Special New Years Sale Blowhard!

In addition to posting the NEW Krampus postkard in my Etsy shop, I have just placed the previous krampus kards (greeting cards only) on a 50% markdown for the first week in January (starting January 1st)!
So, to get ready for next year's festivities you can buy 10 krampus kards for the funbelievable price of $9.99US*! Just don't forget to dust them off when it gets closer the krampusing season. You don't want the friends and families to sneeze on the matte finish. Or maybe you do, you strange human being.
Happy New Year, sons and daughters!

*WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

Babykrampus New Year 2010

Here's a New Year's wish to you from the Krampus Kard blog. I wish you the happiest while St. Niklaus turns his back on you for a full year! It's a dickmove, Nik. Really. You're the epitome of a deadbeat dad.
Although, the posting frequency will be less, I assure you there will be some fun Krampus news in 2010. Stay tuned and raise a glass, folks–then bring it down upon the hardwood floor!•

• It's what the Krampus would do.

Krampus Pinup (of sorts)

And here it is. A Krampus sketched in a pinup-style. Just in time for Christmas! I was going to go all sweet and saucy but I decided to make her look hard and raunchy. After all, the mythical character that delivers discipline should look the part.
I wanted to color it but tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I have a kramp-load of family visiting so I should get back to whatever it is families do (I still haven't figured that out). I hope you enjoy her in all her penciled badness.
Also, her name is Kate and she loves to hate.

krampusgirl

This lovely piece of obscurity came directly from Austria. It is my most unusual (and most recently acquired) krampus postcard in my collection because it depicts the characters as children dressed up as St. Nikolaus and Krampus. I love how the krampus is a little girl and she has an innocent look on her face and nikolaus looks sort of bewildered with other children acting strange as well. A very splendid card altogether, I think.
Note that the sender of the postcard personalized the front by writing "and Nikolaus" after the "Greetings from Krampus!" line.
The postmark on the reverse side tells me that it was sent in November of 1929.
I think the artist did a splendid job on this delightful illustration of one of my favorite mythical characters. Mergy Krampus, everyone!

Comic Book Krampus 3: The Flash

The Krampus as DC Comic's The Flash. Looks like he's kidnapped a naughty child. Poor kid passed out due to the impact of the velocity. I guess that's what he gets for being naughty.
Next comic character made into a krampus karacter? You tell me, my good human. You tell me.

Comic Book Krampus 2: Wolvie Krampus

I know, i know. The obvious choice for an X-man krampus is Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler. That would be much too easy. All I would have to do is add horns. And that's no fun. So, here is Wolverine in all his krampus glory. I hope you enjoy.
If you would like to suggest another comic book character for me to krampusize, please send an email to info@krampuskards.com or leave a comment on this post.
Make Mine Krampus!

Komic Book Krampus 1: THE BAT[krampus]MAN

I was sketching late last night after viewing The Daily Batman which helped me remember that I've been meaning to start a project here that cross-pollinates the Krampus theme with one of my favorite past-times, comic book superheroes. So, I wandered into it and here is my first entry. The Batman as Krampus.
The entries will not be limited to any particular company and will cover all comic books–not only meta-humans (not that Batman is a 'meta-human' –geekcheck). I am also open to requests if anyone wants to chime in on seeing their favorite comic character krampusized. If so, I will be posting a new one weekly (every Wednesday) from now until December 30th.
Make Mine Krampus!

Hey kids! T-shirt!

By the way, the latest Krampus postkard design, by yours truly, has been offered up as a fashion design. Gritty t-shirts with Krampus on your chest shows the world that you are well read in the ways of Germanic folklore done up in the NOW. I dare you to be good! Go here: Krampus Klothes or click on the image, mein freund.

Happy Thankstaking Day

Today is Thankstaking day in Krampusverse. This is when the Krampus practices his taking of your children that are barkingly bad all year. Which is probably most of them, I'm sure. Don't worry, the children that are depicted in the sketch are practice dummies.

At my age of 37 I'd rather receive a visit from a skinny, hairy creature with horns than an obese, white-haired, overgrown child who smells like milk and baked goods. I hope I haven't offended. This is, after all, a pro-krampus site.

That said, in celebration of Black Friday tomorrow, I am selling Krampus Kards with a 30% discount from now until midnight tomorrow. So, hopefully, I will continue the Thanksgiving by taking your money. Happy Thankstaking Day!

Be good for goodness sake.

more Krampus by others

Another very splendid Krampus illustrator is Melita 'Miss Monster' Curphy. I really love how she designs her krampus cards. Even with her modern character design style I think these could have fit in nicely in the old world. I missed out on this print because I see that it is sold out now. I hope she prints more. lots more.
The Gruss vom Krampus! at the bottom means "Greetings from Krampus". Something that was commonly written on most holiday cards that depicted the krampus (also written on the old postcards was Krampuslauf, which roughly translates to "march of the krampus"). You can find more of Miss Monster's work at her website www.missmonster.com

Krampus by others

Choking Krampus
Originally uploaded by travis37a

Every once in a while I would like to take a moment and share with you Krampus-related artwork from other artist's that I admire.
Travis Louie is probably one of the first artists I found depicting this mythological character in various settings. You can find more of his work at his website and if you click on the image it will take you to his gorgeous Flickr set of Krampus portraits. He makes me chuckle. And I've never chuckled before.

Enjoy and be good…for goodness sake.

Krampus postKard

In order to cut costs this economically challenging year, I've decided to create a postcard in lieu of a single folded, full-fledged greeting card. No text in front. Just your run-of-the-mill, on-sided postcard image says it all. I really liked having the limitation of a single side. Plus, adding my cats to the design made my wife happy. :)
This particular design is inspired by a past post seen here.

Order Sketch #1

For every Krampus Kard order between now and Halloween, the buyer will receive a sketch of a krampus by the artist. Hand drawn with ink and everything. This one-of-a-kind sketch is on it's way to UK right now.

Be good.

Krampus Kard s2 for sale

If you clickity clack on the image above it will take you to a place where you can purchase a pack of 10 Krampus Kards from the 2nd series (along with 10 envelopes).
I am trying to work on releasing the award winning kards first unveiled in 2005 but funds have been tight. So, the more you buy of these the more chance they will see the light of day. I guess you can say that Krampus Kards are a non-profit organisation. Santa be damned!

P.S. tell your friends and stuff.

Nikolaus v. Krampus

I've been meaning to post another original illustration by your humble blogger, but during the holidays it gets more and more difficult to find the time. Since I don't have kids, I really have no excuse. I've been working on this piece for a while. I am currently in the middle of coloring it but I couldn't wait any longer to share it with the Internet.
Most of the old world depictions of St. Nickolaus and the many incarnations that represent the darker side of the axial inclination, show them working together rather than working apart. It's more of a "yin-yang" situation than a good versus evil. This is where my comic geek kicks in and that is why this drawing exists. Shown here in its inked but unfinished glory. Combining contemporary literary perspectives of Dr. Seuss' Mr. Grinch and the aesthetics of Marvel Comics' Nightcrawler from the X-men*. Also making the scenario more "American" by adding Santa Claus rather than St. Nikolaus.
Incidentally, this was intended to be 2008's Krampus Kard, but my wife wasn't a fan of Santa being depicted as a Hulk-like monster. Since the Kards we send out are representative of our household, I need her final approval. This will see print someday, though. In postcard format, most likely.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

FUN FACT: The word Krampus comes from the Old High German word Krampen, which means claw.

*Interesting that Nightcrawler is from Germany since that is one of the many areas that the Krampus originates.