horror

FREE Horror Comic!

| Mister Kessell
Free Horror Comic book cover page with skull and sausage links and knife

Who’s that at the door? Is it the Sausage Man? Is he dropping off or picking up? You’d better watch out!

I’m very excited to share this short horror comic with you guys! It feels like it had been in the works forever, but now it’s here, knocking at your door. And it’s totally free to read or download as a PDF.

A quick warning, this comic might not be for everyone, it has some gore and some extremely creepy elements. Definitely not meant for kids!

The story was conceived by Tim Vargulish, he’s a funny dude who makes comics, you should follow him on Twitter.

And while you’re at it, I’m also on Twitter, why not stop by and say hi?

GET ANOTHER FREE COMIC HERE!

FREE Batboy minicomic alert! Batboy is hitchhiking by the side of the road. his hand lettered sign reads: EXISTENTIAL CLARITY OR BUST (probably bust)

IF YOU SIGN UP FOR MY INCREDIBLE MAILING LIST!

BROOKLYN HORROR CON THIS WEEK!

| Mister Kessell

HEY EVERYBODY! I’m going to keep this post short, I’ve got a lot of work left to do for the Brooklyn Horror Con this Saturday and Sunday. Come down and ENJOY YOURSELF!

I’ll be in the Artists’ Alley with original paintings, prints, mugs, sculptures, and books!

Bela says, “YOU WILL COME TO THE BROOKLYN HORROR CONVENTION, MY CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT!”

You don’t want to let Bela down, do you?

Okay, be there and be square.

Later!

Brooklyn Horror con 2021

| Mister 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

| Mister 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!

Making A Horror Comic

| Mister Kessell

I’m very excited to share yet another new project that’s been in the works for a while now. I’ve been tasked with drawing a short horror comic by the hilarious and horrifying writer/comedian, Tim Vargulish.

In this latest video I give a little sneak peek of a rough comic book page, the process of setting up a comic page using Clip Studio Paint (which is a breeze, btw) and drawing a finished panel.

If you’re interested in drawing comics yourself, I highly recommend this software.

Aside from that, I’m jazzed to have illustrated the cover for Krampus Tales: A Killer Anthology, which will be available on November 24th! Check it out and maybe get yourself a copy.

Krampus creature steps out of doorway into a dark snowy night with basket on his back.

I’ve also just realized that I haven’t shared anything about my Halloween this year. Despite the nearly apocalyptic conditions, we did enjoy the holiday. I’ll cover it in more detail in my next blog post.

By the way, are you on Twitter? Why not join me for some laughs and whatnot.

Until next time!

Krampus Tales Cover Reveal

| Mister Kessell

Finally, I can share some new art with you!

I started this project early in 2020, just before the…unpleasantness, but it feels like three years ago at this point. It’s been difficult for me to keep this under wraps for so long, I just wanted to burst!

I was tasked with creating the cover artwork for a holiday horror anthology to be released by Jazz House Publications.

Krampus Tales: A Killer Anthology will feature various talented authors and is scheduled for release on November 24th, so mark your calendars.

Happy October!

| Mister Kessell

I am holding out hope that everything will turn around in October. I know that it’s the season of cold and death and decay, but it leaves me feeling quite optimistic.

Maybe everyone will stay at home and watch horror movies all month. Or they will order candy apples in the mail and have cider delivered to their door. Maybe everyone would just wear a mask for once.

Even wild men wear masks

I have two different Halloween costumes planned, even though I doubt there will be a place to wear them outside of my own living room. Maybe this year we’ll have a Zoomoween.

I’ve said it before, at least Halloween won’t be canceled in my cold, dead heart.

Like usual, I have a handful of cool projects on the horizon that I can’t share with you just yet, but believe me, they’re going to be a lot of fun. Stay tuned.

I’m preparing a short story to publish on the blog next week that I’m hoping will get the goosebumps expanding and the blood pumping faster than usual.

In the meantime, did you know that I started a YouTube channel? There are some weird, new T-shirt designs over in my store. I also hang around on Twitter sometimes, stop by and say howdy.

Speed Drawing for Horror Enthusiasts On-The-Go

| Mister Kessell

Here’s a quick little speed drawing over at my YouTube channel for any skull aficionados out there.

No? None? Just me? Okay then.

I’ve been going a bit crazy lately because I have a few big projects in the works and I can’t share any info just yet. They’re top secret!

So I’ve been keeping busy in between by creating these very random art and animation videos. Hopefully some of you enjoy them and maybe have felt some slight inspiration tickling your cranium. And if it’s not inspiration tickling your cranium I suggest that you do not turn around. There have been reports of a cranium tickler on the loose in your area.

That got weird pretty quick.

Anyway, until next time, keep doing whatever it is you do with gusto.

Anxiety Drawing and Soul Music

| Mister Kessell

I’ve had a bit of anxiety and been a bit stressed out lately. That might be apparent in my latest speed drawing video. This week I’ve taken a break from drawing cute and fuzzy things to draw something creepy and fuzzy.

While I have you…

As you may know, I love all sorts of music, but I’m especially fond of old funk and soul music. In my spare time I’ve created some public Spotify playlists that are available for your enjoyment, completely free of charge. Click below to listen!

Funk and Soul Covers from Other Mothers

Let me know if you enjoyed that. In the future I can share some of my other playlists.

Or if you’d prefer I can get out my Wookulele.