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MurderousAutomaton — Creepazoids: Dreamscape

#alice #baddreams #boogeyman #bowlerhat #characterdesign #characters #creepy #dali #dannyelfman #dream #dreams #dreamscape #eerie #gasmask #nightmare #nightmares #salvadordali #sonofman #surreal #surrealism #surrealist #toys #umbrella #christinasworld #toydesign #magrittesonofman #aliceinwonderland #magritte
Published: 2020-03-28 05:24:07 +0000 UTC; Views: 13498; Favourites: 266; Downloads: 64
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Description I know what you're thinking: "Gee Tom, you reference Magritte all the time in your Creepazoids sets, but can't you make an entire series based on him?" To be fair, there's a lot of references to other surrealist art in here, too... so let's ring in springtime with a good ol' fashioned romp into the darkest recesses of our dreams!  I'll pack a lunch! ^____^
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Comments: 124

MurderousAutomaton In reply to ??? [2024-12-10 05:12:50 +0000 UTC]

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ThatsLikeThreeBones [2024-11-29 07:41:44 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to ThatsLikeThreeBones [2024-11-30 00:45:40 +0000 UTC]

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0Colosuss0 [2024-02-21 05:17:59 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to 0Colosuss0 [2024-02-29 00:13:39 +0000 UTC]

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akimble1 [2023-11-01 15:55:04 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to akimble1 [2023-11-02 19:22:44 +0000 UTC]

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Just-some-twit [2023-09-23 23:09:33 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to Just-some-twit [2023-09-27 22:12:13 +0000 UTC]

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Just-some-twit In reply to MurderousAutomaton [2023-09-28 01:35:06 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to Just-some-twit [2023-09-30 02:29:46 +0000 UTC]

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Halberd30 [2022-09-02 18:52:30 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to Halberd30 [2022-09-02 21:08:06 +0000 UTC]

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PureHeartsErotica In reply to MurderousAutomaton [2022-09-28 04:55:32 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to PureHeartsErotica [2022-09-29 16:11:44 +0000 UTC]

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MadetGheist [2022-05-29 18:03:43 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to MadetGheist [2022-06-01 20:37:56 +0000 UTC]

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MadetGheist In reply to MurderousAutomaton [2022-06-01 21:03:09 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to MadetGheist [2022-06-03 22:30:46 +0000 UTC]

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Toychicraft [2021-09-09 18:44:14 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to Toychicraft [2021-09-11 16:52:17 +0000 UTC]

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GMQUilmataalpha [2020-07-03 01:44:09 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to GMQUilmataalpha [2020-07-03 17:07:29 +0000 UTC]

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HerefortheGoldskies [2020-06-20 14:00:44 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to HerefortheGoldskies [2020-06-20 18:15:47 +0000 UTC]

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HerefortheGoldskies In reply to MurderousAutomaton [2020-07-06 12:30:23 +0000 UTC]

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to HerefortheGoldskies [2020-07-07 02:53:45 +0000 UTC]

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JohnCheshirsky [2020-04-26 09:01:51 +0000 UTC]

Whaaaaat is real? Hoooow do I feel?

Or something like that. had to google some stuff to get the references

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to JohnCheshirsky [2020-04-29 17:21:46 +0000 UTC]

Ha, ha!  Nice!  Not the best music video in the world, but not without its charm. I'm obsessed with that movie, even though it's pretty bad.  All the Magritte visuals do it for me.

Did you find the other references?  Except for ??? and Nightmare, each character is a reference to some kind of surrealist work--paintings, movies (you already got that one), music and writing.

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JohnCheshirsky In reply to MurderousAutomaton [2020-04-30 04:40:10 +0000 UTC]

I got Golconde's and Somnambulist's reference right away, as well as the Wanderer I got Christina now, scrolling through all of the Creepazoids for millionth time, because I just heard that painting mentioned somewhere not long ago, can't remember where. Hatchling took me a while, I knew it looked familiar but I didn't know exactly it's from, so google helped me here. Yeah, ??? is one of your originals, I think, and Nightmare, apparently, too, so that helps. So basically, at this point, I only don't know what the Lumplings are referencing

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to JohnCheshirsky [2020-05-09 03:30:30 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, it shouldn't be too hard to pick out the Magritte characters, since I reference his stuff all the time. Nice!  That's some solid sleuthing!  At first I was worried that Hatchling referenced Dali too closely and didn't really offer anything new or interesting, but then I thought, well, it's weird and creepy, and in the end, that's all that matters. The Tender Lumplings are a reference to an Oingo Boingo song/poem from the mid-'90s:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n1Zvw…  I actually based an animated short on this song back in the college, too, and drew the characters very similarly to how they appear in the Creepazoid set.  Fun fact!  

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SIADmander [2020-04-07 18:18:57 +0000 UTC]

I was going to come back and comment on this one but I never did. This is probably one of my favorite series yet, although you can probably find a comment like that from me on a dozen of these, hah. But seriously, I'm plagued by horrible nightmares every time I fall asleep, and the aesthetics of this one really remind me of the muted, foggy grayness of that imagery. Plus, I'm bonkers for Lewis Carroll stuff. 

The ones from this set that I'm definitely putting on my shelf (when these are noticed by a toy company that will do them justice) are definitely Golconde, Tender Lumplings, Wanderer, and Nightmare.

P.S. Quarantine time is a great time to obsess endlessly over redoing the lineart of my work-in-progress Soviet Creepazoids c:

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to SIADmander [2020-04-11 04:46:16 +0000 UTC]

Ha, ha!  They can all be our favorite sets, can't they? That sucks!  Sorry to hear your dreams aren't very fun.  I used to have fun dreams when I was younger, but now they seem to mostly be either mundane and dull, or disturbing body horror-type stuff.  I think my subconscious is trying to tell me that I'm too stressed out. But yeah, I've always been fascinated by dreams, especially their ethereal, out-of-focus/out-of-reach-type nature.  That's probably why I love surrealism so much, so it made for a fun theme to play around with!  Did I ever link you to my Return to Oz drawings?  I did them way back in 2006, as a sort of experimental attempt at capturing that strange, obscured feel of dreams (especially bad dreams).  I think a few of them are here on dA, but I posted them all on ArtStation if you wanna take a look:  www.artstation.com/artwork/gJG…

Anyway, nice choices!  Those are some of my favorites as well, along with Somnambulist.  I know he's not as slick-looking as his previous incarnation, but he's damn sure more unnerving! I think with the exception of ??? and Nightmare, every character is based on a famous surreal work (mostly paintings, but also literature, music and film).

Nice!  I can't wait to see the finished set!  Though I wouldn't obsess too much--I thought they looked great the way they are! ^____^

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SIADmander In reply to MurderousAutomaton [2020-04-11 09:47:29 +0000 UTC]

Oh my gosh, those Oz drawings... that's such a perfect, nostalgic style and tone... Do I want to call it industrial? That seems reductive but I love work that captures that feeling (did you ever see The Cell, or read the 1989 Arkham Asylum comic?) and I think I want to start looking into more of it.

I love them, I think I can safely say at this point I really miss the sincere edginess that used to be so common in art. I'm off to RISD this Fall, I can't wait to annoy my classmates and teachers with attempts to recapture that :>

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to SIADmander [2020-04-15 23:40:45 +0000 UTC]

Totally!  I think that style became really big around that time at least partially because of Silent Hill.  Seemed like every "edgy" and "dark" story had rusted metal walls, steel grating, fleshy monsters, etc.  I know I personally referenced Silent Hill imagery all the damn time! I'm not sure how to quantify it... "industrial" is a good word!  Sort of an "abandoned slaughterhouse" aesthetic.  So much of my art from that time had that look!  I was especially inspired by American McGee's Alice and Todd McFarlane's collaborations with Clive Barker (Tortured Souls, Infernal Parade, etc.).  Chains, ripped flesh, leather, stitched-up faces, insane asylums--I was trying a bit too hard... Now you've got me thinking about your suggestion for a "dark" Creepazoid set!  I'll have to think about that one!  It would be fun to revisit that style...

Ha, ha!  That'll be awesome!  Go for it!  I'd love to see what you come up with, if you decide to post it here on dA! Best of luck--that'll be exciting!  What's your art focus going to be?  Have you decided?

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SIADmander In reply to MurderousAutomaton [2020-04-16 00:51:31 +0000 UTC]

I'll be an animation major, working in the same classrooms and desks as such legends as... Seth Mcfarlane, and uh... Sam Hyde...

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to SIADmander [2020-04-18 03:51:22 +0000 UTC]

That's awesome!!!  I wish my school had had a dedicated animation focus.  They had a major for multimedia design/animation, but the emphasis was on multimedia design.  Still fun, though!

What kind of animation are you pursuing?  More traditional?  CGI?  Stop-motion?  Little bit of everything?

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SIADmander In reply to MurderousAutomaton [2020-04-18 15:13:54 +0000 UTC]

I’m pursuing traditional, including actual pencil-on-paper stuff, because I like to draw! I’m good at that, not so much sculpting or photography or computer work. That said, I’ve experimented with Stop-Mo and would love to give CG a shot.
My goal is to eventually direct a feature length animated horror film— actually eerie and disturbing use of drawings, not just macabre halloween imagery.

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to SIADmander [2020-04-25 01:30:09 +0000 UTC]

That's awesome!  I love traditional animation!  I've dabbled in 3D but have never tried stop-motion, but I'd love to give it a shot! I used to submit animated shorts to festivals back in the day, but I've been too busy with the comic and work (and Creepazoids!) to make new cartoons.  I think my last festival was like 2012.  I'll have to get back into the game at some point!  There's something so satisfying about seeing an animation come together!  What software do you use to composite the animations?

That would be amazing!  A style and story that embodies true horror, rather than something just relying on tropes and easy scares.  Godspeed, my good man!

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SIADmander In reply to MurderousAutomaton [2020-04-25 01:52:17 +0000 UTC]

Dragonframe is what I use to composite my pencil drawings... Flash is my default for digital, but if I really looked into it I have a feeling Toon Boom might be preferable at this point. Doing little animations on post its is fun if you use Onioncam, the phone app. It gives you a ghost image of the last photo you took, so you can draw rough little frame-by-frame flip animations without much of a setup.

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to SIADmander [2020-04-25 04:01:20 +0000 UTC]

Nice!  I've heard good things about Toon Boom!  I'm not a huge fan of Flash--I used to use Director, a sister program to Flash, before Adobe took it all over and axed Director.  It was more for interface design anyway.  Now it's mostly After Effects or Premiere.  I tried out that Open Toons program, which is supposed to imitate an actual old-school animation dope sheet (and also features onion-skinning).  It's pretty nice, but I haven't done much with 2D lately, so I kinda abandoned it.  Flipbook is a similar program, but so few tutorials exist for it that I kinda gave up.  Actually, the bulk of my 2D stuff nowadays is pixel art for Stern Pinball!  We use ProMotion, which is really nice.

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WonderDookie [2020-04-05 03:29:20 +0000 UTC]

haha. The Toys reference surprised me. Amazing as ever!!

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to WonderDookie [2020-04-09 00:41:46 +0000 UTC]

Ha, ha!  Thanks, man!  I was hoping someone would get that reference.  That movie was pretty bad, but dang it, I just love its art direction and surrealism!  It's probably my favorite crap movie.

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WonderDookie In reply to MurderousAutomaton [2020-04-11 23:42:53 +0000 UTC]

It is definitely one of my guilty pleasures. It was very flawed, but I can't stop watching it.

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to WonderDookie [2020-04-15 23:25:57 +0000 UTC]

Same!  I'm convinced that with some creative editing, there's a fantastic movie in there somewhere...

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Jabalor [2020-03-30 16:20:10 +0000 UTC]

This series is probably the most unnerving of all until now.
Also wondering if the green apple has a meaning? It has been in some of your pieces in the past

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to Jabalor [2020-04-04 20:52:07 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!  It's definitely one of the more haunting sets!

Oh, good question!  It's a reference to the work of René Magritte, my favorite surrealist artist!  Especially his famous work Son of Man:  www.google.com/search?q=magrit…

I also enjoy apples on other levels, for whatever reason--I guess at least partially because they show up in mythology a lot, and I love mythology!

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SeekerPsycho [2020-03-30 03:52:25 +0000 UTC]

Wooo... Somnambulist needs to put that mask back on.


I love ???! Very pure but oh so unsettling creature! What is he even holding? Actual, red eyeballs? Beads? Gumballs?

Great effect with the finger-teeth.


Lot of members of the derby-hat club, this set!

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MurderousAutomaton In reply to SeekerPsycho [2020-04-04 20:47:15 +0000 UTC]

Ha, ha!  Right?  He turned out much more disturbing than originally intended.

Thanks so much, sir!  He was a really fun redesign to work on!  I was inspired by that one scene in Labyrinth.  "We're Helping Hands!"

Yes, indeedy!  Bowlers a'poppin'!  For whatever reason, I had a real hankerin' to draw them.  I'm guessing it's the Magritte influence that subtly works its way into 90% of the art I do.

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SeekerPsycho In reply to MurderousAutomaton [2020-04-08 04:24:44 +0000 UTC]

I was thinking of the Helping Hands! They had to have had fun brainstorming that scene.

Loved the callback to it in the Dark Crystal series.


Have you seen The Haunting of Hill House? "The Tall Ghost" feels like a spook you would love. Got only one real scene, but he stole the show with what he had.

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