The 2016 Bindlegrim Summer Sale is still active into early Autumn with 25% off items on Bindlegoods, and a big thank-you to those cool ghouls following on facebook and/or twitter who participated in the two auctions that closed tonight (shown below).
The final 2015 auction offers a pandora's box of past Bindlegrim work. It's a 5th Hallowe'en Anniversary (one-of-a-kind) Box Set with transparency logo, and filled with a selection of items from the past 5+ years (some pre-Bindlegrim) with at least one Artist Proof lantern never previously available.
Update Sept 5, 2016 (tentative content list at bottom of this post):
Tentative content list as of Sept 5, 2016:
Spook Box (2016) Content List Envelope (with card and Boo! transparency print)
The Pumpkin Dream, signed copy (orig. 2011)
Untitled artist proof #2/3 box lantern, signed - (2011)
The Cornish Litany, carnivorous tree, signed postcard #14/25 (2011)
The Cornish Litany, chamber spooks, signed postcard #14/25 (2011)
The Cornish Litany, keyhole set of 12 postcards (2012)
This third entry for Tall Tales / Shorter Days author-notes series, goes back in time to around 2004 (circa A Breif History... Part 1). This is a look backward at a particular poem, and the first Bindlegrim book which was really the birth of a holiday alter-ego. With this blog started in April 2011, the contents of that book in some form - the poetry, the illustration, as well as a vintage-style commemorative Halloween lantern has been in the Bindlegrim blog 26 times. So with that in mind, I will endeavor to discuss something new, while keeping this entry brief...!
I perhaps enjoy this poem most pre-2010, that is, as words alone, (as it is now being presented in the print version of Tall Tales Shorter Days). Originally there was no illustration for every eight lines of rhyme, no scrolling borders of skeletons and cats, nor any trace of graphic design ding-battery scattered about the pages. At that time there was only pulse, rhyme, and sensory descriptions...
When tattered oaks of autumn lend prophetic chatter to the wind, and gremlins from a branch dispatch with felon deeds upon the latch,
We trust these words illuminate of bogymen whose hunger slake on children in a sugar feast the fearless know as Trick or Treat.
Not to say that the graphic work wasn't exceptional fun (!!!) - but in some ways what
came next was quite distracting from the poetry. I have to admit, once I began working on the visual art, it
changed my experience of the poem - like a music video can alter the experience of a song, for better or worse. Even now, I will catch myself reciting the poetry, no visuals at hand, doing my best to mock the voice of Vincent Price or Christopher Lee as the words alone build the senses of that Halloween night's adventure...
Trembling smirks from candle beams devour themselves in ash and steam, as vapor licks the ailing hearts of smoldered pumpkins in the dark. Escaping flames from embers red flee hoot owls hunting overhead, where critters on the roasted bits of pumpkin features start to rip.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of the difficulties designing poetry for e-book formats The Pumpkin Dream poem is NOT included in the e-book version. It is only available in the print version here on Amazon or Etsy.
Well, even though Tall Tales Shorter days contains the non-illustrated version, I just couldn't write a blog entry without throwing in at least some media. Below is a little promo video for the original book The Pumpkin Dream: A Cautionary Tale from the Library of Mr. Bumble Bindlegrim to perhaps offer a touch more sense for its Halloween mood:
As before, comment as you like here on this blog entry, and I draw for a free book from that week's comments! This week starts Sunday 2-17-2013 and ends the evening of 2-24-2014. In the meantime, if you are looking for either version of the poem, visit my author page on Amazon. Thank you for visiting!
Bindlegrim books in need of a new home. PS - Cover art is by David Irvine
*** GIVEAWAY DETAILS ***
1) Leave a blog comment here between 2-17 to 2-24 about whatever you like... about pumpkins, mice, Jack O'Lanterns with attitude...
2) For each author-notes blog entries, I will draw randomly at the end of that week to give someone who commented a signed printed copy of Tall Tales Shorter Days.
3) At the end of all six blog entries I will draw from all comments (more comments, more chances to win) for one Bindlegrim lantern - The Horrid Decor (Orange on Ghost Skin) seen below.
Note - Bindlegrim encourages and hopes, but does not require, that readers might leave a Like or a Review on the Amazon pages for the book: print or e-book.
*** GIVEAWAY DETAILS ***
Updated 2-25-2013
Congratulations to this weeks winner: Peanut...! And thanks again everyone for leaving a comment. All are entered into the lantern drawing at the end of this series! I wish I had enough to go around for everyone!
Wow, time is really flying and Halloween countdowns are popping up all over! That's pretty scary as I'm frantically finishing the proof for Sketchbook of Straw, and still hoping for a late September or very early October release (and watch news for some free copies to be given away)!
In the meantime, Bindlegrim is offering some of the limited edition lanterns that popped up ever so briefly during this past year! Some of these were held back for the Halloween season, and with so many desirable Halloween goodies out there right now, this may be a chance to get them at a good price. These lanterns end on ebay this Sunday night September 16th.
1:The Pumpkin Dream #4/5will be packaged together with the lantern and a copy of the book that gave it its name. This is one of three left with this particular pane imagery:
The lantern was inspired by scenes, characters, and dingbats from The Pumpkin Dream. And for images see the gallery below:
2:
The Haint House #5/5 was the very first lantern Bindlegrim offered, and it was pretty ferociously swept up (perhaps given its creepy content), and this is one of only two left with this particular pane
imagery:
This lantern was inspired by old vintage images of haunted houses - and there are 12 distinct images with doors, windows, and cracks, oozing with skeletons, ghosts, ghouls, witches, ghosts, bugs, snakes, zombies, and other Halloween oddities:
Wishing everyone a great autumn as you plan your decorating scheme for the upcoming holiday! I had a bit of fun creating this grouping here that features some of the many vintage items that have inspired me to create Halloween art, especially lanterns. Cheers!
Having great fun this year at Bindlegrim studios working on dimensional art and lanterns, yet there are, as a reminder to self, at least a couple of new print projects in the ol' bindle that need to be accomplished before the summer is done!
One, previously mentioned, is self-publishing short story writings under the working title "Sketchbook of Straw" and it is hoped this might be a series of small books containing perhaps a few stories and poems in subsequent volumes. The first volume will definitely contain two works titled "The Herbivorous Witch" and "The Jitter Dance", while two other stories are near completion with working titles "Ol' Bugbag" and "The Thief of Pumpkin Heart".
Project two, is converting last year's Halloween poem "The Pumpkin Dream" into a large format coloring book. Here are a few examples from what would be a book of about 40 drawings:
As background to this, while working on the original book , I had felt
the simple graphic designs of the original art style would be appropriate for outlining
in black and white - allowing the kid at heart to choose their own
color palette. (And since I've previously had some great fun creating free 8-page downloadable coloring books
while working at Microsoft) it seemed like a natural progression. And
so I've begun work on transforming the original art from The Pumpkin
Dream into outlines, and am about halfway there!
Stay tuned for more news of publish dates for these two projects as the summer passes, when the air begins to whisper of the expectations of the fall holiday season.Until then Bindlegrim is stubbornly trying to doze the summer away beneath the drone of the cicadas. Wake up, Bindlegrim!
With the unexpected quickness these last few days of producing the first Bindlegrim newsletter (starting March 2012), I wanted to link the content here as preview and provide an alternate online version. Below is a screenshot that links to a legible, clickable posting:
As a first go at a newsletter, I welcome your suggestions, and hope in future to make them even more worthy of opening from your e-mail's inbox. Thank you all once more, and here's to the newness of spring, finally melting away the snow at Ichabod's and a cottage near you.
Just a short follow up from the previous blog entry that the newest version of 12-sided vintage style paper Halloween lanterns is now posted for sale, to end Mar 04 2012 Sunday evening. And though the last one (v3: The Haint House) reached up there, this new one (v1: The Pumpkin Dream) is currently at a great price, and worth stopping by to peruse a listing that comes with both lantern and book:
So, if anyone is as confused with the various versions, as I am trying to explain them, here is a quick overview on the series. I believe this is important because although the lanterns may appear similar at first glance from post to post - the content of each lantern is a limited run... and, so far, the editions have only numbered five prints per version. (That means when one edition is sold out - they won't come back).
Below is a list of the versions as of this date, and I added release dates too because the designs don't necessarily follow availability:
v1) The Pumpkin Dream (limited run of 5 - released 2-26-2012)
v2) The Cornish Litany - to be announced
v3) The Haint House (limited run of 5 - released 2-12-2012)
v4) The Space Witches - working title, to be announced v5 & beyond) - to be announced
This all breaks down to something like v1: #1/5, v1: #2/5, etc.., so each lantern is signed with the version name and the # in the edition. The latest posted lantern is signed "The Pumpkin Dream" #2/5, 2012 Bindlegrim (and has the artist's special Halloween signature). The labels of each lantern also contain the version name and edition number.
So, if you are enjoying the various imagery and themes as much as I am creating them - I want to be sure each time to post photos of the lanterns in the round. And here are some detail shots of v1: The Pumpkin Dream turning the lantern toward the left.
As a further note - for those of you who like a particular theme, I'm also releasing some related products. For example, v2: The Cornish Litany has a series of 12 postcards, and both v2: The Cornish Litany and v:4 The Space Witches now have some cool tee-shirts available on CafePress that are great any time of year:
And here is one my favorites so far. It's in uniform style with pocket-size chest design, and features an outer space kitteh in its antenna topped helmet frustratingly filled with little white mice. How are you going get those mice, space cat???
Arghhh! Once again Ichabod's Cottage has been dumped on by heavy snow and the scarecrow has officially had it since being dumped on back in October - as have the Bindlegrim denizens maybe even long before then, with a single tiny blue snow shovel to dig them out. With all this white stuff falling, at least work is proceeding on the warm orange glows of a new hex-shaped paper lantern!
Now that The Haint House has sadly departed, not only has there been development of new images, but also a glance back to the original lantern content of style #1. I was nervous that with the excitement of getting really spooky for #3 The Haint House, it would have spoiled me, however, I'm really thrilled with #1 The Pumpkin Dream, (also a limited edition of 5), especially now that I see it complete. I'm enjoying the simplicity of the imagery that to me seems very classic Halloween. The mostly even positive and negative space of the orange and black seems to focus attention on the silhouettes within the fields of orange!
Here is #1 The Pumpkin Dream, Halloween lantern, in a series of shots spinning the lantern to the left, so that you can get different views of the form in six and four panel increments. (I decided this time to show a peak at the lantern in darker settings lit by a 3 watt flicker bulb).
So for the uninitiated, The Pumpkin Dream theme is directly related to a book of the same name released last year in 2011. (I was actually working on completing the book in earnest around this same time last year, so in a way, for me, this lantern is commemorative)...
The Pumpkin Dream poetry was a tradition-in-process of mine for a few years, that was illustrated in retro style characters with a palette of orange and black, and released as a DIY publishing venture via various local stores, my favorite pumpkin patch, and Amazon. Note: I've decided to list the lantern with a copy of the book - yet if you are interested in the book itself, I might suggest etsy for a signed copy.
For those familiar with the book, you'll see some small twists in the imagery of the lantern. This final version is a mix of characters and dingbats brought together in new scenes. While the major characters are still present, some of the minor trick-or-treat characters took center stage in panels of their own --- the Princess and the Superhero have found love, the "Jack the Ripper" is being spooked by a spider, and while the Trick-or-Treat Ghost is being haunted by real spirits, the Devil has absconded with his JOL parade lantern.
Hope you enjoy the new adventures of these characters and I'll be sure to post a Bindlegrim blogger entry, facebook message, or twitter message, when this limited edition lantern, in style #1, is available. Happy hauntings from beneath the snow covered cottage of Ichabod's.
If I was still living in the Northwest, (from where I just recently departed after ten years), we most certainly would have visited Craven Farm by now, our favorite pumpkin patch haunt near Historic Downtown Snohomish -- (not too far off from Seattle, Washington).
I have yet to find anything near the new digs that quite makes that perfect match of having a real pumpkin patch farm right next to a rustic olde town brimming with large antique malls and great places to eat like our favorite, for their deserts, the Snohomish Pie Company.
Anyhow, if you are in the area, enjoying what I believe to be the best (and maybe only) time to visit the Northwest, here is a sneak peek of Craven Farm from their website:
I have such fond memories of this place, and since it was part of the Halloween tradition (that was part of my writing of The Pumpkin Dream), I felt it only fitting to dedicate the book to the farm, it's good-humored staff, and the town, and I'm so happy to have copies of the book available at their store of goodies that include jams, decorations, and folk arts.
And of special note for us is the artist Cindy Mangutz who has created two different scenes of Craven Farm at Halloween. (Here's a link to the fantasy-atmosphere of original while the second is perhaps more realistic to the farm grounds). We felt really fortunate, our last year there, to meet the artist and get a large signed print from her (to replace the small greeting card we had bought many years previous).
Here's to Craven Farm and Cindy Mangutz --- and Happy Halloween 2011 to all my friends in the Northwest and across the world!
With October 31st just around the corner, I've re-styled (in a bright pumpkin-colored orange glow) a few snippets of spooky lines from the illustrated Halloween poem The Pumpkin Dream offering a sampling of the poetic content and tone.
While the overall poem expresses a variety of points of view (from fun-loving to dark), the poem selection here is more from the view of a wary narrator and the warning lines from grandpa... (and one reader told me they appreciated the lesson that grandpa is trying to teach). So, well, whatever interpreation you take from this tale of trick-or-treat, and to whichever point of view you prefer as the lesson, I hope you enjoy this excerpt, and perhaps as I do imagine these lines best read in the deeply rich voice of Vincent Price or Boris Karloff:
