Every once in a while, Michelle and I invite the folks in our Patreon group to make monsters with us. It’s just a fun exercise that gives people a chance to let their imagination run wild and create some art. We’ve done a couple different themes so far(Winter Monsters, Summer Horror) and posted the results in our YouTube videos. In keeping with our seasonal theming, this time we’ve invited them to create whatever monster sends chills up their spine for the Long Lost Friend Studio Autumn Monster Challenge.
On this outing, instead of trapping those monsters solely in a YouTube video, we decided to post a few of the images here so you can take all the time in the world to enjoy them. Here’s the link to the latest video featuring the challenge (where there are a few additional images) and, when possible, I’ll post links to the artists in case you want to see more of their work. Okay, on with the challenge!
Juan kicked off the challenge with a classic Scooby Doo villain, The Ghost of Elias Kingston.
Made with a combination of needle felting, clay sculpting, and good old-fashioned custom figure building, Elias dares you to rip off his mask and expose his crimes.
Juan is a monster-loving hobbyist who creates his figures out of pure enthusiasm for pop culture, nostalgia, and artistic exploration. His work always brings a smile to my face.
Phil captured a tense moment from John Carpenter’s Halloween in ink and digital color.
Phil Rood is an illustrator who works on his own comics, and hosts his own YouTube channel where he shows his process and talks about art and pop culture.
Great Punkin sculpted Joaquin Cadaver out of clay, and the headstones out of XPS foam.
This guy’s got a very distinct “he’s coming to get you, Barbara” vibe.
One of my favorite things about Great Punkin’s sculpt are those wide, staring eyes, on the lookout for some brains to nosh on.
Great Punkin doesn’t have much time to create a lot of art outside of what she makes for our challenges, but she’s participated in all of the challenges we’ve hosted, and her work always pops with personality.
At first, you might think ‘alien’…but you’d be mistaken. He’s actually a goblin!
Wesley is the first Patreon member to actually appear in person in one of the monster challenges — one of the benefits of having a mask-maker in the group.
Look out! He’s got a stick!
Wesley Hall is a cartoonist and cardboard artist who enjoys interacting with his community in all kinds of artistic ways. He hosts his own YouTube channel and posts frequently on Instagram.
A horde of dungeon monsters gathering for an attack on All Hallow’s Eve.
Wouter is an illustrator who specializes in game art and map making, and all of that comes through in his entry to the challenge. To see more of his work, visit his site, The Voyager’s Workshop, and his instagram. Beautiful work.
From the iconic Looney Tunes short, Hyde and Go Tweet!
Needle felted wool and sculpted clay bring this monstrous Tweety Bird to life.
I told you when we started that Juan was an enthusiastic maker. In every challenge he’s been in so far, he’s always contributed more than one piece. This Tweety is one of my favorites he’s done.
The Pumpkinator has come from the future
The P-800, part cyborg, part pumpkin, was crafted out of clay, found objects, and cardboard.
Stu consistently invents his own characters for the challenges he participates in, and they’re always a creative mix of pop-culture references and imaginative concepts that feel familiar while being completely new. It’s always a treat seeing what he’s come up with, and what kind of techniques he uses to bring his creations to life.
“I’ll be baked!”
And that wraps up the Autumn Monster Challenge for this year. Michelle and I are thrilled to have our friends throw their creative energy into a project like this. We thank them all sincerely and we hope it was as much fun for them as it always is for us.
Again, there are a couple other images of some of these characters in the video version of the challenge, which is nestled comfortably about six minutes into this Black Phillip video.
If all of this sounds like something you’d enjoy being a part of, you can check out the Long Lost Friend Studio Patreon where all the fun starts at just a buck a month.