Illustrating the Mythos
Since the time when Lovecraft was getting regularly published in Weird Tales magazine, artists have had the unenviable (but probably incredibly fun) task of trying to visualize and illustrate his indescribable creations. Decades later, artists are still doing it, not just for books and magazines, but for movies, T-shirts, playing cards, board games, and much more. Lovecraft's creations have inspired truly countless artists to create and re-create his tentacled monstrosities in new and interesting ways. Join our panel of some of the most accomplished Lovecraftian artists for a discussion of Lovecraft in art.
Paul Komoda is a sculptor, illustrator, and designer inspired by a lifelong obsession with monsters, dreams and nightmares, medical anomalies, and the weirder side of the zoological spectrum. Over the years he's delved into jewelry, action figures, album artwork, erotic/grotesque illustration, and anatomically inspired body art. In the early 2000s he worked for H.R. Giger, on several jewelry and sculpture projects. More recently, he's done work for Sideshow Collectibles, Darkhorse Comics, Amalgamated Dynamics Incorporated, and had sculpted the miniatures for the H.P. Lovecraft inspired game, The Doom That Came to Atlantic City. He's also found himself putting his distinctive mark on some vinyl Kaiju figures for the company Dunk-Japan. Ongoing endeavors include furthere explorations into the realms of fine art and comics, as well as the publication of his sketchbook which has oft been described as a contemporary Necronomicon. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Lee Moyer blends classic painting, pop culture, and naturalist illustration - mixing intensity with impish humor.
His art has been exhibited at the Smithsonian and galleries in NYC, LA, and London. Among his acclaimed posters are world premieres for Stephen Sondheim, John Mellencamp, and Stephen King, as well as art for Tori Amos, Amanda Palmer, and the von Trapps. His work includes Laurel & Hardy films, Spider-Man 2, and Call of Cthulhu. In collaboration with Ray Bradbury, George RR Martin and Neil Gaiman, Moyer designed and painted three literary calendars that raised six figures for charity. His essay "The Elements of Illustration" and his Kickstarter White Paper are widely read. His work is featured in many illustration anthologies and annuals. Moyer's games The Doom That Came to Atlantic City and 13th Age are available now. His Small Gods series, a pop culture abecedarium, and several illustrated children's books are forthcoming.
Heather Hudson has been a professional illustrator since 1994, working in the fantasy and hobby gaming genres. As the owner of Studio Wondercabinet, she creates traditionally-inspired artwork in traditional and digital media. Heather Hudson received degrees from San Jose State University and the University of Washington in the area of Theatrical Design and production. Subsequently she pursued art studies at the Gage School (formerly the School of Realist Art), Seattle's School of Visual Concepts, and TLC workshops. She is a member of ArtPACT and the Women In Fantastical Illustration on-line community. During her career, Heather Hudson has created artwork for game companies including Wizards of the Coast, AEG, Chaosium and Beamdog. Her work for the game Magic; the Gathering extended to nearly 200 cards. Today she focuses largely on personal projects, including the successful "Cthulhu Christmas Greeting Card" Kickstarter project of winter 2015. Heather is currently working on a Mythos-inspired illustration project and a personal project involving faeries. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
Liv Rainey-Smith's original art is created through xylography, the practice of carving and printing wood. Rainey-Smith draws upon both European and Japanese techniques to create her work and favors working with natural materials as much as possible. She finds inspiration in early European prints, esoteric traditions, folklore, weird fiction, and the natural world. She won the World Fantasy Award for Best Artist in 2025. Rainey-Smith's woodcut art illustrates The Starry Wisdom Library Catalogue of the Greatest Occult Book Auction of All Time, and accompanies her story in The Dagon Collection.
When not occupied whispering to insects and cataloging esoteric ephemera, Nick Gucker is typically perched at his art table conjuring up nightmare visions and freakish delights out of ink, charcoal and acrylic media. His art has frequently appeared in the pages of Strange Aeons Magazine, The Magazine of Bizarro Fiction, Dark Discoveries and online publications including theLovecraft eZine. His illustrations embellished the innards of works by authors Cody Goodfellow, David Conyers and a few projects with Spectral Press in the UK. His paintings have been used for covers of books from Blysster Press, Sinister Grin, and others. Nick was the winner of the 2012 Pickman’s Apprentice Iron Artist challenge at the HP Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland and has had the honor of creating multiple pieces of artwork for the HP Lovecraft Film Festival posters and T-shirts. Nick has also designed images for Skurvy Ink T-Shirts, honoring the works of various genre authors. Nick was featured in a gallery group show in Ketchikan, AK in Oct. of 2012 and his Lovecraftian pieces were on display in the Providence, RI Art Club in conjunction with NecronomiCon 2013. Recent gallery appearances include group shows at Krab Jab Studio and Cloud Gallery in Seattle curated by Yvette Endrijautzki. In addition to his published work, Nick’s unique, one-of-a-kind custom commission pieces grace the walls and limbs of various and sundry patrons of the arts from near and far.