Watchman's Note

This is a journey to the best designs in the world of Zazzle.com. Handpicked and presented (along with my own artwork) by yours truly, the driving force behind Surreality designs. We'll discover great artists and special products -mostly with a taste for the eccentric. But let us not confine ourselves in specific genres: the possibilities are endless and so is the great art one can find at Zazzle.
Showing posts with label H.P. Lovecraft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label H.P. Lovecraft. Show all posts

2/15/2011

Watched by a thousand eyes


Countless eyes on a shapeless, jelly-like form? Yes, this gelatinous blob looks like a shoggoth to me! It's been a long time since I saw any Lovecraftian design worth talking about and I'm glad I found this green maelstrom.
Am I the only one who thinks that this is actually  funny?
This poster was created by David Robinson for his Cydonian store, a place where he presents his strange artwork: from eccentric space landscapes to things that go bump in the night.

2/03/2011

Top 10 Unusual Valentine's Day designs

Well, it's that corny time of year again and Surreality Watch wants to make sure that if you absolutely must make an ass of yourself then at least you'll do in style. So, here's my list of this year's top ten unexpected, atypical and noteworthy artwork that people have put on products on Zazzle.com -in random order. Let the sentimental consumerfest begin:

(1)

A "Dear John" letter guarantees you won't be easily forgotten! Great idea from CAMcGuire.


(2)

Good typography makes for a minimal and tasteful necklace. Very nice work from Star Stream Design.


(3)

A cartoon Cupid -rather careless with his arrows- in this funny t-shirt from Badger Pie.


(4)

Love's weapon and good graphic design on this delicious card from Destructobot.


(5)

A striking dark card with a simple (and rather ambiguous...) message of love, from Seguidilla.


(6)

Let the robot do the talking with this cool card from Spacedust!


(7)

The folks at Strk3 tell it like it is: love is a battlefield. That's why you'll need their nifty Love Grenade poster.


(8)

This distressed anti-valentine's t-shirt turns cliches upside down. Great misanthropy from InsaniTEE.


(9)

The next-to-worst case scenario, splendidly conceived by The Anti Card store.


(10)

Some people are literal and laconic in the matters of the heart! Gorgeous card from -once again- Destructobot.



(+1 more...)
This ends the list but there is one more thing to be said. I do believe that my own Slippery Love Sign artwork is not bad at all!

Available in t-shirts and other products and blah-blah-blah, right here!

1/12/2011

Afro-Cthulhu disturbing peace


This is a truly unprecedented Cthulhu reference! John Jennings summoned his great talent and came up with a remarkable afro cthulhoid -while avoiding the hideous "cute Cthulhu" rubbish that plagues the web. Strange, funny and powerful art, true to the artist's strong and gritty style.
Let's have a look at another goody from his store:


This one pays homage to James Baldwin and it's a shirt that tells the truth. Visit JohnJenn70 on zazzle and discover more artful, disturbing truths.
[John has an excellent blog on  Afro-American comics, art and culture called Black Comix. Don't miss out on that!]

6/22/2010

Mythos revisited

The Innsmouth Look postcard
The Innsmouth Look by CthulhuCthulhu
Make your own Post card on zazzle.com
I'm talking about Cthulhu Mythos of course, the brilliant legacy of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and the strange designs it inspires.
Let's start with this totally surreal, pseudo-photograph by CthulhuCthulhu, a store dedicated to cthulhian creepiness. Have you ever wondered why there was nothing in the family album about the obscure Innsmouth branch? This unique postcard gives you the answer! This amphibian-looking fellow may well be Captain Obed Marsh himself -and slightly reminiscent of Captain Beefheart's Trout mask replica album cover.
The style of Scythemantis is quite different. His work is cartoonish and playful, paying an imaginative homage to the Great Race of Yith. Do these yithian tentacles hold the Pnakotic Manuscripts? Scythemantis's work is well-versed and rich in details so I guess the answer is yes.

Finally, I should remind you to check this older post about Bradley W.Schenck's magnificent work at Ars Celtica. Some of the best Mythos-inspired artwork lurks there, sleeping but not dead!

6/05/2010

Doomed expedition

Do you remember when you took part in that Miscatonic University's expedition in Australia, back in '35?
You know, the one that stumbled upon ancient ultra-dimensional beings that caused havoc and destruction? No?
Well, that's the way our mind works. It strives to help us forget some traumatic memories. But ole H.P. Lovecraft has written all about it, and Propnomicon made this fine, distressed design to commemorate it!
Or you might remember the Antarctic expedition of 1930, that took us to the Mountains of Madness... Propnomicon is the Zazzle store of the Propnomicon blog, a real treasure for all Lovecraftian props you could wish for. Both the store and the blog are a dream come true for all Cthulhu mythos connoisseurs!

4/21/2010

Lovecraft & Co

LOVECRAFT shirt
LOVECRAFT by SCARSMagazine
Make a customized shirt with zazzle.com
It's been a long time since we last saw something Lovecraft-inspired, and I started having these strange dreams again... So, to make amends with the sinister powers that be, here is a great b/w t-shirt that's sure to satisfy your goulish -yet stylish- needs.
When you first get a glimpse at this design it almost looks like a darker, more elaborate version of a "Love" artwork (the kind you are sick and tired of). And then you look again and you notice the details! That's a fine surprise pulled off by SCARS Magazine shop, a splendid store for horror and gory t-shirts.
Let's have a look at another beauty:
A great scary design, characteristic of the Nosferatu film -the stuff real vampyres are made off!
If you are into horror movies and you appreciate a little bit of good, oldfashioned blood and slime, then you should also check SCARS Magazine website. It really is a gorehead's paradise!

11/30/2009

Twisted Celt

You can't go wrong with this guy! Do you remember Bradley W.Schenck, the fabulous artist who gave us Retropolis Travel? I wrote about him sometime ago and I feel obliged to do it again, this time regarding his outstanding work in the intricate celtic tradition -always with a touch of his great humor.
I'm drooling over this superb Cthulhu design. A really unique blend of Great Old Ones imagery and Celtic knotwork that would leave H.P.L. himself at a loss for words!
In his gallery, Ars Celtica, traditional, mythical and modern elements are combined to give pieces of beautiful perplexity, such as this one:
Bradley, a true master of his art, began exploring Celtic-influenced art back in the '80s. Lucky for us, he has never stopped streching this side of his talent ever since. My personal all-time favorite? If I should chose just one it would be this discreetly ominous mug:

A vintage theater poster of Nyarlathotep (the Older God who used dark charisma to propagate owe and chaos in our mortal societies). Inspired by the true origins of this demonic entity as formed in Lovecraft's own dreams: the ultimate sinister showman. Details such as the "Pickman Theatre" and the "Shining trapezohedron" gain my absolute respect!
[More exquisite B.W. Schenck in the Webomator]

11/24/2009

Scuba diving horrors


A tourist come-on for the sunken city of R'lyeh hadn't crossed my mind. Fortunately, there are people crazier than me who had such an idea! We're back to horror universe again (ole H.P.Lovecraft won't be forgotten in Surreality Watch), specifically to a part of it that's great for scuba divers looking for really extreme situations.
Strk3, where this and many more cool and humorous designs stem from to conquer the world, actually informs us that "the calamari is quite... good" down there! I can assure you that this gallery's work is quite good, too. If you're looking for smart parody in beautiful designs, you just found it.

11/20/2009

Ogling beverage


Shoggoth-time, here in Surreality Watch and I challenge you: look at this coffee mug -or, I should say, let it look at you- and try to resist! My horror fiction appetite has gotten the best of me lately and I can't seem to get enough of uncanny designs.
Shoggoths, being protean and amorphous monsters of the Chtulhu Mythos, seemed to evade portrayal. Not any more! Richard Strohmayer, the artist behind The Sketch Aesthetic store decided to give it a try and came up with this great, wacky illustration. It's really abstract, as it was to be expected from such shifty creatures -and I do mean shoggoths, not artists! I'm sure sipping coffee and staring back at this eldritch deviation, will be a pleasure.
Richard's gallery likes horryfying themes, mostly humorous, including crazy curiosities such as Zombie Christmas.

11/17/2009

Woodcutting horror

More news from the dark side, folks, with this splendid woodcut picturing the infamous Deep Ones -yep, you guessed it, we're into H.P. Lovecraft territory again! This b/w design looks like the kind of thing you could find in a dark ancient attic (and would have you wondering about your grandfather's voyages to the Pacific).
 Good news is that this little treasure is not the only one of it's kind available. Check the great Hypnogoria shop, especially the marvelous Necronomicon woodcuts section, and get ready for some jaw-dropping stuff. Need more proof? Here it is:
Midnight card card
Midnight card by Hypnogoria
Shop for a greeting card at zazzle
Being a horror fan, this kind of work makes me feel like a kid in front of a candy store. This gallery's designs are NOT to be shunned! Jim Moon, the artist, has a really intriguing website, too. It'll take you treasure-hunting in the land of art and poetry.

11/15/2009

Welcome to picturesque Arkham

The former post about tentacles reminded me of this design, based on H.P. Lovecraft's fictional city of Arkham (where the influence of the Old Ones is stronger than ever). This great t-shirt is an homage to the Cthulhu mythos and I'm sure that fans and devoted readers of horror literature will appreciate it as much as I do. I found it on Arkham Press, a store that specializes in Lovecraft stuff. The stars are always right for finding such gems!

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