It's a Scribble Picnic Boo Fest!

The Secret History of Max Shreck

For this week's picnic, I decided to follow along with my Instagram theme of myths, folklore and fables for the online Inktober challenge. As I'm doing these in alphabetical order too (with Mummy being my last rendition), today's is based on the German-expressionist 1922 silent b&w movie, Nosferatu. I've never actually seen it myself but is considered today, one of the greatest movies of all time! In fact, there's a curious story behind its making that was almost lost in the annuls of history since Bram Stroker's family took the film production company to court over copyright infringement. While ordered to be destroyed, one copy had already been distributed and from that others were later made, eventually growing into a cult-like status for its dark romanticism and becoming a classic in its own right.

Although borrowing Gothic elements, it really is more drama and Hitchcock-like suspense than true horror per se, which, btw, I don't really like anyway, being far too easily scared by such!

Much credit is given not only to the cinemaphotography but to Max Shreck, the lead actor. Portraying Count Orlok, he stayed in character the whole time, on and off set, and is acknowledged as likely the first official character-actor. Decades later, a whole mythos developed that, actually, Shreck was quite possibly a closet vampire himself! He was too, curiously, known as having an off-key sense of humour and while married with no children, often spent hours walking alone through dark forests and renowned for his ability playing off-beat characters so well. Consequentially, a 'secret history' behind the movie and the man developed, even spawning a spin-off movie exploring that very myth!

So, how did you explore this curious Boo! theme? Perhaps some of you decided to avoid it altogether, I don't know. Let's find out...

P.S. Yes, btw, I still plan to visit everyone from last week! Please bear with me as I slowly catch up with everything else. Thank you so much!

Fill in the Blank Week

For the lines (shown below), I decided to use each of them in fact for teeth on this carved pumpkin that I did for my fables theme on Instagram last week. So, it was actually in time for what would have been our picnic except for the delay! Funny things is, I've never actually carved a pumpkin myself. This is as close as I've ever come as we never did Halloween growing up in UK.  BTW, I used a manuscript pen with India ink and painted the brown background using Bombay ink and water — all a first for me!

Originally carved out turnips & gourds, the Jack-o-lantern dates back to a Victorian Irish fable about a wretched drunkard, Stingy Jack, who was left to roam the earth damned because of his life of deceitfulness & excessive drink. 

Sign up below and show us how you imagined the rest of the space. I should tell you too, I'm in an all-week meeting with work stuff where most evenings run quite late so will likely not be able to visit everyone until end of the week, sorry, but definitely will do so at some point! Thanks for playing along though. Can't wait to see what each of you do!

P.S. Reminder, here's the choice of lines from which we were to choose...

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**New themes will be posted later this evening!

New Theme with New Due date

Choose one shape below and fill in the blank/negative space:

Sign up here on 2017.10.18.
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Oops! Just realised that  I never put up the new shape to work with for this week's theme! With only two days till Wednesday, that's not going to give any of you enough time so am extending the due date a week out.

My apologies for  not getting this up sooner. I got carried away with doing #inktober where one submits something every day using that hashtag, and likewise, checking out the others. Being able to choose ones own theme, I've decided to narrow in on Victorian and Medieval fables & folklore. It's been quite a challenge drawing something daily, let me tell you, let alone using pen and ink. On top of that, I'm also going through the alphabet!  It's fun though having some of you joining in the challenge there too. (Let's see if we can make it through the entire month.) For me, I'm keeping those sketches to about 30 mins tops or there's no way there would be any time for much else. :)

OK, see you later here ... or every day this month on my Instagram and Twitter! Keep creative and happy doodling. I wonder what each of you will do with one of these shapes? Door perhaps, anyone?

Under a Scribble Picnic BLANKET

Under a Hedgie Blanket of Blue

As this title suggests, I was inspired by that swooning classic, Under a Blanket of Blue, specifically, Doris Day's rendition.

If I've got to be out camping, let it be with hot cocoa in hand, snuzzled under wraps with the twinkling stars above. Now, that sounds romantic. :)

How about you? Time to bring your blankets to this week's picnic...