Dark Friend Series
Dave Dick
Those of you who follow my Dark Corners page on Facebook may recall a recent post where I was thrilled to receive a birthday gift of a framed print of Snarly Yow, the beloved phantom wolfdog in my podcast story Wraiths of the Applachian.
My son commissioned this piece for me after seeing work by the very talented dark artist Dave Dick. After viewing more of Dave’s work, I knew I wanted to feature him in my newsletter.
Dave is a freelance illustrator from the suburbs of Philadelphia whose work has been featured on book covers, on TV shows, in movies, and everything in between.
Dave gets his inspiration, he says, “from the thoughts and feelings that make our neck hair rise. The creeping feeling that something is watching us…waiting.”
When he isn’t creeping you out, Dave enjoys spending quality time with his wife, and their two children, as well as his dog, Stella, and cat, Batman.
The Interview
Your art is absolutely wonderful. It’s obvious that you can draw anything, but a visit to your website or FB page shows that you definitely favor dark subject matter. Have you always been attracted to “the dark side,” i.e. to scary stuff?
Absolutely! I’ve been a horror fan for basically my entire life. It all started when I was a toddler and I would stay up late with my dad watching horror movies. And even though they sometimes gave me nightmares, I would always rush over to the horror section of the video store to pick out our next fright!
Your work definitely makes me think of Stephen Gammell’s illustrations in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but honestly, I find your work just as wonderful and creepy. Was he an inspiration for you?
That obvious, huh? Those books and illustrations were a staple in my life growing up and have been a very big inspiration for sure.
Who are some other artists whose work you admire?
With the onslaught of social media, one comes across a new artist almost daily that is just amazing. If I listed all of the ones I admire we’d be here all day! However, some more common names that stand out would be Tim Burton’s earlier illustrative work, as well as Dave McKean, Ashley Wood, Ben Templesmith, David Rankin, and again.. many many more.
Is horror in general of interest to you? Do you go to haunted attractions, for example, or go on ghost tours? If so, what have been your favorites?
I’m a big fan of all things horror and used to go to many attractions when I was younger. However, now that I am married with a family, it’s hard to find the time to do much of those things, especially when the kids are only 1 and 3 years old. There’s a fairly big one here in NJ that is put on every Halloween called Creamy Acres Night of Terror. They have a bunch of stuff you can do and the production value is pretty good for what you pay. During the day they also have family events that my family and I have attended and we all had a great time.
If you were given a chance to go to a house or site that was reportedly haunted, would you go? Have you ever been to a haunted site hoping to see a ghost?
I know it’s hard to believe, but I don’t believe ghosts exist. So, to get me to said “haunted” house there would have to be something in it for me to feel like it wasn’t a waste of time. As a teen, my feelings were a bit different, so some friends and I would explore places that were reported to be haunted. Never saw or heard anything genuine though.
Have you ever had any experiences that you would consider supernatural? Do you believe that ghosts, cryptids, and/or extra-terrestrials could be real?
No ghosts, but definitely extra-terrestrials. There is no way at all that we are alone in the universe. There is definitely life out there and in my opinion, intelligent life as well. Also, the fact that there have been UFO reports/ sightings for hundreds of years makes it a little hard to believe that we haven’t been visited.
I see that horror movies are an inspiration for you in terms of subject matter. What horror movies are your favorites? Which ones actually still scare you?
There is a tie for my favorite Horror movie between John Carpenter’s The Thing, and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I am also a big fan of the A Nightmare on Elm Street series, with parts 1 and 3 being my favorites.
Horror movies don’t scare me anymore, but as a kid I was afraid of Freddy and Chucky. I remember having nightmares/ night terrors all of the time. My parents would have to leave my door open and the hallway light on in order for me to fall asleep.
Do you ever draw inspiration from horror novels or short stories? If so, what are some examples of stories with characters or creatures that you’ve drawn?
I have done a few horror anthologies where I found inspiration from the story and came up with a piece.
One of the most notable ones is the creature I did for one of the stories in author Philip Fracassi’s anthology, Behold the Void.
The creature I created for the story has been recognized a bunch and may be featured in an upcoming TV show.
For many of the artists I’ve featured in the Dark Corners newsletter, Halloween is understandably a favorite holiday. How special was Halloween for you growing up? What is Halloween like for you now as an adult?
As you could imagine, I’ve always liked Halloween. NOT so much for all of the candy, but for the decorations and the movies.
I also like(d) that people who don’t usually like horror or scary stuff show some admiration around Halloween. Now that I am older I feel more or less the same, but now I get the added bonus of great exposure for my artwork. Around Halloween time every year my work goes somewhat “viral,” and I love that.
Your art has appeared on book covers and in TV shows and movies. Can you give us some examples of where your work has been used?
Just this past year my work has been on the cover of author Joshua Marsella’s novella, Severed, as well as interior illustrations for author Eric Larocca’s book of poetry, Fanged Dandelion.
Additionally, I will have some work featured in an upcoming TV show that I am not allowed to disclose as of yet, as well as a Halloween-themed horror movie called Creeping Death.
You do a lot of commission work for people, which is how I became aware of you as I mentioned in the introduction. I see that people often ask you to draw dark, macabre versions of their children and pets. How did offering this dark, personal touch come about?
That’s a good question, and the answer is my style. What I mean by that is, people see my work, and my particular style and want to have something for themself in that style.
Usually people wanted a picture of a known slasher villain or they had a specific idea they wanted me to capture, but then one day someone asked if I could draw their pets in my style.
Never one to turn down a challenge, I said sure! I posted those pictures on my social media and the requests haven’t stopped since.
If someone would like to buy some of your art, or commission you to draw something for them, where should they look?
Please check out my work and follow me on Instagram: @Dave_Dick_
If you would like to buy a sticker, postcard, print, etc. you can do so at my Etsy Store:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Dave…
For any questions or commission inquiries, please email me and I will get back to you within 24 hours: Dave@DaveDickIllustration.com
More of Dave’s work can be seen on his Facebook page.