and other ridiculous thoughts in a single panel.

I have been posting him every other day on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Follow me there if you’d like to see more!

All Hail The Cube!

| M. R. Kessell

Hey everybody!

I only have one piece of art to share with you this week, but it’s kind of a doozy.

I wanted to create an epic, science fiction/fantasy style illustration. You know the kind, it’s usually set in a desert landscape, there’s a giant monolith or mystical crystal floating in the center while human figures scurry about in fear or awe.

I inserted a Rubik’s Cube in lieu of an alien spaceship or a cyclopean monolith.

I’m not sure why. Maybe because the solving of this puzzle eludes me. Maybe because it’s a great Hungarian invention and that fills me with pride as a Hungarian-American. Maybe it was just a random thought. That’s probably it.

Take a look below at the finishing touches I put on this digital oil painting.

I’ve also added the above piece and a bunch of other things to my Redbubble shop, see below if you’re interested in prints, magnets, stickers, mugs or various other products.

I think that’s about it for now. I have a few new exciting commissions I am working on and I can hardly wait to share them with you!

Until next time!!