Halloween Magic

Society of Illustrators 46th Annual of American Illustration, 2005, p327
Book Illustration, Illustrator: Greg Couch

Tonight is the night when pumpkins stare. And all cats are black and a flying leaf looks more like a bat.

The illustrator's goal was to depict "Halloween as a magical night...filled with danger and delight...and there is always a full moon."
I like the eerieness the illustrator creates with the dark colors, shadowy figures, and the faces that seem to be peering out from everywhere. The moon, the bat, the Jack-O-Lanterns, the houses, and even the tree appear to have faces looking at the children. The trees around the houses hint at reaching hands and hair. The floating leaves create eyes and a nose on the enormous, glowing moon while an exaggerated-sized bat creates a gaping grin. The size of the bat hints at how large the children would perceive the bat to be.
This image brings back memories of a racing heart as a child when I would trick-or-treat with my friend and the wind would make things rustle and the light from street lamps would cast long shadows and the doors to strangers' houses appeared menancing. A time before parents stayed with their children and you only went to homes of people you knew. It was a time of full-sized candy bars, apples, and Mrs. Warren's large homemade popcorn balls. Ahh....the memories.