Horror and fantasy
Film monsters, creatures, witches, demons and the strange: dark subject matter in color or black and grey, drawn with character rather than gore.
The style
Monsters with personality
Horror and fantasy covers the whole dark shelf: slasher icons, classic film monsters, creatures and cryptids, witches, demons, haunted houses, dark fairy tales. The best pieces have character; a face that grins, a pose that tells a story.
It is less a technique than a subject, so it borrows from traditional, neo-traditional, illustrative and realism depending on the artist and the mood you want: a grinning cartoon ghoul and a photographic Nosferatu are both horror.
Work
Horror and fantasy work from the shops
What to expect
Who to ask for horror
Slaine
Traditional · Neo traditional · Illustrative
Skott Kautman
Black and grey · Japanese · Polynesian
Bring the film still, leave the design to the artist
Reference the character or scene you want and say how you want it to feel: cartoonish, painterly, photographic. The artist decides the style that serves it and draws it in their own hand.
Slaine lives for this material and does it in bold color or black and grey; Skott brings horror, pin-ups and film reproductions in a more realistic register. Both will say which suits the character.
At a glance
- Subjects
- Film monsters, creatures, witches, demons
- Ink
- Color or black and grey
- Sessions
- One for a portrait-sized piece
- Ageing
- Depends on the base style
- Artists
- Slaine, Skott
Questions people ask
Can you tattoo a licensed character?
Yes. Tattooing a character from a film or game for your own body is normal practice; the artist draws their own version rather than tracing a frame.
How gory can it be?
As dark as you want. Most people find a piece with character outlasts a piece with shock value, and the artist will say so, but the decision is yours.
Color or black and grey?
Color for the comic-book and poster feel; black and grey for the old-film, photographic feel. Both age well when the contrast is strong.
