Headless Horseman

I've grown up with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as much as I have comic books. The Disney animated adaptation, for me, was the definitive depiction of the ill-fated Ichabod Crane and the demonic spectre of old Tarrytown. So when I got a commission to do The Headless Horseman, I got chills. Etched on 11 x 14" with mixed media we see the legendary Hessian soldier himself, rearing up his horse in triumph for his latest kill. This admittedly was my most challenging piece yet for both main character and background. The moonlit sky was an education and I'm thankful I graduated from that lesson with flying colors. For the Horseman, I broke with tradition and tried to inject some historical accuracy, much like the recent Fox TV series did, and gave him a red waistcoat and standard German gear. The cloak and the pose itself were inspired by that popular first look at the Horseman in the cartoon; God I can't forget that red background and that haunting laugh. From the flames of the Jack-O-lantern in his hand to the misty fog of the cemetery and the village, this commission tested my skills. The fog was accomplished with both hard and soft lead Prismacolor pencils. The face of the moon was also accomplished with warm gray pencil crayon. I'm extremely pleased with the result and I look forward to hearing how my client regards it. God knows, you'd never want to try and reason with this headless man.