FUNGUS VAMPIRE

FUNGUS VAMPIRE

"Out of the fungous-ridden earth steamed up a vaporous corpse-light, yellow and diseased, which bubbled and lapped to a gigantic height in vague outlines half human and half monstrous, through which I could see the chimney and fireplace beyond. It was all eyes - wolfish and mocking - and the rugose insect-like head dissolved at the top to a thin stream of mist which curled putridly about and finally vanished up the chimney."

H.P. Lovecraft, The Shunned House
This week will be a bunch of redrawings of Lovecraft monsters, starting with one of my all time favorites; the fungus vampire from The Shunned House!

I know to a lot of folks this won't look much different but I'm much happier with the newer version. The linework is tighter & more simplified but biggest improvement is the eyes. The way I used to draw eyes was flat & undefiled. It usually doesn't bother me too much but here it's such an integral part of the creature. The color is also much lighter making it look more like it's evaporating into the ether.

The Shunned House was originally published as a chapbook but it's first national publication was in Weird Tales in October 1937 only months after Lovecraft's death. This story has been illustrated by some amazing artists. Virgil Finlay (the original Weird Tales) and Lee Brown Coye (the August Derleth edited anthology Who Knocks?). While both are amazing, neither shows the gigantic creature.

The titular house was based on the Stephen Harris House in Providence RI. Here's a picture I took of the house back in 2007. I know Lovecraft describes it pretty well but the Virgil Finlay drawing looks like he based it on the actual house!