This week is one monster, been busy getting ready for a shop visit at The Comic Shop of Delaware for their Halloween weekend Spookabration.

It's interesting to think that there isn't one story that defines the werewolf in literature. In Folklore, people become werewolves by wearing a magic belt or cape that transforms them into an actual wolf not an anthropomorphic hybrid. The hybrid that is popular now is inspired by the Universal classic 'The Wolf Man'.

For this design I used both classic elements and modern ideas. The wolf is a strong creature it needs to feel strong, so a large jaw and all over powerful body. For the face, I used human proportions to add in the human element to the wolf. It's not the most original design but it works well for a modern werewolf figure.

Tomorrow is October, starting the count down to Halloween. Since this is the first October for Monster Monday, it's going to be a themed month. All characters and creatures from famous books, legends, and tales. Each week I'm going to draw as many portraits of characters as I can. At the end of the month all of the drawings will be available for purchase through the online store I'll be opening up. The drawings will first be for sale at The Comic Book Shop in Wilmington, Delaware for their Halloween weekend. The remaining drawings will be up for sale in the shop.

First up is Frankenstein's Monster from Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. In high school, I read both Frankenstein and Dracula during my senior year to help pass the time. After finishing both books, I found that I was more interested in Shelly's book. It captured the isolation of man and the dangers of science in the hands of the mad.

For my version of the monster I drew from my imagination when reading the book. I stayed away from the Universal movie monster look of the flat top. I added electrode like contraptions to his spine to power his nervous system. There is also a heart monitor that shows his irregular heart beats. His jaw is metal and hinged to the skull, I figured the jaw of a corpse might fall off so the monster need reinforcement.

Next is The Phantom of The Opera from the book by Gaston Leroux. Like many people I became familiar with the story from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical. But quickly realized that is wasn't a direct translation from the text. The classic Universal film is a great translation of the book, plus it has the power of early film make up effects. The phantom actually had multiple masks to cast different shadows for different lighting situations, that's dedication.

My phantom draws from both the pop culture design and original book. I've always favored the full mask since his whole face is disfigured. His clothing is theatrical because those are the clothing he has access to leaving under the Paris Opera House. The collar and cape are used to hide while wondering through the many corridors of the opera house and shield his identity from the workers.