HOME | DD
Leopreston — The Cold Caller
Published: 2011-07-25 14:17:33 +0000 UTC; Views: 1129; Favourites: 26; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description
I originally posted this on my Tumblr blog [link] and thought it about time I added it to the collection of sketches I have here.The original accompanying text was as follows:
'I guess I should really mention what inspired me to draw this, in case I’m considered morbid or something similar… the idea behind it is actually rather charming.
Back in the spring of this year, I paid a visit to the beautiful (and not so little) Highgate Cemetery (in London); rambling, ivy engulfed and historical burial grounds with a breathtaking display of Victorian monuments, now completely at one with nature. One of the main sights of the old West side is the Circle of Lebanon, a circle within a circle of family vaults, each with a little sealed door at the front with an inscription either on it or above it. At the time of viewing these, a thought passed through my mind and I turned to my travel companion (~Lupinator ) and said ‘you know, this is so sad. They’re like little houses. It’s almost as if you could reach out and knock on one of the doors to see who is in and wake them from their sleep’.
Hence the ‘cold caller’ makes his solemn walk around the cemetery and with his little lamp to guide him, knocks on all the doors to let the dead know that they’re late in joining the night’s festivities…'
(Artwork © Leona Preston 2011)
Please remember to respect my Copyrights!
Related content
Comments: 25
I really like how unthreatening you made it look! It doesn't provoke fear or dread, just appears to be a gentle being who visits tombs
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
He likes to have a tea party on Wednesdays and is partial to watching Scrubs on an old black and white TV he found dumped in the corner of the cemetery.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This is cool. Very mysterious and so filled with story.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Absolutely wonderful idea, and the illustration is also wonderful. The grey colour of the pencil works well for the mood, the composition is nice and by GOD if a skeleton can be sweet, that one is for sure. Wonderful!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hee, I wanted to make him a 'friendly skeleton', if such a thing is possible. 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I believe I know what you mean. For some reason (still unknown to me), my mother wanted to visit this rather famous cemetry in Paris. They also had this little house thingies there that I found rather odd... I sort of wonder what the story or general idea is behind them.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You know, a lot of people think it's morbid, but it's actually quite the opposite. I find cemeteries to be peaceful, thoughtful places, usually of natural beauty. In a way, they are places of memories and often a lot of care and attention went into the making of the monuments. They're also full of history, hence why your mother probably wanted to visit the one in Paris (not including the famous catacombs by any chance?)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I am a being that's afraid of death, so I don't really enjoy walking through cemetries a lot (like I did in Paris). We visited the Père Lachaise Cemetry , which is a really big one... There are some impressive graves, but they usually leave me with a feeling of... hmmm, sorrow? No. Probably sympathy and respect, while several shivers run down my spine.
There was even a guy there, that slept on one of the benches there. Of course he was woken up by one of the guards that patrolled there, but even so, I was highly surprised to find people willing to sleep there.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
May I use this as an illustration (link for right now) for the story I'm writing? It's tentative at best for right now, but I will make sure, if you allow me, to link you to the end product.
Thank you.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I'm sorry, that was a little unclear. Do you mean you intend to publish your story in the end? I must mention that I don't usually allow the use of my illustrations without a proper credit and in the case of a 'final product', charge a usage fee because heck, you know, that would be like, skipping the commission process and using something for free, you know?
Sorry to sound so harsh matey, but I have an equally cold shoulder when it comes to questions like this. If you were intending to use it as a preview image online, that's ok so long as the copyright is visible, else no.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Probably won't ever get anything published - it would be more of a "Hey, this person made an amazing picture, and it fits in with the overall theme; here it is if you so choose to look at it."
Don't worry about sounding harsh, I completely understand.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
In that case, as I said before, so long as the copyright remains, that's fine by me.
And I do need to apologise (for biting your arm off). That's such an automatic reaction nowadays. *Erhem* You can have it back now, I'm sure it'll still work just fine.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Alright, thank you.
And again, that's fine. Although I do appreciate the return of my arm. I'm just not that ambidextrous. I'd either not be able to draw/write, or not be able to erase.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh dear, no, it's no good. You're just going to have to learn to draw with your foot. XD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Surprisingly, I've tried that. I'm not sure where you'd classify it in the artistic genre scale. Somewhere between Modernist Abstract and Baby Food Drool.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ha ha ha ha, I had hoped that you were joking, but now... I want to try it to seem like some kind of contorted awesome. XD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Try doing it while playing Twister. That would be interesting... haha
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hmm, sounds... funky.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1