Our Featured Artist # 11 make's you feel pretty!

Krystal creates custom hand made jewelry for the masses!

If your looking for something to spruce up that boring old outfit your wearing
 head on over to Krystal's Zombie Head Shop and get accessorized!

And if you want to check out one of her Pendents free of charge check out the Contest on the HOME page!

Now sit back and kick your feet up and watch me pick Krystal's brains!



First off, your an amazing artist! How and when did you get started?

Well I've been doing art my whole life... but I guess I started getting
serious about the ZH's in 06



You make Zombie inspired Jewelry and Accessories, have a favorite piece?

I have made a  few pieces  that I was sad to see go but I don't think
I can really have just 1 fav.



What medium are you working with?

Sculpy, wire, paint, and love bwahaha



How difficult is painting some of the smaller pieces in your inventory?

Well honestly I scrap some of them because they are impossible to paint.
  In all its not hard it just takes time.



Some of your work would scare small children, what gets you inspired?

I just want to wear gross things. I've always loved horror movies and
blood and guts is fun



Is your work one of a kind or do you mass produce items?

They are one of a kind. I couldn't make the same one twice if I wanted
  to, well actually I did duplicate a clown earring once for a customer that
  liked the style but wanted it made into a pendant. It was pretty close but
  of course there were differences.



How long does a project typically take you?

I've never really timed it. Some take an hour some take 3 days.
It just really depends



Are you available for commissions?

Of course!
 I was a lil swamped with them a while back, I know not
 all customers requests were fulfilled and I apologize to who ever didn't get
their piece made.



Whats it like knowing that there's people walking around out there wearing your art?

Bad ass! I'll tell ya the coolest thing was shipping heads out to
  France, Germany, Norway, Australia and New Zealand



Token question....Have a Favorite Zombie Movie?

I still stick with ROTLD and the one that scared the shit out me the
  most was Tom Savini's Night Of The Living Dead, the zombies just looked sooo real.



Anything else you'd like to share with us?

Just wanted to thank you for the interview and its great to be part of
  Zombie Hoard. I hope everyone enjoys my jewelry and if anyone has any
  suggestions feel free to e mail me :)
  thanks guys!


There ya have it folks, Krystal Osborne!

Now take a look at some of her work below, don't forget to enter her Pendent Giveaway on the HOME page
and make sure you head on over to the Zombie Head Etsy Shop for lots more goodies!

Featured Artist number 10 gives you something to take your aggressions out on!

Ryan provides the masses with Targets perfect for shooting with anything that will fly through the air!

If those lame old circle targets just aren't cutting it for ya or if you just need some practice for the Zombie Apocalypse then Ryan and his Fork Targets are where you need to be.

Ryan decide that he might need some backup when that above mentioned Apocalypse does break out so he's giving away a bunch of Zombie Targets for you to practice on!  Check out our Home Page for all the details!

And now to prove to Ryan's wife that he is indeed going to be famous we sat down with the man himself and picked his brains!


Ryan, your the face behind Fork Targets, is this a solo endeavor or do you have a team working with you?

As of right now it's just me, myself and I. Fork Targets has only been around for about 6 months
 now and I do everything from the  artwork to the printing to the web design myself.
As the brand grows,  however, I would like to start working with other people &
artist's so Fork Targets can really reach it's full potential.



How did you get into the Target business?

Very randomly actually. One night I was sitting around watching TV  with my wife and my mind was
kinda wandering off (we must have been  watching one of "her" shows);
 I started thinking about shooting at the  range and how shooting the typical "circle" style
targets that they  provided was kind of lame and boring. I knew there were cheesy "bad 
guy" and Osama Bin-Laden shooting targets out there, but i wanted  something a little more...
and it just came to me. So I turned to my  wife and i said "BABE! I'VE GOT IT! -Zombie Targets!
How cool would  that be? And i bet if I'm weird enough to want to shoot at Zombies at 
the shooting range, I'd be willing to bet other people are too, and I  bet i could sell them to those people!"
Of course she just rolled her  eyes and shook her head, but i knew I was onto something.
So I looked  on the internet to see if there were Zombie targets already out there 
and sure enough there were. To me that was good news because it told  me, oddly enough,
there was actually a market for Zombie targets! So  from then on it was my goal to make BETTER Zombie
 targets than what  was already out there. But I figured why stop at Zombies? Why not 
something like Aliens or even Big-Foot??? So i finally put my college  education in graphic arts to work -
I got some charcoal and some paper  and drew up a Zombie, an Alien and Big-Foot -
photographed them and  uploaded them to my iMac. I then did a little of my graphic arts magic 
and had a few target designs that I had printed up by a local printer.  Soon after that I had the web-site up and
running and wouldn't you  know it, someone actually wanted to buy some of my targets and I received the first
official order for Fork Targets! The rest is  history from there & I have sent target packages all over the country 
now!



You can't keep a good Zombie down!
How do you go about making the targets?  Is it a difficult process?

The difficult part of the process is the actual art work itself. All the designs start as full 18"x24"
charcoal drawings that I create  myself - which can take hours. Once I'm satisfied with the charcoal 
drawing, I'll photograph it with a DSLR and upload it to industry standard Graphic Design software where it gets
 tweaked and modified a little bit (the dark outlines, drop shadows, etc).
The final artwork  then moves into yet another bit of software where the layout of the 
entire piece is designed (the target areas, the record info area,  logo's etc.) Once the design is complete it gets saved
in a few different printing formats so that when an order comes in, i can open a certain file and the colors and
dimensions are all set to be sent over the the wide-format digital printer (the newest bit of technology 
Fork Targets has acquired). And that's basically it.



Various Zombies and Monsters round out your inventory, how do you  decide who folks would want to shoot next?

Haha, well I guess it's just kind of spontaneous. I may be at "my real  job" or mowing the lawn or just watching
TV and something cool to shoot at may pop into my head, like a Vampire or something. I'll just 
make it a point to sit down and draw it up and bang out the design so I can share it with the rest of the world.
Like i said before, I just  figure if I think it would be cool to shoot at something, chances are 
someone else out there would too. Some people may like some of the designs I come up with more than others,
and thats completely cool. My goal is to just come up with as many different, unique designs that i 
can so that I can satisfy everyones needs, and maybe even surprise a few people and get them to say
"Ha! Now THAT'S something I'd never think to put on a shooting target, but it sure looks like it'd be fun 
to shoot at it!" The whole idea of Fork Targets is to make shooting FUN and interesting - to mix it up a little when
your out at the range or even just plinking around with an air-rifle in the back yard. Even 
people that are into paintball love the idea of having something other than a bunch of circles to shoot at.
Like the slogan says: "Nobody said shooting your gun can't be fun!"



You recently expanded from one Zombie target to six various ones, are Zombie targets that popular?

YES! When Fork Targets first started out there were 3 designs: a  Zombie, an Alien and Big-Foot. 
I then came up with a few more designs  I thought would be cool - the Werewolf, Vampire & Daemon targets,
 and I thought i'd make my versions of the usual "bad-guy" targets so i designed the "Robber", "Outlaw" and 
"Terrorist" targets. While all the designs sold very well, after looking at some figures for the web-
site, especially search engine key-words that were bringing visitors to the site - the search term "zombie targets"
was the highest ranking of them all and had all other key-words beat by a good amount. So it 
was a no-brainer! People were coming to my site looking for Zombies!! So I had to give them more Zombies!!!
 And the new Zombie line was born and each Zombie was lovingly named after my friends & family.



What type of Target packages do you have available?  Do you run any Specials?

Fork Targets has all sorts of packages available. Weather its just a hand full of one particular design or a
combination of all or just some them - I've come up with various packages at reasonable prices to 
suit everyone's needs. The price per target usually drops as the packages get bigger. I haven't been able to run
any real "Specials" yet as with it being so new, I'm still trying to figure out the market and the trends to be
able to do something like that. I can say however, that this Halloween (2010) there should be a few deals to 
look forward to.



Can we expect any new Targets in the future, especially on the Zombie front?

Yes! As I said earlier my goal is to keep coming up with new designs to keep things fresh and interesting.
I would especially like to work with other artists to come up with different design "lines" - 
especially on the Zombie front.



Awesome!
When your out on the range shooting Zombies, what are you using?

Right now I am shooting a Ruger SR9 (9mm) and a Walther PPS (.40 cal).  Both of them take out zombie's very well.
 I'll be looking into shot-guns as soon as I sell enough targets to afford one ; )



Nice, hopefully we help you sell a few!
Token Question!  Have a favorite Zombie Movie?

Wow, that is a tough one... I may loose a lot of respect from your viewers on this one - but I think "I am Legend"
was a really well done movie (i know, i know i can hear everyone screaming "thats not a 
zombie movie!") - The Resident Evil movies were pretty awesome, there was one called "Dead Alive"
 from the early 90's that stands out. We used to watch that one all the time which was one of the goriest 
movies I have ever seen. Dawn of the Dead is a classic. And i know it's not a Zombie movie,
 but "From Dusk Till Dawn" deserves and honorable mention.



It's nice to see that you have good taste in movies!
Anything else you'd like to share with us?

Just be sure to check out the site. Tell your friends, family, neighbors and pets. And don't forget - Fork Targets
 aren't just good for shooting at with real guns, but also with air-soft, paint ball, bb guns, darts, throwing knives,
nerf guns, squirt guns, snow-balls or anything else that will fly through the air.
So be sure to get your orders in - I have a baby on the way and she's gonna need diapers! 
Haha, thanks for the interview and thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. It's been fun!
AIM FOR THE HEAD!


There ya have it folks, buy some Targets and diaper a baby, do you really need more incentive then that?!?!?

Thanks for sitting down with us Ryan and keep those Zombie Targets coming, we could all use the practice!

Here's a quick peek at just a few of the styles you can pick up from Fork Targets

For our 9th Featured Artist we give you the Zombie Art of  Mrs. Evil!

Mrs. Evil creates Zombie Jewelry, Hair Accessories, Cross Stitching, and Dolls.

If your tired of seeing Barbie looking all smug and happy all the time head on over to the My Pretty Zombie Shop, lets just say Mrs. Evil isn't afraid to use Barbie to her full potential!

Mrs. Evil created a special Doll just for us to be given away to one of our readers, you can get all the details on that on our HOME page!

Lets get on with the Interview and a small sample of Mrs. Evil's work!


You do some crazy stuff with Barbie type dolls, how and when did you get started?

I started in May of 08.  I had always been a sewer (cross stitch, mostly)  but I had to put that on hold
when I kept getting reoccurring bouts of tendinitis from my day job ( I work in a drug testing lab)
I needed a new outlet for my craftiness and the zombie barbie idea came to me one morning when I woke up. 
I used to paint in school and I've always been a horror make up/zombie fan, so it just seemed natural. 
I wasn't even sure if it would work at first, or what types of paint and sealant to use.  It was a lot of
 trial and error in the beginning.  I started off just making them for friends and then did a small,
local craft fair.  I was very nervous!  I didn't really know what kind of reaction I was going to get,
but everyone seemed to really like them.  Even the little kids!  Another artist at the craft fair suggested
Etsy to me and I opened my "My Pretty Zombie" store that same day.



And the rest is History!
How popular is the creepy jewelry you design?

I started making the jewelry as a whim.  I wanted to make more things for my store for people that didn't
necessarily want a full size zombie.  I have tons and tons of barbies lying around. 
More Barbies than you would probably ever want to see.  Some of them are so "well loved"  that
making them into zombies isn't really possible.   I decided to start harvesting their hands and feet for
 jewelry items as I myself love to wear weird things that make people say
 " ewww...that's kind of disgusting, but cute!"
The hand necklaces are the biggest sellers, but I've also sold cufflinks, rings, tie tacks,
brooches...pretty much everything but earrings.
I just did a wholesale order of the hand necklaces ( I call them "zombie killer" pendants) to a store in Japan,
 so that was pretty exciting for me.



Awesome!
Do you create anything else besides disturbing dolls and jewelry?

I also make weird hair flower/adornments with bugs and other creepy things on them.
 I mostly sell those at a local consignment store because there is so much of that type of thing on Etsy. 
In addition to that I package my weird animals cross stitch patterns to sell as kits.



Where do you get inspirations for your work?

I get inspiration everywhere.  Movies are super fun to recreate scenes from.  I've done an Exorcist doll
and a Carrie doll.  I was also inspired by the famous monkey brains eating scene from faces of
death for my "Breakfast" diorama. I get ideas from my husband and friends too...they will say
"oh, you should do this...!" and its usually something totally fantastic. 
Often I get inspired by the dolls themselves or their clothes or a piece of furniture. 
There's so many things I want to make...if only I had a little more time!



There's lots of blood and guts in your work, ever have nightmares about your dolls coming to get ya?

What a great question!  I wish that would happen...sounds fun!
I never have nightmares about zombies or any other monsters.  I have scary dreams after watching
"wolf creek"  or "funny games".  Its people in real life that scare me the most.



LoL, Ain't that the truth!
How long does a project typically take?

Single dolls usually take a weekend or two.  Custom stuff and dioramas take longer. 
I get so involved in all the little details.  I spend way too much time arranging then rearranging all
these tiny things that no one else would ever notice.  An average diorama would take about a month to complete.
 I work full time too so I don't have as much time to spend with barbies as I'd like.  
My husband helps a great deal, especially with all the lighting he's been installing in the new
container dioramas I've been working on.  The lighting adds a whole new dimension to the zombies that I just love. 
He does get annoyed when I'm making him change the LED's all the time because its not matching
 my vision: "No!  two  yellow in the back and one white in front!"  He's pretty patient for the most part.
 


ROFL...Gotta love a spouse who's willing to accept your obsessions!
Do you do commission work at all?

I absolutely LOVE to do custom work!  I love the challenge of it. 
I've done quite a few and I'm always ready to do more.  So, yeah...BRING IT!



You hear that people, Mrs. Evil needs to be challenged!
Whats next on your agenda? Anything for us Zombie fans out there?

I have a pile of projects that are in progress right now...4 new dioramas, a gang of single barbies,
some trinket/stash boxes and a line of mineral eyeshadow with colors based on and named
after my zombie dolls...all kinds of fabulousness!



Sounds like your keeping busy!
Where can Fans pick up your work?

You can get my stuff through my Etsy Store contact me via Email and don't forget to become a fan on Facebook
I also have a Blog where I mostly write about my boring life when I'm not posting all the pictures of zombies
that I can't fit on the Etsy listings!



Anything else you'd like to share with us?

I'm so honored to be featured!  Thanks for everything!


Anytime!  Its Artist like yourself that are keeping the Zombie Genre alive, we Thank YOU!

As promised here is a small sampling of what you can find on My Pretty Zombie
And don't forget to head on over to FACEBOOK and enter our Giveaway!

For our Eight Featured Artist we bring you Illustrator John Schwegel!

John creates amazing characters using both Digital and Traditional Art!

If your looking for Amazing Colors and Original Characters look no further.

John took a break from creating amazing illustrations to chat with us and decided to give away SIX stickers of his work!
You can check those out on our HOME page

Now on to the Interview and a sample of John's work!


Hey John, Thanks for chatting with us!
You do some amazing work, how and when did you get started?

I've always loved drawing as far back as I can remember. There is a crib
box in my parent's attic with all kinds of crazy doodles on it. Every
once in a while I would get in trouble for drawing on the walls with
crayons. So, finally my parents decided to just let me draw and paint
whatever I wanted on the walls in my bedroom. That was very cool of
them. I guess it all started because I loved watching cartoons and still
do and just wanted to create my own wacky little characters. I still
have a laminated crayon drawing of a bunch of wacky cats and dogs that I
drew in kindergarten.


You work with pencils, inks, acrylics, Photoshop, & Illustrator among
others, have a favorite medium?

Lately, most of my work has been done in Illustrator. It really works
well with my cartoony style, there is no mess left behind and there is
no need to scan or take pictures because it is created digitally. I also
like the amount of control it offers. I can always go back in and tweak
lines and colors very easily. I still love using pencils, inks and
acrylics when I get a chance.


Where do you get inspirations for your work?

I love watching cartoons and sci-fi movies. That's where most of my
inspiration comes from. Some of my current favorite artists are James
Christensen, Brom, Brian Froud, Gris Grimley, Brian Despain, Wes
Benscoter, Ragnar, Cam De Leon and many, many more. While working I like
to listen to rock music for additional inspiration. Some of my favorites
are Tool, Korn, Alice in Chains, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot,
Rob Zombie just to name a few. Caffeine helps a lot, too.


LoL, nice bands!  And you can't go wrong with caffeine!
You use lots of bright colors in your art, is that a conscious choice or
just something that kinda happened?

I've always loved using bright colors for my characters and I often use
darker contrasting colors for my backgrounds to help my characters stand
out. I guess I'm trying to burn my images into peoples brains if they
stare at them a little too long. My favorite colors to use are greens,
oranges and purples which is pretty obvious if you look through my
portfolio. Perfect zombie colors!


Yea they are!
How long does a project typically take?

Too long. I'm usually pretty impatient when working and I'm always very
excited to just see the final image. But, I'm also a bit of a
perfectionist, so I'm always tweaking things here and there along the
way. I tend to spend more time on personal projects, but work a lot
quicker when working on client projects or commissions. Time spent on an
image could range from a couple of hours to a few days depending on how
much detail is involved and how picky I'm being.


Do you do commission work at all?

Yes, I'm always looking for fun new jobs. I do a lot of character,
mascot and logo designs for clients.


Whats next on your agenda? Anything for us Zombie fans out there?

I'm currently working on a project for a client that has a zombie puppy
and another celebrity zombie character. I've been a little inspired to
maybe do a similar personal project with some zombie dogs and other
living dead pets.


Is there somewhere fans can pick up your work?

Of course!

I have prints for sale at Deviant Art:
http://fizzgig.deviantart.com/prints/

T-shirts, stickers and prints available at RedBubble:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/fizzgig

I have a Zazzle shop with a variety of products:
http://www.zazzle.com/fizzgig

I also sell stock images and vectors at the following sites:
http://www.istockphoto.com/jschwegel
http://www.dreamstime.com/resp1380936-pictures
http://www.vectorstock.com/a/fizzgig/portfolio
http://graphicleftovers.com/designer/fizzgig/ref=fizzgig/


Anything else you'd like to share with us?

BRAAAIIINNNSSS!!!


Their whats for dinner!
Thanks for chatting with us John, keep the awesome work coming!

Here's a small peek at John's work, check out lots more on his SITE
And don't forget to head on over to our FACEBOOK page and enter John's giveaway!

Featured Artist #7 is painter Jack Larson!

Jack will turn you and your loved ones into Zombies, using nothing more then some paint, brushes, and a canvas!

Jack sat down with us recently and answered some questions about his work!
He was also awesome enough to give one of our Lucky Readers a makeover!
You can get all the details on the Giveaway on our Home page.

Keep reading for our interview with Jack, and just below that check out a small sampling of Jacks work!

Thanks for indulging us with details of your work Jack!
First off, you have some real skills with a brush! How and when did you get started?

Thanks!
 I taught myself to paint with supplies lifted from my first high school art class. I was a D student when it came to the curriculum, but I enjoyed painting on my own. I learned by copying album artwork from my favorite bands.


You do regular paintings as well as turning peoples pictures into painting, is one more difficult then the other?

I think it's important to keep learning about traditional painting methods, even as I continue to
develop this series on zombies. It's basically the same approach, but with the zombies,
I focus upon the bone structure more than the surface features, which I basically render with rough textures.


You've done so much work, what gets you inspired?
What types of paints and canvases do you work with?  Have a favorite?

I study history and current affairs incessantly and this inspires the artwork.
For instance, there were 500 Christians chopped into pieces by
Radical Muslims in Jos, Nigeria a few months ago. When I read the article
which described a "pile" of 29 dead amputated and mutilated children, I just
had to represent it on a mural. Not the carnage so much as the aggressors.
  I want to capture that special mindset which overcomes individuals once they
enter the mob and are given the green light to go crazy.


Ever get a request so out there that even you wouldn't take it on?

No.
There are many things that I paint that are wrong on many levels. Most of the requests are funny like married
couples wanting to be depicted ripping each others guts out.


How long does a project typically take?

I work about 12-16 hours a day, and I engage in multiple projects at once.
It's like preparing a Thanksgiving feast. I multitask everything, so that after one sculpture is leaving the
 oven and another is entering, I immediately turn around to splatter blood on a canvas,
after which I'll sit down and scan half a dozen art cards into my computer.
So I guess I would say that a portrait has about 3 hours put into it, spread out over a few days.
This pace keeps me from having to sit around waiting for paint to dry.
To answer an earlier question clearer, I paint with acrylics because they
dry faster although recently I've started including oil paints again.


Are you available for commissions?

I am constantly offering custom Zombie Portraits at my site www.ZombieArt.blogspot.com
and I have auctions most days of the week at www.JesusFrankenStein.com


Have a favorite piece of your own work?

Over the years, with my chaotic life, I used to lose a lot of artwork.
It usually ended up abandoned in one cheap motel or another, or left at some
  ex's house. These days, I make it a point not to get attached to any one work of art, and instead
concentrate on selling and giving away as much as I can so that one, I don't have to worry about losing it,
and two, each painting sold finances the next. This Zombie Series is the funnest series of paintings I have ever done.


You paint lots of Zombies, which we love, but it has to get repetitive what else do you paint?

It never gets repetitive because I am constantly experimenting with new textures and new color schemes.
In fact, I have over 1000 completed works since August which i am putting into a photomosaic which
 will eventually become a poster and maybe even a puzzle. A photomosaic is when you take
  lots of images and formulate them into one large one. So these 1000 zombies will be turned into one single zombie.


Awesome!
Besides Painting, is there any other type of art you dabble in?

I like sculpture a lot. Clay, wire, mixed media. I also should mention my deep and abiding love for
 digital photo editing software. The truth is, 90% of what I do in my paintings, I learned from
Photoshop: namely the use of  layers with varying layers of transparency.


Anything else you'd like to share with us?

Yes. I would like to say thanks to all those who have collected my artwork.
I'm happy to keep my prices as low as possible in order to get these into as many homes as possible.
 I'm not looking to do anything other than improve my skills with the brush, and those who are
supporting this endeavor are basically paying for me to do so. It's like having a full ride through art
college--which is a big deal to a truant like myself.


LoL, you keep painting like you do and you'll be just fine, even if you do decide to skip Science once in a while!
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, its been informative!

Don't forget about Jack's Giveaway on our Home page.


Now for some of Jack's awesome work!
This is just a small sample so head on over to his SITE for lots more pics!

For our Sixth Featured Artist we are proud to have Wooded Woods join us!

Kamila Mlynarczyk creates amazing OOAK dolls from scratch!
And to show off her skills she created a doll specifically for us to give away!
You've seen the picture on the Home page now here's the details:

Zombie Charlotte
About 5 inches long, completely hand made, polymer clay, acrylic paints,
fabric, wire base, has movable arms and legs, string for hanging and comes with her own coffin!

And pictures do not do this piece justice!

Kamila was also nice enough to chat with us about her work!
Check out the Interview then scroll down to the bottom of the page for a few shots of Kamila's work!


Kamila, you do some amazingly eerie work, how and when did you get started?

After finishing art school majoring in children's book illustration I realized I didn't really like drawing all that much.
 I started sculpting  about 5 years ago-self taught through Internet tutorials and just stalking my favorite artists.
Initially I was going for pretty normal looking dolls--but everything I made tended to creep people out.
So I embraced my creepy side and my natural love of the undead and couldn't be  happier. 
From time to time I make "normal" dolls but they still creep people out.  I guess I'm innately weird.



Besides wood, what other mediums do you work with?

I used to paint on wood, that's where the "woodedwoods" comes from.
  But  now I use polymer clay (prosculpt to be exact.) What attracted me to it was its accessibility
 to new sculptors as you can just bake it in your oven but it also looks really good and its virtually unbreakable.
I also love costume design, so I have a lot of fun with fabric on my sculpts.
  Other than sculpt, I love to doodle and sometimes paint stuff on the walls of my house.


I'd love to paint on my walls!
Where do you get inspirations for your work?

I have a huge collection of weird images saved from the Internet on my computer.
 I look to a lot of artists for inspiration-Edward Gorey etc.
  Mostly though I like to make dolls that reflect imperfection-like scars,weird facial expressions, illnesses,
even death (memento mori.)
  It's really a matter of what interest's me- an evil twinkle is much more interesting
  than a blank stare, a creepy grimace better than a simple smile.
  After all I have to keep myself entertained while putting in long hours to make these characters.


Some of your work is pretty creepy!  How often do you frighten small children with your work?  LoL

I didn't really know until I started googling my own name and found myself
  a topic on forums--mostly discussing how demented I must be and how I
give  people nightmares. Most people that contact me do so because they
  are like-minded souls, the ones I scare just close the web page and probably
  rock themselves to sleep or cry in the shower....err whatever normal  people do.


I'm the wrong person to talk to about normal, LoL
The Executioner's Daughter is my favorite piece by you, how long did she take you to make? 
What was the inspiration for her?

I made her for a Xmas present for a friend, she took about two or three days
  to make (on and off) and she was inspired by the story "The Executioner'sDaughter" by Angela Carter.
I usually make my best dolls as after thoughts- last minute gifts, things I really didn't think would end up great.
  It's probably because I feel no pressure to make something good and am totally uninhibited.
Unfortunately the down side is I can't cash in on those since they are gifts lol.


How long does a project typically take?

Typically about two to three days, on and off.  I get distracted a lot and am a notorious procrastinator.
Normal dolls are about 13 inches tall, well dressed and a lot of work. My smaller dolls, the hanging ornies are
  about 3-5 inches tall and usually end up being bloody zombies with stumps and stains.
The ornies take about a night to finish and are kind of a  treat  for me to make in between my more serious large dolls.


Do you do commission work at all?

Yes I do, I have about 4 commissions on the go (a little backed up.)
  For commissions I like to get a general idea then I just roll with it on my own.
Nothing is worse than someone who wants progress pics every day.
  Art  is about inspiration- I can't tell what every detail is going to be because it usually just fits together as I'm going along.
 Most of the time it works out way better than I pictured anyways.


Whats next on your agenda?  Anything for us Zombie fans out there?

I'm going to NIADA (a doll conference) in Chicago next month, for that I'm going to be making a doll twice the size I usually make probably a withered old crone or something like that. After that I'm working on commissions.
  For the zombie fans I'm going to be making a full size zombie doll soon and
  Halloween is always a busy season full of oddities, so check in then!


Is there somewhere fans can pick up your work?

All my available dolls go up on my blog
  woodedwoods.blogspot
and I sell mostly on etsy
  www.etsy.com/shop/WoodedWoods


Anything else you'd like to share with us?

When the zombie apocalypse comes, I'm on team Zombie. I think being alive would be too stressful.


I hope you don't take this personally, but I might have to put ya down if you try to bite me!
Thanks for your time Kamila!

And without further blah blah, here's a sneak peek at some of Kamila's work!
Please make sure you head on over to her SITE and check out all her work!

Featured Artist #5, Shain Erin, comes to us complete with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the San Francisco Art Institute and has shown work throughout the US. His art doll sculptures are in collections throughout the US, Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, and Norway!

We talked with Shain a bit about his work and Zombies!


You do some fantastic work, how and when did you get started?

Thanks. I started making art as a very small child and just never stopped. Art falls somewhere between breathing and eating on my scale of priorities so I’ve made art pretty continuously throughout my life in a wide variety of mediums. I have a BFA and majored in painting but have always done a lot of sculpting as well. I started making dolls in early 2008.


What medium are you working with?

I’m always trying out new materials and new techniques for using them so my materials and methods are constantly evolving. Lately, most of the sculpting is done with a process I developed myself for making very strong and durable figures. I also use two-part epoxy clay and Diamond Paperclay. Some of the figures have cloth bodies filled with polyfil or stitch-sculpted over a steel wire armature wrapped with cotton batting. It just depends on what I’m doing.


Is there a particular place you get inspirations for your work?

Everything inspires me but especially art history, world art, world religions, mythology, biology, anatomy, paleontology, traditional doll-making, pop culture, music, etc.


How long does a project typically take?

Depending on the complexity, scale, medium, etc. projects can take anywhere from a few days to about a month.


What do you find to be the hardest part of your work?

Talking about it! LOL. I tend to work very instinctively and sometimes it takes years for my left brain to catch up with my right brain. But this is good practice for me.


I’m a huge fan of your Fallen piece, how long did it take to create?
What was the inspiration for it?

That’s one of my personal favorites as well. I think it took about three weeks to complete.

My best pieces usually emerge when I start with little or no preconceived ideas of what will happen. This one is a good example of that. Sometimes I begin with a very general theme, concept or mood in mind just to get me started. Sometimes I start with just some technical idea and the conceptual aspects evolve while I’m working. When I started Fallen, I think I just had the idea that I wanted to sculpt a full, nude figure and also the idea that I wanted to sculpt a bird skull for the head. These were really just technical challenges I wanted to take on at the time, but as I got into it I started thinking about what suggestions arose and a web of references and concepts began to unfold. I was thinking about shamanism, animal spirits, fallen angels and the story of Icarus amongst other things.


When you get a free second go ahead and make another one and send it on over to me!
Do you do commission work at all?

I don’t generally do a lot of commission work. It’s almost impossible for me to follow a plan, so if someone has a specific image in their head of what they want it’s a very difficult thing for me to try and force that into manifestation. But occasionally someone will come along with a request that is just too tasty to refuse. I’m actually working on a commission for a demon/spirit from Goetic magic at the moment.


What’s next on your agenda?  Anything for us Zombie fans out there?

I’ve got quite a few ideas brewing for projects in the near future which do include more zombies. But what actually emerges will be something of a surprise even for me.


I love surprises!
Is there somewhere fans can pick up your work?

My online shop is at www.shainerin.etsy.com and people can always see what’s new and available at my website: www.shainerin.com.


Awesome!  Thanks for the chat Shain and keep us informed of all your Zombie happenings!

Here's just a small sample of some of Shain's work, for lots more pics and details please head on over to his Site!

For our Fourth Featured Artist we bring you Nicole Johnson and Mealy Monster Land!

Nicole uses Polymer Clay to sculpt some crazy creations!

We stole a few minutes of Nicole's time to ask her a few questions about her art!


Your sculptures are fantastic! How and when did you get started?

Well thanks!!
I started making them in 2008. I had always been a artists,
 I went to Buffalo State College and studied printmaking. After college I dabbled in some art/craft shows, but then I had children and my art got put on the back burner for a number of years. In 2008 I felt the draw to create again and came across etsy, and art dolls! WOW, they were so cool and I wanted to make some. I taught myself how to use polymer clay and just followed my creepy nature which lead to monsters, witches, deviant children, and zombies.


So are your sculptures clay or something more fancy?

My sculptures are polymer clay, you can buy it at your local craft store and cure it in the oven. Really works out great since I don't own a kiln.


Some of your stuff is really out there, where do you get inspirations for your work?

I have always loved horror movies, horror comics, and creepy stories. So, I would say that my love of creepy has influenced my art. My over active imagination also plays a part, leads me to making up stories and then creating the characters from the stories. I don't know, I guess I just like to think of life as a big story. I see a pumpkin and turn it into a devious, havoc reeking creature in my head. It's fun.


You sculpt everything from Monsters to Dolls to Zombies, have a favorite subject to sculpt?

Sometimes, but it changes often. Right now I am on a old hag kick. Wrinkly, ugly, aged spotted, hags. Last month is was zombies, but I always like to revisit subjects.


You better revisit some Zombies!
How long does a project typically take?

It all depends on the project. Some may only take a day and some can take me a week or more.


Do you do commission work at all?

I do. Some of my favorites pieces have come from commissions. But if you were to ask me to make a cheerleader I would say no, unless it was a zombie cheerleader. If I can't get excited about the subject then I know I won't be able to put my all into it and will have to pass.


I don't think you'll be getting any cheerleader requests from our readers!
Whats next on your agenda?  Anything for us Zombie fans out there?

I am preparing for a few festivals.
The Spookytime Jingles Soiree in October, along with a few others. I have been working on small zombies around 5-7 inches and am ready to make some big zombies that can be posed a bit.


Make sure you share those with us!
Where can your fans  pick up some of your work?

I have a website, mealymonsterland,  it has all my past works in it.
 All available dolls can be purchased directly from me or in my ETSY shop.


Awesome!
Anything else you'd like to share with us?

I can't think of anything. Thanks so much for the fun interview!!!


Your very welcome Nicole!  Thanks for taking time out of your schedule to chat with us!

Now since you've all been so patient here's a small sample of Nicole's work!
Please make sure you check out her SITE for tons more pics and don't forget to head on over to our FACEBOOK page for your chance to win some of Nicole's Zombie Magnets!

Our Third Featured Artist is Jade Perez and her New Age Dolls!

Jade creates OOAK and Handmade Dolls, Keychains, Pendants, and Pocket Buddies!

Jade sat down with us to chat about her craft.


You do some Fantastic work, how and when did you get started?

I started doll making back in 2006 when I was web designing. I just wanted to make traditional art instead of digital and I wanted something that would keep others and myself interested so this is how the dolls began.


What type of dolls are you using in your work?

Type? My dolls are 100% handmade. I start with a block of clay and go from there!


Besides dolls what else do you create?

I make necklaces and keychains from time to time. I also paint but I never post that art online.


With so many crazy designs where do you get your ideas?

I get my ideas from being a horror fan, video games, the news, life events and my dreams. I have a lot of crazy dreams! And then other times when I have no ideas for what to make it just comes out naturally.


Some of your work is pretty creepy! How often do you frighten small children with your work? LoL

Its scary? LoL. I try to avoid kids every chance I get! But I do gross out everyone else. It’s very amusing to see a persons first reaction to my work. They either love it or are really discussed by it. Either way I enjoy the strange looks and feedback.


Chimera is my favorite piece by you, how long did she take you to make? What was the inspiration for her?

Hmm, I don’t really know how long my work takes. Chimera was a custom request from the owner. He gave me a few details such as a female doll with her teeth showing in a creepy way and a straight jacket. Since she was a torture doll I gave her the half shaved head with wire and bolts piercing her flesh for an extra creepy effect. We both had really great ideas for this doll making her my favorite that I’ve done so far.


How long does a project typically take?

As I mentioned above, I’m not sure! I work on them here and there until complete and while working on other projects at the same time, so its really hard to say. But I do know that I take orders and have them ready within a week =)


Do you do commission work at all?

Always! If anyone is interested in ordering a doll from their own ideas just shoot me a message and we will go from there. j@newagedolls.com


Whats next on your agenda? Anything for us Zombie fans out there?

Currently I am working on custom orders but once they are complete, yes, there will be zombies and blood coming next! I really want to make a hollowed out belly with a zombie baby inside and some with gun shots to the head.. hopefully I will get that started in a month or so!


Is there somewhere fans can pick up your work?

You can stop by my website newagedolls and order a doll from the galleries, request a custom doll or see what’s in stock at my etsy store creepydollart.com


Anything else you'd like to share with us?

I’d like to thank you for the interview and to invite the readers to join the creepy doll following on Facebook!

Your welcome!
There you have it folks a look into the life of Jade Perez and her New Age Dolls!

And now on to some pics of Jade's work!
If you enjoy these check out New Age Dolls for lots more!

For our Second Featured Artist we bring you Len Peralta and his Geeky Art!

Len is the artist behind FlipFace & Monster By Mail among other projects!

Taking a few minutes away from his art Len sat down with us to answer some questions!

First off, your an amazing artist! How and when did you get started?

I started when I was very young about 2-3.  I used to ruin all the
telephone books in the house because I would draw on every one of 
them.  Since then, I've taken to drawing on regular Bristol board or 
card-stock (no more telephone books).  I draw pretty much everyday of the 
week.  It's a rare day when I'm not drawing.


LoL, my parents would have killed me!
You turn peoples regular everyday pictures into Zombies and other
 Monsters, where do you get inspirations for your work?

I am a big fan of Jack Davis' work from MAD as well as Don Martin and
other broad cartoonists. I'm also a big fan of Edward Gorey's work plus
I'm a big Tim Burton fan as well.  So you meld all those into one person
and you get my style.  The people who order my monsters provide me a name
to go by, so I have that to start with and that helps immensely.


I love MAD, used to read it all the time! And yes, Tim Burton is Amazing!
Some of your work is pretty creepy!  Ever get accused of giving 
your fans nightmares? LoL

Never nightmares, but people do find my work funny, which is 
wonderful.


Once someone places an order on one of your sites, do they receive an actual print in 
their mailbox or an image over the interwebs?

When they order the Monster By Mail, they get a link to my Flickr site and
to YouTube if they ordered a video.  And yes, in a few short weeks, 
they get the original art in their mailbox.
Since I started in 2007, 
I've drawn over 1300 monsters for people all over the world.


Wow, 1300 Monsters running around!
Ever get a request so out there that even you wouldn't take it on?

I try to accommodate whatever anyone wants, but if it's irreverent or
offensive, I try to do my own take on it that maintains a relatively
family friendly bent to it.  At one point though when I first started
Monster By Mail, I got a bunch of really odd requests that I think 
were done just to trip me up.  The way I looked at it though, if they 
paid $25 each to get these odd ideas drawn, I was going to give them what 
they paid for.  Hopefully it was worth it to them!


Some people just have too much free time and cash on their hands, LoL
So where can fans of your work request your services?

They can order a monster from monsterbymail or an avatar 
for their Twitter or Facebook profile at flipface. People can also 
commission me for larger projects (outside of those two sites) at lenperalta.com.


How long does a project typically take?

On average, I usually take about 15-20 minutes to complete a piece 
 of art.


If you could turn one Celeb into a Zombie, who would it be?

I would love to draw Stan Lee or Weird Al Yankovic as a zombie.  I 
 love those guys!


Nice!
Anything else you'd like to share with us?

Support Zombie Art!


You heard the man!  Spread the Infection!
Big thanks goes out to Len for taking time out to chat with us!

Remember to check out our Facebook page to win your very own FlipFace!
How do you win?  Its simple, all you gotta do is post an answer to this question on our Facebook page!
"If you could turn one Monster into a Zombie who would it be?"
It could be anyone from all Media realms (Movies, Games, Books, etc)!

And without further delay, check out some of Len's amazing work!
Please check out his sites for lots of other Pics!

For our first official Featured Artist we bring you Abomination Nursery!
Custom Horror Art by Armgardt Richter Rose

Right off the bat, if your offended by simulated blood and gore DO NOT go any further!
These are NOT pretty dollies!

To get us started we sat down with the man behind the dolls and asked him a few questions!

So Armgardt, you're the man behind Abomination Nursery, you turn everyday pretty dolls
into amazing works of art, so I gotta ask, why dolls?

I like to create art of all kinds, but especially horror. Some people paint
on canvas or sculpt with clay, my medium of choice just happens to be dolls.
I like the juxtaposition and contrast of children's play toys with the
macabre.


These aren't your sisters Barbie dolls, that's for sure. So when did you
first find out that you had so much talent working with dolls?

I started horrifying porcelain dolls that I would find from thrift stores
around the beginning of 2006. I liked the idea of changing someone's
perception of a doll that is meant to be beautiful.


You work with various types of dolls, have a favorite medium to work with?

The vinyl dolls are my favorite. Vinyl is a lot more forgiving than
porcelain and I have more options with them. Porcelain can really only be
cracked, and I usually don't have much control over that. Vinyl can be cut,
screwed, punctured, and most anything else I need to do with it.


Where do you find all the awesome accessories that are attached to your
dolls?

Most of the screws, nails, wire, bolts, & staples I've collected and had for
a while. Most everything else I got from hardware stores. The custom
gas mask on the vinyl doll, Bialas Dai, was made from old car mats and
plumbing supplies. Most of the bones or skin are custom sculpted.


That ones actually my favorite of your creations so far!
How long does a doll typically take from start to finish?

Depending on the complexity, they can take anywhere from 10 days to
something like 'The Cabin Doll' which took a couple months.


Do you do commission work?

I'm always looking for a challenge. If it sounds like a fun project, I'll
usually take it on.


Planning any Zombie dolls for the Undead out there?

I did make a traditional green zombie baby recently. Most of my dolls and
babies are typically undead, having open eyes and sometimes even smiling. I
usually just make what comes out my head that day.


How can our readers find out when your next doll goes up for sale?

When art goes up for sale, I'll usually post it right away under my Current
section on my website. There are lots of other ways to stay in touch with me through the 'Contact'
section of the website; E-mail, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, & even the Abomination Nursery mailing
list.


Anything else you'd like to add?

I'm hoping to build up a collection of art to be a part of a convention this
November in Ohio. If I don't have much stuff up from now til then, that'll
be why. I'll give more information about that when the time comes. I'm
also hoping to add a store section to my website in the near future where
people can get some awesome AN stuff: pins, stickers, shirts, prints,
keychains, & more.


Sounds awesome!  Make sure you let us know so that we can share it with our fans!

And don't forget, we will be doing a giveaway on Facebook courtesy of Abomination Nursery!
All you gotta do to enter is post a reply!
First place takes home an Awesome severed hand keychain along with stickers, buttons, and more!
We'll also award a second place prize!

Anxious to see some of ARR's work?  Your wait is over!
Check out his site for tons of other pics!