Over the year’s I’ve become quite the Halloween and horror art collector. Its one of the reasons I go to nearly every exhibit that opens at The Mystic Museum and its where I find I’m spending most of my money at horror conventions these days. This weekend Midsummer Scream takes place in Long Beach and while there will be hundreds of vendors I wanted to highlight some of my favorite artists that are attending this years event.
Michelle Prebich (Bat In Your Belfry)
I think I’ve seen Michelle’s work at nearly every horror event I’ve attended over the last couple of years. I bought a print of her Scare LA t-shirt design last year and have probably purchased another half a dozen of her prints at other events. She has a unique style that brings a darker more moody look to everything from Disney and horror film icons to music and pop culture. And for Midsummer Scream she’ll have ink originals and prints of her tribute to Hocus Pocus featuring Billy Butcherson and Binx. Check out Bat in Your Belfry at booth #549b.
Noah Korda
For my goth friends, you might recognize the name Noah K from the infamous Bats Day in the Fun Park event at Disneyland. But beyond being the face of the biggest annual goth meetup at Disneyland, Noah is also a talented artist. His art has been leveraged for many of the Bats Day in the Fun Park designs and at Midsummer Scream he’ll be selling some all new prints and original creations. I’m particularly fond of this piece below. Check out Noah’s art in the Bats Day booth #247.
Ben Russel
Ben Russel is an artist and illustrator who seems to be at nearly every con there is. In fact, he’s so busy I can’t figure out when he has time to create his works. That said, Ben brings a realism to everything he does. Both his pencil drawings and his digital pieces are lifelike and feature some of the most famous characters in pop culture and horror. Check out Ben Russel’s art in booth #547.
Mary J. Hoffman (BoogerVampire)
I first discovered the work of Mary J. Hoffman when she submitted a piece depicting Danny from The Shining for The Mystic Museum’s The Shining exhibit earlier this year. Her work takes terrifying characters and makes them more accessible by adding a bit of cartoon charm and cuteness. Her work caught my eye again when my wife fell in love with her adorable take on The Crypt Keeper for The Mystic Museum’s Tales from the Crypt and Goosebumps exhibit, but probably my favorite piece by Hoffman is her tribute to Elvira, which she painted for Gallery 1988 earlier this year. And Midsummer Scream fans will have the chance to get their hands on it because she’s bringing prints of it to Midsummer Scream! You can find Booger Vampire at booth #464.
Bree Paulsen
Bree Paulsen is a recent discovery of mine. Her artwork and creations are just overall fun. I can’t really place why I like them so much, perhaps its just the description of “Vampires & Whimsy” that sold me, but her mix of comics, pins, and art are definitely worth checking out. Fans of vampires will want to check out the unique vampire protection pins, meanwhile I’m just hoping she has a prin of this lovely lady. Bree Paulsen will be setting up shop at booth #267b.
Drew Rausch
I discovered the art and comics of Drew Rausch last year at Midsummer Scream and have followed his work since. He has released a handful of comic books including a special Ben Cooper comic for The Mystic Museum’s Ben Cooper exhibit and did a variant cover for the second issue of the comic series Goosebumps Monsters at Midnight. One of my personal favorites is his book Mister Jinx’s Halloween Hootenanny Special, which has an incredible vintage Halloween vibe. For Midsummer Scream 2018, Drew has announced an all-new comic, Twirly’s Traveling Tricks, which was written by Dana Benedict. You can find Drew Rausch’s One Stop Spooky Shop at booth #309.
Diana Levin (Ghoulish Bunny Studios)
Mixing creepy and cute, Diana Levin creates some whimsical takes on some of your favorite horror and pop culture icons as well as original creations with a macabre twist. She has amassed a rather large collection of works over the years and always has a generous number of prints, so if you’re looking for a unique piece of horror art or a particular character Diana will likely have something that will be of interest. You can find Ghoulish Bunny Studios at booth #415.
Spooksieboo
The work of Spooksieboo leans heavily toward the cute side of things, but there are always swarms of people at her booths buying up stickers, prints, pins, buttons and more. Her work spans everything from twisted takes on Disney characters to your favorite horror icons. She’s another artist who I’ve purchased a number of pieces from over the years, in fact, even my kids are getting into her artwork. If you’re a pin collector, definitely check out her pins, hers are some of the highest quality I’ve seen and remind me a lot of the quality of pins you’d buy at Disneyland. Spooksieboo will be at booth #314.
Stephanie Orta (Stephanie Doodles)
Another artist whose work runs the gamut of pop culture and horror, Stephanie Orta has a very unique style to her art. The doll-like features to many of her characters give me that 1930’s classic cartoon vibe and would pair nicely with anyone who’s a fan of pinup culture. She’s done a number of fun characters including The Munsters and The Addams Family and recently did a piece for the Vampira Introduces The Shape of Water art show and exhibit at The Mystic Museum. That said, I’m most excited about her “Victoria and Her Two Ghost Friends” pin, which will be available at Midsummer Scream. Stephanie’s booth will be #157.
The Art of Sketch
Another one of my favorites, Oscar Navarro AKA The Art of Sketch, is an artist I believe I discovered at last year’s Spookshow at Halloween Club. I’ve purchased a number of his pieces over the last couple of years and what I love most about his artwork is that it’s unique and is rooted in SoCal culture. You can see the Southern California footprint in his jack-o-lantern couple wearing Dodgers hats, or the palatero jack-o-lantern or even the “Elotes” piece he did. But don’t be scared off if you’re not a SoCal native, there are plenty of other pieces you’ll love. Beyond his amaznig Jack-o-lantern characters, Oscar has pieces featuring an array of pop culture and horror icons all in his unique style. You’ll be able to find The Art of Sketch at booth #265.
While these are by no means the full list of artists appearing at this year’s Midsummer Scream these are among some of my favorites whose booths I return to every chance I get. If you visit one of these artists over the weekend and enjoy their work give me a shout out online and let me know. I love turning people onto these incredible artists and I hope you all enjoy their work as much as I do.
