Sunday 13 September 2015

Nosferatu ATC - by Alison

Hello again!  After my massive spooktacular He's Behind You on Saturday, I'm back today with a much shorter post but - in my opinion - a more genuinely spine-tingling creation.  The Spooky Shrine had a sort of Scooby Doo pantomime scare-factor.  Today's ATC taps in to genuine creepiness, leaning heavily on the amazing 1922 film, Nosferatu - the original vampire thriller... perhaps all the more eerie for being a silent black and white film.


Max Schreck plays Count Orlof, and the lighting, the ambience, the sheer creepiness of Schreck as the vampire has stayed with me ever since I was lucky enough to see it on a large screen at the NFT in my twenties.  There are images and scenes which have haunted my imagination ever since, and Calico Craft Parts have designed a piece which captures exactly one of those images.

How he looms over you there from the deck of the ship... with those claws of hands ready to reach for you...  Meet the Nosferatu Wood Vampire Shape.


I didn't feel I needed to do much - just a crackle background - DecoArt Crackle Paste on one of the plain ATC Blanks (though there are some Halloween ATC specials worth checking out too), the moon masked off while I added Prussian Blue Hue and Paynes Grey...


I just used a circular punch and some self-adhesive paper, and then peeled it away when I was done, leaving a ghostly penumbra which glows palely around the figure of Count Orlof once he's stuck in place.


Nosferatu himself has also been very simply tinted with Paynes Grey and Prussian Blue Hue for extra shading.


If you're still not quite in the Halloween mood, do check out the rest of the amazing spooky designs in the Calico Craft Parts Halloween section - from owls perched on branches, to Haunted Houses, to the skeletons and zombies you met in my Spooky Shrine, to fabulous Gothic words to put on pages and layouts.  I promise there's something for everyone.

That's pretty much it for today.  (See, I can do short posts.)  Sleep well won't you!

Alison xx
Words and Pictures

12 comments:

  1. Being 63yr.s young that's one of the first scary movies I ever saw. Your interpretation is right on, very good job. Thanks for sharing

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  2. Fabulous Alison, Count Orlof is creepy perfection! The colour palette you have chosen is the perfect backdrop to this terrifying wood cut and I'm pretty sure he will haunt my dreams tonight! Deb xo

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  3. Great post and story telling for a dramatic project.
    Julie x

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  4. Brilliantly spooky! Gorgeous crackle! Truly terrifying. Lx

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  5. What a wonderfully haunting piece! Love the crackle and the silhouetted images!

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  6. UUUHHHHHHHHHHHHH he is truly scary, and against that dark blue wall with your shiny moon, he looks even scarier !!! Wow for your gorgeous crackle all over,Alison !!!!
    Hugs, Dorthe

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  7. Crackle... I see crackle... I love crackle ! Great stuff Alison ! (As always ! )
    Corrie x

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  8. A perfect ATC, love this Nosferatu shape and your fabulous background in the night, trulyspine-trigling!!! Hugs, Coco xx

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  9. Such a menacing piece and I love the deep crackles, perfection.
    Wishes
    Lynne

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  10. Fabulous crackle on this beauty! Love how the background turned out!

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  11. Fantastic - the Queen of Crackle meets the Queen of Spookiness! Nosferatu is such an amazing classic. It has the quality of suggestion that creeps into the imagination - far superior to the 'Schlock' horror of today. Sadly I've only ever watched it on my small TV, but it is still a film that enchants in a dark and unsettling way - true artistry! I love how your project evokes that eerie suggestion with the moonlight and the crackle and the menacing silhouette. xx

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  12. Seriously scary! Good job there's some yummy crackle to focus on! Chrisx

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