Just a quick Instagram video to share from this year's Pumpkin Dump. Another successful drop at another local, abandoned house. They really do make a great backdrop!
Enjoy!
Weil's Doghouse Antiques
9 hours ago
Showing posts with label Instagram. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Instagram. Show all posts
2024 Pumpkin Dump Video
0
comments
|
Labels:
abandoned,
decay,
Great Pumpkin Project,
Instagram,
jack-o-lanterns,
pumpkindump2024,
video
The Halloween Art Of Drew Rausch
So everyone is following Halloween artist Drew Rausch's Instagram page, right?? Because he's participating in Rhode Montijo's Fantasmicalloween, where artists create 31 different pieces in 31 days, based on a master list of daily, spooky topics. And he is absolutely killing it!
I'd put him up into the group of Halloween-based illustrators like Montijo, Sam Heimer and Austin Pardun, who really nail that vintage and creepy, yet totally whimsical and fun, October aesthetic.
Each piece in this series just gushes with total Halloween spirit, and I can't wait to see what he continues to create through the season.
Just one week into October, and here are just a few of the pieces Rausch has already created. So, so, good!
"Pumpkin Wizard"
"Acorn Twins"
"The Corn Witch"
"Ghosts Eating Toast"
"Spooky Skeleton Sketch"
The Highbury Jack-O-Lanterns!
My jack-o-lanterns appeared in the front yard early this morning! I was able to knock out 13 last night, with a big thanks to my mom who gutted them all before hand...
The Rainy Jack
So here we are at the last Sunday of October, and unfortunately with the crazy winds and torrential downpours over the last 24 hours, there won't be a Cemetery Sundays segment. With everything else going on, I just didn't have the time to slosh out with my camera...
But late last night, after a brief, windy and rainy trick-or-treat over at brother Scrapes' house, I was able to get my jack-o-lanterns all carved. I wanted to get them set up on the front steps for a quick night time photo session, but the constant downpour kept me from doing so.
I was however, able to get my favorite jacko out for a quick pic. And under the pouring rain I set him up with a tea light, and snapped one single shot before diving back in for cover. This is what I got...
No filters, no Photoshop. Just a quick, spooky photo with a cool light streak looking like something out of a horror film. After getting back inside and looking at it, I couldn't believe what I had captured. Not bad for a quick shot!
And as I sit here typing this out, I'm keeping an eye on the weather. Because tonight is OUR trick-or-treat!! It feels weird that after 17 years, we're not having it on Halloween night, but regardless, I have everything staged and ready to set up for tonight's big show. We're set to reveal Highbury Cemetery to an all-new audience in a new neighborhood. I just hope that people show up...
Last night, the rains were unending and now we have a high wind advisory. But somehow, the Pumpkin Gods are looking down upon us favorably, as the rain has finally stopped and the winds will die down by noon, giving us enough time to set everything up and perfect weather to celebrate trick-or-treat tonight.
I'm off to tie up those last few ends (like finally printing my haunt shirts!!), and then it's time to do this. If you are having trick-or-treat tonight, I wish you the best of luck and if you had your trick-or-treat last night, I hope that it was glorious!
And if you're in the Akron area with nothing to do tonight, come hang out with us! We're on Alexander Road in Copley, near I-77 and Rt. 18. Our trick-or-treat is from 5-7, but we'll be keeping it going a bit later to hang out and get some night time photos. But be quick! Just like our last location, if you show up too late, you'll miss it!
Creeps In The Corn Maze
This weekend we made it out to Szalay's Farm, a local corn farm and market that puts together a great little seasonal Halloween production each October. Tons of pumpkins, fresh roasted corn, spooky decorations, live music, a paintball shooting gallery, hay wagon rides, a vortex tunnel, and my favorite - a corn maze!
We paid our admission, got our map, and set out to find all the numbered stations within. The corn grew tall this year, and it made it extra spooky as we went deep into their cornfield to visit the setup at each station...
Oh, and just in case you haven't yet, feel free to visit and throw a few likes on the Highbury Cemetery Instagram page. Tons of Halloween photos throughout October and beyond!!
Burnout and the Fine Art of Halloweenin’
So here we are, already at the end of February. It’s been a while since my last post, but I won’t lie. This past Halloween season really took a lot out of me.
Once everything had been carefully packed away for another year, I was done. Physically and mentally. Completely burned out. I feel a little bit burned out after every Halloween, but this time was different. We had just wrapped up another successful Halloween, our 15th, but I wasn’t completely satisfied.
We had a great turnout and an even greater collection for our second annual canned food drive, but I feel like so many things went against us this year. It rained on Halloween night. Again. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is trying to quickly set everything up in a cold, grey rain. And because of the rain, many of my animatronics (including my big surprise animated prop for the 2018 season) simply stayed in the garage.
Truth be told, I was struggling to get into the “Halloween spirit” at all this past year. I still love it with all my heart, but I think a family vacation in early October threw my entire schedule off (although the trip WAS to DisneyWorld, and it was pretty amazing!). I felt rushed with my planning and it led to feelings of frustration.
It was right after Halloween that I decided that I needed a break. So outside of my usual month or two off, a full break was needed. No Halloween stuff at all.
I looked at the calendar and decided that I was going to step away until summer. It would give me enough time to refocus and reinvigorate my haunt spirit, and at the same time give me an opportunity to revisit the other aspects of my life that make me complete.
And speaking of calendar…
Transworld’s Halloween & Attractions Show
For the past two years, I have been fortunate enough to go to Transworld’s Halloween & Attractions Show. I can’t thank Dave at Closed Casket Studios enough for allowing me the chance to go work the booth with him, but this year I’m going to skip it. Hopefully I get the chance to go again in the future, as Transworld is an incredible experience and is mandatory for anyone in the haunt world to attend at least once.
Ohio Halloween & Haunters Convention
This is a brand new haunt convention, located here in Ohio. After the announcement that MHC would be leaving its home of Columbus, the local haunt community got together and created this new convention to take its place. I’m pretty excited to see how it goes, especially taking place in the infamous Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. Unfortunately, I’m going to miss this one, too, as I have already registered for a mountain bike trip in Pennsylvania that same weekend. Darn!
Midwest Haunters Convention
Living and haunting in Ohio definitely has its privileges, one of which was attending the Midwest Haunters Convention every year in Columbus. I almost felt guilty listening to other haunters talk about the number of hours they had to drive to get there, not bringing up my total trip time of under two hours. It has always been the kick-off to my haunt season, and has always been my home convention.
But it was announced last year that the convention would be moving to the Chicago area. At first I was pretty gutted, but I have since decided to give it a shot. This will be the point that I swing back into “haunt mode” and should be sufficiently recharged and ready to start working on my 2019 haunt. I’m really excited to see what is in store for this year’s convention and I can’t wait to see which Chicagoland haunts will be open for tours. And if nothing else, I’ll be able to tell everyone about my 6 hour drive. Regardless of location, MHC is always a party and I hope to see a lot of you there!
So what WILL I be doing until June?
Plenty! To start with, we added a new member to the Highbury Cemetery family.
Please say hello to Atticus, our new Silver Lab puppy. We got him just before Christmas, and as anyone who has raised a puppy already knows, he takes up A LOT of time. But I’m not complaining! I have wanted a dog for a long time, and he is awesome! I can’t wait for nice weather so that I can start training him to be a trail dog. And maybe a haunter…
Blog
I will still be posting a bunch here. No props for a while, but the haunt inspiration never goes away. Plus, there’s always a bunch going on all around the Cemetery, so I’ll be sharing as much as I can throughout the year, leading up to All Hallows Eve.
Instagram
I’ll still be throwing a bunch of new photos up on the Highbury Cemetery Instagram page. Be sure to Like, Follow, Comment and so on and so forth.
YouTube
Yes, there is a Highbury Cemetery YouTube channel. Not much on there now, but I hope to add more throughout the year. I’ve said this for a number of years now, but I really want to create more video content in 2019.
Charnel House
The other project that I am continuing on with is Charnel House, my newish “haunt ambient” audio project. After years of toying with the idea of creating my own dark ambient audio, I finally pulled the trigger. I wanted to create a dark ambient sound that was targeted more for use in haunt scenes, and Charnel House was born. My first 3-track release came out in May of 2018 with a very limited CD release that was given away to friends at MHC.
The second release was set for Halloween, but the hectic schedule pushed everything back. I happy to announce that I’m putting the wraps on the last track and the new release will be set to drop in mere weeks. I will also have another VERY limited CD release, featuring a hand-numbered sleeve with a very special goodie inside. Keep an eye on this space as they will go fast!
AND DID I MENTION THAT ALL OF MY RELEASES ARE FREE? FREE TO DOWNLOAD AND FREE TO USE IN YOUR HOME OR PRO HAUNT SETTING!!
While I finish the new release, go grab the first three tracks here. And please give me some feedback on what you think. I’m always up for any constructive criticism and I continue to improve.
So there you have it. A little mental health break before refocusing on the 2019 haunt season. After typing this whole thing out, I can already feel the haunt energy slowly returning. I have a bunch of posts lined up, so stop back soon. And we'll see everybody in Chicago this June!!
Highbury Cemetery on Instagram
I just wanted to take a second and point any new visitors in the direction of the Highbury Cemetery Instagram page! I've been hammering out the posts over there lately as an extension to my blog and as part of the Countdown to Halloween, so feel free to wander about and maybe throw a few hearts my way...
Red Fang, Live In Cleveland 9-24-18
Last night I made it up to the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland to check out Red Fang, Big Business and Dead Now.
We showed up late and missed Dead Now, caught the first half of the Big Business set from the bar (although we spent the second half glued to the stage - amazing two-man band!) and then planted ourselves at the front of the stage for Red Fang.
Another great set from Red Fang and I was able to snap some great shots. Here's a couple from the ol' Instagram page. Enjoy!
And yes, Red Fang blew the doors off by ending their set with a total classic...
0
comments
|
Labels:
Beachland Ballroom,
Big Business,
Dead Now,
Instagram,
live,
Prehistoric Dog,
Red Fang,
stoner rock
Instagram #100 - Highbury Cemetery Graphic Series No. 7
It's been a while since I last sat down and did some art, so I decided that in honor of my 100th Instagram post (you do follow me on Instagram, don't you??), I would sit down and bang out another Highbury Cemetery Graphic Series collage.
Another fun, spontaneous mixing of Halloween and horror art, featuring some of the prop pieces that I have created for the yard haunt. There's nothing like sitting down and just letting the creativity flow. After about 45 minutes, the latest creation was done...
Off to go post this one to Instagram! And there's enough creativity left in the tank to maybe whip up one more this weekend. Let's see what I come up with next!
0
comments
|
Labels:
100 posts,
Art,
collage,
graphic design,
Highbury Cemetery Graphic Series,
Instagram,
Skull
My 2017 Begins
It was November 5th, and a thick, dense fog had set into my brain. I had just managed to put every last extension cord, costume, light, bin and prop back in its proper storing place and I was done. Drained empty. After an especially grueling 3 months of constant planning, late night building and hurried set-up for the big night, burnout had taken a firm hold of me. I had experienced it in years prior, but never to this extent. I barely wanted to think about Halloween. I knew what I had to do…
I had to put it all on the shelf. Leave it and not touch it for a while. Turn off the light and walk away. Besides, I still had a full Disney family vacation plus the yearly grind of the upcoming holiday season to get ready for. It would be nonstop, all the way through the end of the year.
Fast forward another 3 months. I made it through the vacation and the holidays with relative ease. I’ve also had time to focus on other hobbies and projects while clearing the mental clutter. This has allowed me the time to fully recharge my Halloween storage tank. A much-needed readjustment period.
So after the short, but vitally-important break, the craving to reimmerse myself into all things Halloween has returned. That spark of creativity that had dwindled to a flicker has been reignited.
I’m back, baby!
I hope everyone has had a nice, post-Halloween holiday season and is just as ready to dive back in as I am (if you haven’t already started!). To kick things off, I wanted to go over a couple of updates for Highbury Cemetery, 2017.
First, a few updates to the blog. The new icon is up on the menu to the right that will take you to the 2016 Halloween photos. Some decent pics of all the new props that were out on display.
Second, the text menu at the very top has (finally) changed. You can now go directly to the Highbury Cemetery YouTube Channel. There are a few videos up, but I have made it a priority to get more quality videos up in 2017, starting with my delayed 2016 haunt video. Truth be told, I wasn’t very happy with the photos or the video that were shot, so I ended up shelving the whole project (no Dead With Dave Home Haunter Awards for me this year!). I will be revisiting it in the coming weeks and will piece something together. I also hope to share some more videos of the novelty Halloween record and tape collection that I have amassed over the years. I currently have one up and it has received a lot of views and positive feedback.
And you will also notice a brand new link in the menu above. If you haven’t seen it on Pumpkinrot’s blog yet, I’m happy to announce my brand new Highbury Cemetery Instagram page. I’m pulling the best of the best of my Halloween-related photos and sharing them all in one spot. With the rich photo controls in Instagram, I can really create some wonderfully atmospheric Halloween images. Sorry, no lifeless selfies here…
Plus, with a new year comes new haunt ideas. I’m currently brainstorming a slew of new prop ideas as well as the cemetery-standard tombstones which I hope to churn out over the next 9 months. I’ll be documenting each new prop as it gets completed, as well as going back and giving a proper, thorough how-to on 2016’s enormous prop, the Walk-In Crypt.
And finally, I hope to be hitting the road a bit more in 2017. The Midwest Haunters Convention is a given, but I’m actually toying with the idea of getting to Transworld for the first time in March. Not much time to make a decision! Also, I hope to get out and visit more haunted attractions this fall. I hope to cross of the Dent Schoolhouse in Cincinnati, Erebus Haunted House in Pontiac, Michigan, and Hundred Acres Manor and The Scarehouse in Pittsburgh off of my Haunt Bucket List this year. I also hope to check out my local haunted house, the Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory, which will be starting it's 43rd season under new ownership. Ambitious, I know, but the Halloween spirit has been reawakened.
And it feels good to be back.
One More Week Until October!
Just seven more days to go until October! The posts are being gathered for the annual Countdown to Halloween and we are getting excited to start the festivities to celebrate the greatest month of all! See you on the 1st!!
Welcome, 2012!
Happy New Year! Okay group, after a few weeks' hiatus, we have returned! We staggered through the holidays and now we're ready to hit the ground running and get our plans for 2012 underway. And this year, we're going even bigger!
Today I unwrapped my brand new copy of The Empire of Death: A Cultural History of Ossuaries and Charnel Houses, by Paul Koudounaris. (To see some of the photos from this amazing book, head over to my wonderfully witty Dear Santa post). Apparently Santa got my list too late, so I had to order it myself...
Also, for anyone in the Northeast Ohio area (and beyond), the word has gone out that the Northern Ohio Haunters group will be getting together for their first Make & Take of the year. And this one is going to be special. Be sure to clear your calendar on Saturday, February 4, because the first M&T of 2012 is going to be held at Forsaken Haunted House in Mentor, Ohio. Sweet! I can't wait to get a behind-the-scenes tour of a pro haunt. I will be taking copious notes and photos and will report back as soon as I can. The wheels are really starting to turn for Halloween, 2012!!
Moving right along, Scrapes and I have both been monkeying around with a cool, new iPhone app called Instagram. We've taken some of our old photos and imported them into this program, complete with different photo exposure textures and borders. Tons of users posting up tons of beautiful photos. I'm there representing the home haunters!!
And finally, I can't close this post without realizing the date on today's calendar. So for all of you horror fans, I present the single greatest scene from any of the Friday The 13th film franchise...
