Since I’m always trying to do things on a shoestring, I thought I’d share with you a fun idea I came up with a few years ago. I replaced my normal artwork with creepy photographs I found on the internet.
For example: Ebay is an awesome resource for subject matter. I found some great medium to high-res images of creepy broken doll heads that someone was selling. If you have Photoshop or a similar photo retouching program, you can make it black & white, add some aged texture, but Photoshop isn’t really necessary with just the right image. Print out your image on your home printer, throw it in a dollar store frame, and violá: instant spooky art.
Another thing that I’ve done is found funeral images. Victorians were huge into photographing their dead, and there’s a ton of images of the deceased to be found on Ebay. (Yeah I know it’s a little creepy, but that’s the point, right!?) The other great thing about old photos is that you don’t need to do any retouching. They’re aged enough on their own.
So maybe the funeral pictures freak you out too much. Consider using old victorian portraiture. Back then, photos took so long to take, it didn’t make any sense to smile for the camera because your face would inevitably get tired and move. Dour Victorian faces would be an adequate substitute. :)
