Illustrations for “Der Hautobiograph vom Grosvenor Square” und “Blind Date” by Malte S. Sembten and a Portrait of the Author, 2012
Blind Date
Der Hautobiograph vom Grosvenor Square
Porträt Malte S. Sembten
The last two illustrations for the short story collection Maskenhandlungen by Malte S. Sembten and portrait of the author.
The book is going to be published in mid 2013 by Golkonda, the cover will be designed by the highly esteemed artist benSwerk, who works regularly for Golkonda.
Altogether I worked exactly one year on this project. All 15 drawings can be seen here .
Illustrations for the Anthology Die Sarginsel. Eine Galerie vergessener deutscher Phantasten, 1998/2013
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- Peregrinus Tyss, “Gorgyra”
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- Friedrich Werner van Oesteren, “Tom Bricys linkes Auge”
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- Arno Hach, “Der Vampyr”
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- Beat von Müller, “Die Villa des Herrn Unselt”
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- Alfred Eduard Frauenfeld, “Angst”
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- Hermann Dressler, “Der Druidenschimmel”
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- Heinz Stratz, “Die Brille des Salvanio d’Armati”
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- Walther Maczewski, “Die Sarginsel”
“Da bemerkte er ein Herz, das ein Student am Tische liegen gelassen haben mochte. Er betrachtete den abnorm großen und ausgebildeten Muskel und griff nach ihm. Kalt und schwammig lag das Herz in seiner leise bebenden Hand.
Doch was war das?
Ein eisiger Luftzug zuckte durch den dunklen Raum und verlöschte fast die letzte Flamme. Er fühlte, daß ihm jetzt etwas Außerordentliches, Visionäres begegnen würde. Kalter Schauer überlief seine Glieder, das Gehirn krampfte sich wie unter einem elektrischen Schlag zusammen, und das Haar sträubte sich in unheimlichem Grauen.
Das Herz! Das Herz in seiner Hand!”
Otto Hipp, “Das zuckende Herz” (The Wincing Heart), 1925
The anthology Die Sarginsel. Eine Galerie Deutscher Phantasten (Coffin Island. A Gallery of Forgotten Fantastic Writers) was supposed to present 17 short stories by forgotten authors of the first third of the 20th century. The collection was compiled by Robert N. Bloch, author of the standard bibliography of the subject. Due to publishing problems the book never appeared. The alltogether 11 illustrations remained unpublished, too. In January 2013 stories and illustrations will be published as bibliophilic private printing.
All of the drawings were drawn in negative and inverted later (except the cat which is a an older drawing I combined with the raven to create a new image).
Illustrations for “Der Tag des Anthrax” (Anthrax Day) and “Telefonspiele” (Telephone Games) by Malte S. Sembten, 2012
Der Tag des Anthrax
Telefonspiele
Eleventh and twelfth illustration for the short story collection Maskenhandlungen by Malte S. Sembten, to be published in 2013. All illustrations here .
Illustrations for “Die Krakelkult-Kampagne” (The Scrawl Cult Campaign) and “Die armen Toten” (The Poor Dead) by Malte S. Sembten, 2012
Die Krakelkult-Kampagne
Die armen Toten
Ninth and tenth illustration for the short story collection Maskenhandlungen by Malte S. Sembten, to be published in 2013. The first eight hier, here, here, here and here.
Illustrations for “Der Problemopa” (The Problematic Grandpa) and “Memory-TX” von Malte S. Sembten, 2012
Der Problemopa
Memory-TX
Seventh and eighth illustration for the short story collection Maskenhandlungen by Malte S. Sembten, to be published in 2013. The first six here, here, here and here.
Illustrations for “H” und “Die rote Kammer” (The Red Chamber) by Malte S. Sembten, 2012
H
Die rote Kammer
Fifth and sixth illustration for the short story collection Maskenhandlungen by Malte S. Sembten, going to be published mid 2013. There first four here, here and here.
Illustrations for “Brandopfer” and “Maskenhandlungen” by Malte S. Sembten, 2012
Maskenhandlungen
Brandopfer
Dritte und vierte Illustration für die Kurzgeschichtensammlung Maskenhandlungen von Malte S. Sembten, die Anfang 2013 erscheinen soll. Nummer 1 und 2 hier und hier.
Edgar Allan Poe – Ultima Thule (Illustration for “Das Spukschloss” (The Haunted Palace) by Malte S. Sembten), 2012
Fassung 4
“March 22.- The darkness had materially increased, relieved only by the glare of the water thrown back from the white curtain before us. Many gigantic and pallidly white birds flew continuously now from beyond the veil, and their scream was the eternal Tekeli-li! as they retreated from our vision. Hereupon Nu-Nu stirred in the bottom of the boat; but upon touching him, we found his spirit departed. And now we rushed into the embraces of the cataract, where a chasm threw itself open to receive us. But there arose in our pathway a shrouded human figure, very far larger in its proportions than any dweller among men. And the hue of the skin of the figure was of the perfect whiteness of the snow.”
Edgar Allan Poe, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838)
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“Im Gegensatz zu den modernen Zeugen war Poe aus seinem Todeserlebnis nicht angstfrei und sinnerfüllt hervorgegangen. Dazu genügte ein Blick auf seine fotographischen Konterfeis der letzten Jahre, bis hin zu jener Daguerreotypie Edwin H. Manchesters vom 9. November 1848, die Sarah Helen Whitman das ›Ultima Thule‹-Portrait‹ taufte — ›als sei er eben noch dem äußersten Weltenrand des Schreckens entrissen worden‹, wie sie es beschrieb – und mit vier Zeilen seines Gedichtes ›Dreamland‹ aus dem Jahre 1844 versah:
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule —
From a wild weird clime that lieth, sublime
Out of SPACE — out of TIME.”
Malte S. Sembten, “Das Spukschloss” (The Haunted Palace)
Detail
Die drawing is an illustration for a short story collection by Malte S. Sembten to be published in 2013. My starting pont was the “Ultima Thule” Portrait of Poe, his novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and of course Malte’s short stories that includes references to both.
The image is a black ink drawing, drawn in negative, scanned and inverted with Photoshop, to get the white lines on black background. Because you don’t really get the picture while you are drawing, I scanned it several times to look at the interim results – fortunately, because only because of that the third version was preserved, which is maybe better than the finished one, though it is not quite what I intended, less light and “antarctic”.
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- Fassung 1 (invertiert)
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- Fassung 2 (invertiert)
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- Fassung 3 (invertiert)
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- Fassung 4 (fertige Zeichnung, nicht invertiert)
