Dark Friends Series
Draven Leeman
At nineteen, (turning twenty next month), Draven Leeman is the youngest artist I’ve featured in the newsletter.
I know Draven because of my friendship with his father, a wonderful artist himself and clearly a main source of inspiration for his son. You’ll be seeing him in his own interview very soon.
Draven has many interests, as you’ll see in the interview, but what prompted my wish to feature him here were the unique masks he makes. You’ll see that he has a very definitive style, one that has a wonderfully creepy feel, perfect for Halloween, but great for any dark occasion.
I ordered a custom mask from Draven that I’m dying to show you, but I don’t want to spoil the effect of my costume for Halloween. I promise I’ll show it in the first November newsletter!
The images of masks scattered throughout the interview are all his. Information about how to buy one, or have him make one especially for you, appears at the end of the interview.
The Interview
DAV: When did you first get interested in horror?
I’ve been interested from a very young age, but I grew very attached to it after going through several traumatic experiences as a very young child. Horror became a coping mechanism.
DAV: Might an interest in horror then possibly be a healthy thing? Can something good come from our interest or fascination with death and things grotesque?
Horror can be an extremely healthy interest. We all wonder what lies in the dark waiting for us, and giving that thing a name or a form helps us feel less weak against it, even if that thing is nothing but fiction. Horror helps us identify the flaws of ourselves and our fellow man in a very dramatic way.
DAV: Do you think you’ll let your own children watch R-rated horror movies at an early age? Why or why not?
My fiance and I are talking about having kids and while we intend to wait a few years, we both agree that horror can be beneficial for young kids; just start with something simple. I’m thinking of Nosferatu or Jaws as my future kids’ first horror experience.
(Note from DAV: Jaws !!!!????!!!)
I think that introducing my kids to something like that is a good gateway to the more gruesome things for later on in their teenage years. I think it was beneficial for me to grow up on horror as it gave me a fascination with all things eerie which enabled me to make some lifelong friends and start my own career.
DAV: Why do you think horror figures so prominently in your art? Would you say that it is really your main interest artistically?
Horror is important for me because it became a mechanism to cope with my trauma and anxiety. That’s not to say that I can’t express myself in other genres, though.
I’ve begun toying around with a sci-fi idea, but who even knows if that will ever see the light of day. Horror is my main interest currently but I might branch out soon.
DAV: Your father is also an artist who shares your love of dark and creepy things. What are your first memories of drawing scary things?
My career actually started as doing fanart of his characters from two of his comics titled “Pink Dog” and “Oblivions Repose.”
If it hadn’t been for those two comics to pave the way, I might have never picked up a pen.
(Image from Jerem Morrow’s Pink Dog comics.)
DAV: Another influence from your dad I imagine would be an appreciation for Halloween. What is Halloween like in your home?
Halloween was a big deal to me growing up, but I stopped caring too much about it as I grew older.
We celebrate it year-round with paper cutouts and toys and decorations with pumpkins, so it’s just not special to me.
Oddly enough, I prefer Christmas because of the music and horribly cheesy movies.
DAV: Who are some other artists who inspire you, and what specific works of theirs do you admire?
The graphic artist, illustrator, and writer Trevor Henderson, horror filmmakers Michael Neel, Greg Ansin, and Guillermo del Toro, Stephen King…the list goes on and on.
I’m on an acquaintance level with one of the Chiodo brothers who are childhood heroes of mine. They started my love for practical effects on the funnier side of horror.
Above image: The artist (center) with his father (left) and master special effects/props maker Tom Savini
Michael Neel and Greg Ansin are family friends who have been super supportive of my career from way back in high school and they showed me you can make a movie with incredibly limited supplies or funds.
And there are many others with a mixed bag of reasons ranging from their incredible art to brilliant writing.
DAV: Like many artists, you work in various types of media: drawing, sculpting masks, and even movie-making. Do you have a favorite medium, one type of art where you are most at home?
Recently thanks to my fiance I’ve really gotten into drawing again so I guess that’s my favorite medium right now. I just like making fun images. I guess monsters are neat to draw.
Image: Digital art inspired by one of the artist’s favorite horror movie franchises, Phantasm.
DAV: Let’s talk about movies for a minute. You’ve been making horror movies since you were quite young. What got you into that?
Image: the artist as a young boy with a mask from one of his favorite movies
“Critters” and “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” pushed me to want to make my own movies. I met the Chiodo brothers, the men behind both of those movies, when I was a kid and they sat me down and told me everything about their careers.
Stephen Chiodo recently told me that was because they saw a lot of themselves in me. Apparently, I was just a very determined kid and they were kind enough to talk to me like a colleague and not a child. Because of that respect and kindness, I took to writing scripts.
I started shooting a script about two years back and then less than a week later I did a complete rewrite so the footage is basically useless if not just a fun memory.
I’m working on three different projects right now and it’s a hassle. Writing too many things at the same time has burnt me out time and time again, but I never seem to learn my lesson.
DAV: Perhaps your most commercial venture to date is your mask-making. How did you get interested in making masks? Did comic-cons and cosplay factor in at all?
The mask-making…I’m actually not super sure where that came from. I think I just wanted a costume that no one else had made yet, so I just made it myself and it suddenly became a hobby that I’m really proud of.
DAV: Have video games been an influence on your art at all?
YES. The Bioshock Franchise and Dead Space especially. The isolated claustrophobic terror of both games have heavily inspired me and I religiously played both franchises for the entirety of high school.
DAV: Your style of masks is very unique. Can you describe what the process is for creating one of your masks?
I start with a basic Halloween mask. As long as it’s plastic, anything works. I use hot glue and tape to get the basic shape I want. Then I build onto it with clay and paint it.
Inspiration just comes from anything and everything; it’s a hit-and-miss kinda thing. And the hardest part is the painting. I often have to watch tutorials on how to paint specific effects. It’s a hassle but an educational one, I guess.
DAV: If you had unlimited resources, what would your studio be like? What kinds of projects would you work on?
My studio would be an entire haunted house; every room would need to be built to perfection. I need to be in a very specific mood or environment to get into the headspace necessary for me to make spooky things.
I would do anything and everything. I would love eventually to make silicone-based human body-part furniture or even animatronics. And possibly more movies. But I’m content with what I’m doing right now.
DAV: “Human body-part furniture.” That’s…interesting. And so creepy! Do you have any special projects in the works that we might see anytime soon?
My current projects (other than making masks) are the movies NecroNancy, Upkeep, and Blessed Be the Wicked, all of which share a connected story and an overall tone of hopeless horror.
(Image: The elf mask shown here will be a prop for Upkeep.)
NecroNancy is the first movie I plan to complete, and it should be done within six months. That’s a story about a young girl with necromantic abilities who lives with her undead family. Every time they die they come back as something less than human.
Then I’m moving to Upkeep. In that one, a drone-like janitor is used to clean a pocket dimension. As he regains his memories, the place begins to mess with him.
Blessed Be the Wicked is a long-term goal. It’s the story of P.E.S.T Control (Paranormal Entities Science and Technology), one of many companies used to hide the paranormal from the everyday citizens of our world.
DAV: Those all sound amazing! How might people see more of your work and hear about future projects?
On TikTok I go in-depth on how I make my masks, and I also have an Instagram account where I post my finished products such as paintings, masks, and other props.
Both have the same name: @Charybdis_artwork
You can also follow me on Facebook.
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For those who would like to purchase one of Draven Leeman’s masks, or have Draven make one especially for you, you can message him through the Instagram account above, or email me and I’ll put you in touch with him. – DAV