Skeleton Boy Block Print

"The devil said, 'You're dead,
That's plain to see!
But you're too bad for heaven,
So now you're coming with me.'"

I always envisioned Skeleton Boy Saves His Skin ([link]) as a story told with woodblock print illustrations, like old folktales such as Anansi the Spider and others. Recently, I added design elements from Latin American prints (like those of Jose Guadalupe Posada) into the characters as well.

In my original sketches, I tried to make all the characters seem like they came from woodblock prints. I filled them with geometric patterns. I even modeled the devil after work by William Blake.

When I made this scene from Skeleton Boy into a print, I thought: "this is the way it should be!"

This print I made from carving a rubber slab, made with black water-based ink.