Above: character study for the Witch in my forthcoming picture-book from Saint Jude’s Prints based on the fairy tale Hansel & Gretel
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Halloween is being celebrated here at the Artlog with a post about one of the projects that will be occupying me over the forthcoming months. Simon Lewin of Saint Jude’s Prints has offered me the wonderful opportunity to make my first artist’s ‘picture-book’, which is to be my own dark and twisty adaptation of Hansel & Gretel. I produced a text and images for a re-telling of H&G that appeared in the Saint Jude’s magazine Random Spectacular 2 a few months ago, and though the current project took off from that re-telling, it’s completely different from its predecessor in all aspects.
Artwork for Hansel & Gretel in Random Spectacular 2
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A finished page from the magazine, with artwork by me and design by Simon Lewin
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I made many images in the process of preparing my contribution to Random Spectacular 2, and it was while playing with those ideas that I realised just how much I wanted to explore the theme as a full-blown picture-book.
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Character studies for Hansel & Gretel
Below: Gingerbread Zombies
An exciting add-on to the project, is that my friend, artist/maker Peter Slight, is going to be producing a prototype Gingerbread Zombie model, and with luck, by the time the book is ready to launch, it will be on hand to help promote the publication!
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Below: Gretel gets mad!
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Henceforth images from Hansel & Gretel will be appearing sparely here at the Artlog, as we want to have plenty of surprises in store for when the book is launched. But to celebrate the serious (and exciting) business of beginning the project in earnest, here is a preparatory drawing showing the Witch and her evil Gingerbread Zombie henchmen in pursuit of the hapless children, amid a fusillade of confectionary.
Happy Halloween!
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Clive Hicks-Jenkins' Artlog: 
Gosh, this is a fantastic project! Can’t wait to see the end result 🙂
The only problem with gingerbread zombies is that if they jump out of your biscuit tin and bite you, you become a zombie too. I speak from experience, as mentioned here a little while ago….. be afraid of your biscuit tin, be very afraid……** eyes wide, mouth doing zombie grin, arms outstretched, walking in jerky manner whilst searching for next victim….**
Love to have an edible one!
A good idea for a promotion party! Plates of Gingerbread Zombies! Tee hee!
What a stunning drawing, just stunning!
Thank you, Phil. Taking a spin here around the world of the Brothers Grimm. It’s fantastic to be returning to the beloved things of my childhood, from the perspective of adulthood and knowledge.
Happy Halloween everyone!
I’m just off to try carving a carrot out, it will be my alternative to a pumpkin,
you never know, if it works ‘creepy carrots’ might just catch on?!
(i’ll send pictures if it’s good and no pictures if its bad!)
P.S. I will send Clive pictures of my ‘zombie in progress’ 🙂
That has brought a big smile to my face.
I forgot to say Happy Halloween to you too! Will you be celebrating?xL
This is exciting stuff, thanks for posting it. Gretel gets mad is delightful and the pursuing witch etc… wonderfully drawn. Is there a date for the book? forgive me if you have posted the date before, senior moments do happen occasionally. I hope Peter posts his work on the prototype too. This is such an interesting project.xL
No, no date. I think for all of us it’s one of those things that we’re working toward among the other commitments. But for my own part I want to work fast and hard, as that’s the way I get the best results.
I’m greatly looking forward to seeing what Peter Sleight does with the Gingerbread Zombie. He made such a fantastic job of the ‘Krampus’ demon he made for me.