Chuck Knigge on the Joy of Horror

“Solos are Fine but Duets are Romantic” by Chuck Knigge

As All Hallow’s Eve looms, we approached Chuck Knigge, a Northwest artist, illustrator/cartoonist, and game designer for his thoughts on the horror genre. “As an artist, I think the best thing one can do is make horror that speaks to you personally. I find horror comedy most appealing, and I try to always bring a hint of something goofy and self aware to my horror work,” he says.

“Horror is the most difficult genre to take on. In no other genre do you have a fandom that is so particular and so passionate, yet so divided in taste and sophistication. And it’s because fear can take a few different forms and have multiple effects: psychological, physical, and humorous. Faltering on these even remotely can be devastating to your intended effect, but the most important aspect to horror is storytelling. Context is essential for creating suspense, grossing someone out, or making them laugh.”

“Armaweddin” by Chuck Knigge

Knigge, a UI artist behind the Guild Wars 2 video game, uses tongue-in-cheek to great effect. He created Armaweddin, a dark, digital tribute featuring his fiancee, to celebrate “our apocalyptic-themed wedding.” Known primarily for his comic and poster illustration, the artist these days is translating his skills to large-scale paintings and drawings. You can check out more of his work at www.seakae.com and http://seaknigge.blogspot.com/. Better yet, meet him on the Tacoma Studio Tour, November 3-4.

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