While we’re on the topic (see my post below), Fright Rags have unleashed a line of official Famous Monster’s of Filmland t-shirts. I was asked to do one of Forrest J Ackerman as his alter ego, Dr. Ackula. The shirts are available now.
While you’re there, check out Ray Frenden’s awesome Famous Monster’s painterly-inspired design and Justin Erickson’s new Prince of Darkness shirt!

Be on the look out for an upcoming book called Cinemassacres: A Tribute to Forrest J Ackerman. The author asked if they could use the Dr. Ackula drawing I did a couple of years ago for the book, so I ended up completing the rest of the jacket design. Click here to find out more!

Forry and Famous Monster’s of Filmland fans can also expect to see a t-shirt design I did for the great guys at Fright Rags, coming out soon! I’ll post a pic as soon as I can.

I’m very excited to be working with Larry Fessenden and Glenn McQuaid on this project! A teaser site is up with the logo I designed. To see the awesome line up of writers pitching in download the full press release here!

Greetings from Castle Ghoulishstein! Actually, I just made that place up. We don’t actually live in a castle… YET.

I wanted to let you know that we’ve added some new canvas prints to my Etsy store, with a lot more planned, so please keep those request coming! These suckers flew off the table at this years Texas Frightmare Weekend and they are on sale right now, but only for a limited time.

The image size on the canvas is 11 x 14 (with plenty of extra canvas in case you wanted to stretch, matte or trim).

I’ve also been preparing my table for the Rue Morgue Festival of Fear. We’re really very excited to be back and the Rue Crew have out done themselves yet again with a diverse and thrilling line up. The con runs from August 27 – 29th. For updates and more information visit the Festival of Fear home page.

Have you downloaded Rue Morgue Radio’s Hymns from the House of Horror yet? I promise, you’ll live to regret it!

Programmed by the tireless staff at Rue Morgue and RM Radio’s DJ Tomb Dragomir, Hymns is a totally free macabre music compilation and includes awesomely creepy-cool, printable CD art by RM graphic designer and resident olive-hater Justin Erickson.

It too is up for a limited time, so join the 11,000 happy fiends who are more than likely rocking out to it as I type this.

Download here

Lastly, please “like” my Facebook group here
I’d like to welcome my new “liker’s”! Please, feel free to tell your friends to like something by “liking” my group! I would like that very much and may even “like” them back. I’m always posting new artwork, bragging about myself and insufferably name-dropping whenever I find the time. Which is, like, a lot.

Ghoulishly yours,
Gary

If your in the area, make sure to drop into the Texas Frightmare Weekend April 30 – May 2 in Dallas, where I will be in attendance along with my Rue Morgue cohort’s Rodrigo Gudiño and Jody Infurnari. We’ll be premiering our Special Edition 100th issue there so drop by the booth to be the first to grab this beast! We’ll also be checking out Ghoultown, The Razorblade Dolls, Children in Heat and the Dolls from the Crypt, Saturday May 1st at the Curtain Club. Here’s the poster for the event, which will be available for purchase at the show. See you there!

That same weekend I’ll have some new prints available at the ARRRRRGHT 3 art show, Saturday May 1st, at Quai Des Brumes, 4481 rue saint-denis in Montreal, QB.
Other artists in attendance are Hillary Jane, Angus! , Stef Eerie, Matt Darling, Angie Fey and more!

Speaking of Montreal, here’s a recent CD cover illustration and T-shirt design for Montreal’s psycho-billy punk band The Brains. The booklet design and photography was done by Ashlea W at Revolver Photography. The album is now available for pre-order at Interpunk.com

Finally, keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming full page illustration in Revolver Magazine, coming out next month, and a very special edition T-shirt design done for the good dudes at Fright-Rags.

Thanks for visiting fiends!
GG

It’s almost 2:00 a.m. as I write this and I just coming home from work. We’ve been putting in some late nights getting our massive 100th issue for Rue Morgue in order.
Late last night, I found out I was voted “artist of the year” at the Rondo Hatton Awards. I haven’t had the chance to really let it sink in quite yet, but as a lover of classic horror (my gateway drug to other devious cinematic pleasures), I’m honoured and elated by the recognition from the long running Rondos. And especially from all the horror fans who took the time to write my name on their ballot. I’m really kind of beside myself actually, so from the bottom of my black heart, thank you all… whatever you are! Congratulations to all my Rue Morgue co-workers, Rodrigo, Dave, Monica, Justin, Trevor, Jessa, Jody and Marco for the Best Magazine win (the second year in a row), the fiendish folks at Rue Morgue Radio for their second win for best podcast and to all the winners and nominees! Let’s make 2010 another banner year. This blood’s for you!

Here’s a pic of a recent illustration I did for the cover of Rue Morgue, issue 98. Paul Naschy, otherwise known as the Spanish Lon Chaney, passed away November 30, 2009.
This is my tribute to him. R.I.P. The issue hits stands March 1.

Paul Naschy Tribute illustration

I’m proud to announce yours truly has been nominated for a Rondo Hatton Award for best magazine cover!
The cover illustration was created for Rue Morgue Issue 90,
a tribute to the legendary stop motion animator, Ray Harryhausen.
Please, cast your votes here!

Also, be sure to vote and show support for the hardworking fiends at Rue Morgue Magazine and Rue Morgue Radio!

Thank you from the bottom of my… well, heart!

Ghoulishly,
Gary

Long time friend Vincent Marcone asked me to be a part of the upcoming art show “A Curious Collection of Monstrous Tinies”, an art, fashion and music collective showcasing an eclectic group of artists from all over North America. The show takes place from Tuesday, February 9 to February 20th at The Arts Project, 203 Dundas Street in London Ontario. Artists were asked to submit 3.75 x 3.75 miniature illustrations to be matted and sold during the duration of the show. Here’s a preview of a couple of my contributions.

More info here.

I was very heartbroken to hear the news of genre writer and artist Chas. Balun’s recent passing. He succumbed to a long battle with cancer on December 18, 2009. The man needs little introduction to most horror fans but for those who don’t know, Balun’s unique, from-the-gut, often hysterical brand of editorial and film critique helped define the way many horror fans viewed our beloved genre. His articles in Fangoria were always a great read but it was his column for GoreZone magazine, “Piece O’ Mind”, that really stood out to me. I eagerly read each word, learning about all the unknown horrors that awaited me. But I think Chas. will mostly be known for his influential publication Deep Red, which officially hit shelves with a bloody splat in December 1987. A big-brother alternative to Fangoria, Deep Red turned many fans onto low budget and foreign films that would have otherwise remained in obscurity. The cover of issue one proudly depicts a little girl with her face blown off, a glorious moment of showering gore from Lucio Fulci’s zombie epic, The Beyond. It’s black, white and red colour scheme was a bold statement in graphic simplicity. I knew upon first glance that this was the mag for me. To say he was an inspiration is a grave understatement. His was the voice I followed during the 1980s, a time when my young inner horror child was finding its legs. Deep Red was my bible. I yearned for each new issue, traveling downtown to the only comic book shop that dared to carry it. Within it’s pages, he introduced a hilarious double rating system that consisted of the “Gore Score” and “Skull”. The “Gore Score” measured the amount of carnage in the film (0 – Marry Poppins to 10 – Reanimator). The “Skulls” system rated the over all quality of the film with four skulls being excellent, down to a “Bow Wow” which landed the movie in the “Video Dog House”!
His uncompromising, no bull-shit approach was honest and always from the heart. He was also a very talented graphic artist handling layout duties on Deep Red, coming up with horror t-shirt designs for RottenCotton.com and the black metal band Necrophagia. He illustrated book cover designs for his own publications Ninth and Hell Street, The Gore Score and contributed demented stories to FantaCo’s short lived GoreShriek, a comic aimed straight at the hearts of gore hounds.
Chas. emailed me a couple of times a few years back, totally out of the blue, just to let me know he loved the artwork I was doing at Rue Morgue, proving his finger was always on the pulse of an evolving genre. It was a major high that I’ve never come down from. I sent him an excited letter back, thanking him for the kind words. It’s a shame I never got to meet him in person, if only to shake his hand and thank him for the endless inspiration and delivering the “gore groceries” all of these years.
His voice spoke to a generation of horror fans and rest assured it has been heard. Thank you for sharing it Chas., it’s truly your own and will be sorely missed by many.

Gary Pullin
New Years Eve 2009