My collage for the fifty-sixth installment of @shaka's @LMAC contest is based on a classic horror story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The story was written by Washington Irving in 1819, and is rich in the culture of New England (USA)--especially the culture of the Hudson River Valley. Irving is the author of another well-known classic, Rip Van Winkle.
Rip Van Winkle Statue, Irvington, New York
Image credit: Daryl Samuel. Used under a CC 3.0 license. The statue, sculpted by Richard Masloski, is life-size and is in the center of Irvington, a town named after Washington Irving.
When Irving penned The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, he was living in Europe. However, he had been born in New York City and eventually took up residence in the Hudson River community of Tarrytown.
Washington Irving's Headstone, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Image credit: James P. Fish III. CC 3.0 license
The plot of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: An ungainly schoolteacher, Ichabod Crane, hopes to marry the daughter of the town's wealthiest landowner. Ichabod has a sensitive temperament, and is superstitious.
One night, Ichabod attends a party where he hopes to finally seal the deal with the prosperous young lady. Unfortunately his hopes are dashed. Throughout the long night, revelers regale party goers with gruesome tales about local legends. One especially frightening story told of the headless horseman. The horseman, it was said, rode the dark lanes at night and stole the heads of hapless travelers.
The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane
Image credit: John Quidor, 1858. Google Art Project. Public domain.
Ichabod's journey home that night is filled with terror. He sees goblins and evil spirits all around. The ghost stories are alive for him. Then he spies a caped horseman. The horseman has no head! Ichabod flees, but the horseman pursues and tosses what appears to be a head. The object strikes Ichabod.
The next morning, Ichabod has disappeared. What townsfolk find is a smashed pumpkin on the bridge next to the town cemetery.
Washington Irving and New England History
Washington Irving and New England HistoryNew England culture figures so prominently in Irving's story that it is almost another character. The Headless Horseman, for example, is rooted, possibly, in the life of a historic figure. During the American Revolution, a Hessian soldier was decapitated by a cannonball while he was fighting in the area.
Cotton Mather
Image credit" Peter Pelham. 1700. Public domain.
Irving refers several times to Cotton Mather. Mather had a hand in the prosecution and execution of 'witches' at the Salem Witch Trials. Mather authored a book, "History of New England Witchcraft", which is one of Ichabod's few possessions. Ichabod treasures this book, and is a "perfect master" of Mather's writing. As a matter of fact, Washington Irving writes, Ichabod believes in the book "most fervently and potently".
Twenty people were executed at the Salem Witch Trials. Nineteen of those who died were hanged. The twentieth was pressed to death with stones. He received this harsh sentence because he refused to plead innocent or guilty to the charge of sorcery.
Some who were charged with sorcery were not executed, but died in jail as they awaited trial.
Giles Corey Being Pressed to Death by Stones
Image credit: The oil drawing was published in Witchcraft Illustrated, 1892. The original artist "may be" Ridpath. Picture is in the public domain.
My Collage
When I saw @shaka's template photo:
I knew immediately that my theme would be The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Wow, @shaka, you are an amazing photographer.
As I thought about the collage I could envision the bridge (courtesy of Paint 3D), the background with a moon (Pixabay), and the Horseman (Pixabay.) In the Pixabay picture, the horseman was a statue. I had to take the cape off, and then his head. He also needed another foot, and a pumpkin (Pixabay.
The ghoul hands came from Pixabay. I had to change the color and clean them up a bit. Then I had to paint over them repeatedly so they would change shape and look as though they were grasping (in a GIF).
Ichabod was hard. I can't draw, so I looked for a picture of someone who was running. This was the best I could do: (*Pixabay* )
I kept playing with this figure until I got Ichabod:
I gave him a hat and a scarf. Hat from Unsplash, scarf Pixabay.
The stream came from Pixabay:
accent, from Pixabay
Finally, the floating scarecrow came from Pixabay.I put a little glint in the creature's eye.
I used Paint, Paint 3D, and GIMP to create the effects and the GIF.
I think that's everything. If the description is a little chaotic, that's because I made the collage once, started over and then kept reworking it. It's hard to trace the steps :)
Thank you, @shaka, for the challenge and the entertainment. To everyone who reads this blog--join in. You don't need tio be an artist (look at me!). We have an LMAC school, taught by gracious @quantumg. There are prizes, and there is a welcoming, supportive community. Check out @shaka's blog to see the fun collages that have been submitted so far.
I live in Hesse, and I can truly confirm that there are a lot of headless people walking around here. Especially many headless people can be seen after the so-called "Kerbe" (folk festival) and too much apple wine (hessian: Äpplwoi), the cannon balls of the modern time hessians. ^___^
As always a very informative and lovely Edu-Collage. A series I really love!
I also like how you animated the hands. Looks really creepy.
Well done!
Wow, that is really laborious even if the result speaks for the effort.
At the risk that you already know, but in case you are using GIMP, such animations can also be easily created using the Warp Transform Tool frame by frame (layer by layer). It is the warp transform mode "Move pixels" that is interesting for such a purpose. With this mode, you can use the tool to drag around (pulling, pressing, stretching) radial image areas.
Hi @quantumg,
You certainly are a teacher. Story of my life...get stuff done, using unorthodox methods. Thank you for the 'lesson'. This will save much time and effort.
I'm happy to get your approval on this collage. My pictures are not polished and don't reflect skill. But they do always reflect effort and thought. It's nice that you appreciate this.
I've peeked at your collage, and your blog. Have not commented yet (am rationing my VP and using it up slowly), but will say here briefly that your collage reminds me of the film Prometheus, prequel to Alien. I think that movie is brilliant, and so is your collage.
Thank you again, for the kind words. I love writing blogs and making collages:)
BTW: Ha ha for the tipsy Hessians :))
Thank you very much for the recent tips. That's really nice of you. But be sure, I am also happy to help you for free. :-)
I often wonder if there really could be methods in art that could be described as unorthodox. However, the galleries around the world might prove otherwise. :)
By the way, could also be the story of my life. ^^
Now that you say it ... Do you mean the starting scene in which the gigantic humanoid is standing on the cliff where he is drinking the mysterious substance?
Prometheus and your collage: I think the resemblance between the two for me is more than physical. Of course, there is that. But yours is a very conceptual collage (as always), and it is the idea of creation, the arrogance (can a god be arrogant, or only humans?) of the creator and the cold determination to prevail over subjects. I think the film is beautiful in so many ways, and so too your collage.
As for tips:
I feel constrained by vote limits, so I keep an amount of liquid Hive to supplement my votes. This allows me to express my appreciation to people in a concrete way. It's a lot of fun :)
Hello friend, a legend that horror stories of the headless horseman. luck in the contest I tell you that in my country, Venezuela, it is not a tradition to celebrate any Halloween here, adopting that custom.
Hello my friend cetboo8,
Thank you for those kind words. In my mind, Halloween, All Saints Day, and Dia de los Muertos were all somehow connected. I think in northern European countries and the U.S. Halloween has more to do with harvest and the end of summer. When I was a child it was a really big deal in farm country (New York State). The firehouse would be decorated and adults would get involved. The holiday was more fun than horror :))
Thank you for visiting my blog. Good luck tonight with your wonderful collage.
Wow. Well done! The hands sticking out of the ground are a nice touch. The flying pumpkin is spectacular! And the detail of movements in the tones of the sky is genial.
Good luck @agmoore!
Dear @marcybetancourt,
It makes me happy when you like my collage. Blame the pumpkin on my husband :) I was 'finished'. He looked at the pumpkin and said, "The pumpkin isn't going to fly?" So, that's how the pumpkin smashed into Ichabod's head :))
Thank you so much for coming by. LMAC--it's like a club with open membership.
Good luck tonight with your spirited and beautiful collage.
Your collages are full of history, taking care of every detail.
describe the step by step, the programs you used, this is important
I like animation and colors.
Dear @eve66,
Thank you so much for those kind words about my blog, and my collage. It is very hard for me to make these. There's always an idea in my head but my skills are limited so I have to think of a way around the difficulties. This is fun.
I saw your 'fiery' collage yesterday but was out of votes. Very impressive, very dramatic. I will visit your blog in a bit and comment there.
Thanks for visiting, and good luck tonight!
Wow, I like your work, the hands buried in the well and ground makes it awesome. Wishing you luck with this
Thank you, friend. I had fun with this. I hope we all win :))
Happy Halloween.
Thank you 👌
You certainly got in the Halloween spirit AG. :) What a wonderful collage and so ingenious. Love the moving pumpkin that comes to rest on the head. Thanks for the interesting story on Sleepy Hollow.
Thank you, my country friend. I think a rural legend such as this would probably find resonance with you. I appreciate your kind comments.
Dear @agmoore, I wanted to be able to stop and look at your work, and it was worth it. I love horror stories involving animals. I don't know why, they're scarier. However, you manage to add an element of humor that is typical of these parties. Sweet and at the same time, trick. I love it!
Hello @adncabrera,
Thank you for coming. I love making these. Art was never an area in which I felt comfortable (although I love it), but age is liberating :) I come back every week and am grateful to @shaka for making a community in which I can play :) I'm glad you see the humor. In the original story, Washington Irving pokes fun at Ichabod.
I hope you have great luck in your creative collage tonight.
Regards,
AG
In fact, I love the legend of the Headless Horseman. There is a movie based on this legend that is very special to me: Sleepy Hollow , directed by Tim Burton. In Spanish they called it La leyenda del jinete sin cabeza (The Legend of the Headless Horseman).
But you know what? I've always been mortified by the horse... ethnically ridden by its mutilated rider. As a child I could have horrible nights thinking about that!
PS. Age is liberating and Hive helps. I am always grateful that Hive has helped me to deal with imperfection and to understand my stretch of artistic path without shame. @shaka has put a beautifully new opportunity on that path.
And I love, love Tim Burton. We have a lot in common, I see :))
Beautiful collage and story.
Thank you, @pokerm. I appreciate your support and your kind words.
Happy Halloween!
!discovery 40
Thank you @phage93. It feels good to be discovered :)
Excelente composición!
Thank you very much :)
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Muchas gracias! I had a lot of fun making this. Thank you very much for visiting :)