The idea to create an illustrated book of dark nursery rhymes was a gradual one. Aside from my interest in the work of Edward Gorey, which dates back to 2005 when I purchased his first Amphigorey book, I think the real genesis for this project occurred in July 2013 when I discovered and subsequently started buying collections of Charles Addams cartoons that had graced the pages of THE NEW YORKER for decades — I’d long been a fan of the original television show and the movies they inspired. I also got his book The Chas Addams Mother Goose published in 1967 and thought it would be pretty neat to create a book in a similar vein. So I decided to set out and do just that, but in my own style while also paying tribute to Gorey and Addams, and drew the first sketch in early 2014 for what would eventually become Mother Noose Nursery Crimes four years later: a compilation of 20 rhymes and about 50 illustrations. Below are some early sketches followed by more refined ones for the book.
As an added bonus, you can read a wonderful piece from BLACK GATE’s Goth Chick News on the personalized press kit I put together for a soft launch of my book here:
nurserycrimesanimatedseries.com 