Illustrating “The Twilight Kaleidoscope” – Christian von Aster

When Christian von Aster asked me to create illustrations for his horror anthology “The Twilight Kaleidoscope / Das Zwielichtkaleidoskop” I was intrigued. I’ve always had a penchant for dark subjects and the opportunity to combine my art with an anthology like this was just perfect for me.

Working on the illustrations for “The Twilight Kaleidoscope” was a special challenge. I don’t usually do commissions, I guess I am too perfectionist for that kind of work. I need to have every detail fixed and just work too long on each picture. And I am good at planning and figuring out stuff by myself, but not particularly good at negotiating and dealing with people. But I really didn’t want to miss the opportunity to work with Herr von Aster. It’s special and rare to get to know a unique artistic soul. 🖤

Of course, I met the author to understand his vision for the illustrations and incorporate them into my work. As an author, he obviously had his own ideas about the illustrations, but he also gave me a lot of creative freedom to realize my own vision. Each image should reflect the dark atmosphere of the book while capturing my own artistic vision.

 

Then the real work began, where I wanted to present each chapter of the book with a unique combination of elements. We had agreed upon a black-and-white aesthetic highlighted with blood-red accents, which is a very bold and impressive combination.

I had to deal intensively with each story in order to find the right visual interpretation. Bringing it all together in a way that makes sense and still looks atmospheric is the hard part. I also had no idea at first, if m”Hope”-art style would translate well into black and white, with a horror twist. I had to see it for myself!

For months I went into dark and scary worlds and tried to capture the atmosphere of Christian von Astor’s stories in my pictures. It was not easy to balance the work on the illustrations with my busy schedule while still meeting the deadline. But in the end, it was worth the effort and I cannot wait to hold the finished book in my hands.

 

Ultimately, it was an incredible experience to be a part of this book project. It was challenging to work on each individual image, but also rewarding to see the end result. I’m grateful for the opportunity to present my art in this way and look forward to sharing it with others.

 

When the book finally comes out on March 31st, I will be incredibly excited. A premiere reading will be held at Moritzbastei to celebrate the release and I love to see my images in context with the stories.

After that, I look forward to presenting my artworks from the book at the “Kunst trifft WGT” exhibition, where some of the illustrations will be available as exclusive art prints.

By the End of May, some of the best illustrations in the BeuteltierArt gallery would be exhibited in full size and beauty. Each image is rich in detail and expression, and I think they fit perfectly with the spooky stories they illustrate.

I am looking forward to the group art show alongside the work of Absurd Art and Susan Illingworth. I’m proud to be a part of this exhibition and look forward to sharing my art with fellow Goth fans. It’s an incredible feeling to see my work presented in so many different ways.