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The Morbach Monster: A Tale of Inspiration for My Latest Illustration

Foto van schrijver: foeshelfoeshel


The monster of Morbach a werewolf around a protective candle017 Monster of Morbach werewolf with a protective candle


This week, we are diving a little bit deeper into my work process. I often find inspiration for my art in things I live through or see my daughter move through, or in myths and obscure stories. This time, it was a werewolf story that piqued my imagination.



The story:

The Morbach Monster


-Anonymous

Have you ever heard of the Morbach Monster?

I first learned of the legend while I was stationed at Hahn Air Force Base, Germany. Morbach was a munitions site just outside of the village of Wittlich.

Supposedly, Wittlich is the last town where a werewolf was killed. There is a shrine just outside of town where a candle always burns. Legend has it that if the candle ever goes out, the werewolf will return.

One night a group of security policemen were on their way to their post at Morbach when they noticed that the candle was out at the shrine, and they all joked about the monster.

Later that night, alarms were received from a fence-line sensor. When the security policemen investigated the call, one of them saw a huge "dog-like" animal stand up on its back legs, look at him, and jump over the 7 1/2-foot chain-link fence. A military working dog was brought to the area where the creature was last seen, and the dog went nuts, not wanting anything to do with tracking the creature.

This occurred around 1988.



This made me think of the one little candle at the shrine being in the eye of a storm, and the storm is the werewolf trying to snap as soon as the candle dims. In my mind's eye, I saw this as a whirlwind of darkness, which is the wolf surrounding a small candle.




The monster of Morbach a werewolf around a protective candle017 Monster of Morbach werewolf with a protective candle. by Foeshel



So I started sketching, which came out not to bad. After completing the sketch, I jumped right into the ink phase, emphasizing all the creepy details of the werewolf: its fur, which feels like an inferno; the sharp teeth; the eyes staring at the small candle. I chose to use black ink to create the stark contrast and then color it digitally. I used oranges to accent the flame and the storm that was brewing.




The monster of Morbach a werewolf around a protective candle017 Monster of Morbach werewolf with a protective candle. by Foeshel


I hope you like the final result of this little tale. I'm also excited to share the different steps from sketch to ink and finally the final piece.


Thanks for taking the time to read this. See you all next week, and as always, checkout TikTok for the making of this illustration.

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