Dave Carson
Presented with five British Fantasy Awards for Best Artist during more than twenty years in illustration. Co-editor (with Stephen Jones) and interior illustrator of “H.P.Lovecraft’s Book of Horror” for Robinson Publishing, which has been reprinted in many languages. Contributed artwork to “Shadows Over Innsmouth” from Fedogan & Bremer , and quite a few CoC illustrations and decorative borders for Chaosium Inc., and for other well known companies such as Palladium, Games Workshop and a one-off for Puffin Books “Fighting Fantasy” series. Most recently appeared in the Dital Fantasy Painting Workshop book published in 2004 by Ilex.
Influences include H.P.Lovecraft, M.R.James, Clark Ashton Smith, Italian horror movies, the original Mars Attacks ! bubblegum cards, Fortean phenomena, Weird Tales, monster movies, 60’s underground art.
Decided to quit art a while ago – but can’t . Must keep creating monsters…
Presently working on tshirt and other collectible designs for the online store at http://www.cafepress.com/carsonthings
Dave’s Links
- Homepage: http://davecarson.topcities.com/
- Cthulhu Art: http://www.cthulhuart.com/
Dave’s Art
Click on any image for a larger view.
February 28th, 2006 at 5:15 pm
I’M A FAN OF CTHULHU MYTHOS, AND YOURS ILUSTRATIONS ABOUT CTHULHU ARE VERY VERY GOOD.
May 17th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
Wow really nice drawings…i guess we’re all inspired by H.P.I’ve started drawing some of the things he writes about and my freinds say that i’m going crazy(i’m 16).
Very nice art.10/10
June 5th, 2006 at 6:11 am
I still have an old Dave Carson “Nyarlathotep” T-Shirt I bought on Holloway Road, London, about 1992. It’s green on black and sorta Egyptian. I wonder if the pic is online somewhere? I suppose I could scan it if it’s not.
July 24th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
Holy cow, how did I miss this?!?
Fantastic to see your work here Mr. Carson.
I’ve enjoyed it through ElderSign.
Good stuff all around.
August 9th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Your “Innsmouth filler” is amazaing.
November 14th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
A total insperation I love the use of mark making and the realist aproch in all this work. Amazing!
July 3rd, 2007 at 6:45 am
Great work here Dave, I’m a big fan.
I was wondering if it were true about some of your artwork being removed from the Fighting Fantasy book ‘Beneath Nightmare Castle’ after being deemed too graphic, and if there are any traces of the removed pieces that I could see?
Thanks
August 19th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
I loved the Nyarly one, he looks sexy.
October 11th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Wow, I never made the link between Dave and Beneath Nightmare Castle. Now it makes so much evil sense!! I hope Dave reads this soon and makes a comment.
November 16th, 2007 at 2:32 am
Dave Carson’s are the definitive Mythos illustrations. Stark, beautiful and genuinely alien. There isn’t enough of him out there!
May 28th, 2008 at 11:28 am
You illustrations inflict upon me a strange cold fear that your knowledge of the hidden gods could very well rouse them from their death~slumber. Merely by your knowing their true nature alone.
August 27th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Dear Temple: The artists’ listed here are necessarily good or you would not have included them. I do NOT see however, a noted HPL artist: Allen Koszowski! And no disrespect to D. Carson, but there are numerous similarities in style and technique.
September 7th, 2008 at 10:08 am
In reply to Grey: with no disrespect to Mr. Koszowkski, Dave Carson has been producing his unique artworks in a career that predates and far exceeds that of Allen K.
Carson established his drawing styles and techniques some considerable time before Koszowski’s earliest appearances in print.
January 5th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
in reply to Imboca, koszowski is the best artist out there, very prelific, with over $3500 pieces published. Althought the styles are similar Koszowski spreads his tight stipeling technique throughout his art leaving tremendous detail that you can look at for hours, wereas Carson does only a part of his piece tight and the rest he just sortof gives up on. So even though they started at about the same time, Koszowski left a legesy, and published his own magazine.
July 15th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Admittedly Carson’s work can be patchy at times but stand Carson’s 10 finest works against AK’s and Carson will win tentacles down on each and every piece.
December 29th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
incredible work. very cool stuff
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:53 am
I still have my HPL Centenary T shirt (bought it back in 1989) and, in fact, I am wearing it today! No-one can bring HPL’s creatures to life like Dave Carson! You should be working on Guillermo del Toro/James Cameron’s “At the Mountains of Madness” (possibly 3D) movie!
March 2nd, 2011 at 10:33 am
In reply(belatedly)to GREY (August 27th, 2008):
There are indeed similarities to my work and Mr.Koszowkski’s. However, I have been working in this style for many years, indeed even before I ever laid eyes on Mr.Koszowkski’s work. If you are suggesting plagiarism on my part you are seriously deluded. I have always believed that plagiarism of another’s work is about as low as an artist can sink.
April 30th, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Big fan and read your books
October 29th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
I am thouroughly impressed with your art depictions. Alot of your depictions reflect how I see these beings in my mind’s eye. What a potent psychic presence.