Written by As we approach Halloween, things get a little creepier here in the States. It’s not uncommon to see people walking down the street in full costume or be passed by a vampire driving a car while flipping you off because you’re moving too slowly. Full moons typically only appear once a month and the October full moon has, unfortunately, already come and gone. I didn’t know how to make a full moon interesting, so we have this little bat flying by one to liven things up a bit. This is mostly because the wolf I drew first looked more like a deranged dog. What I find most interesting about full moons are the many myths that surround them. Obviously werewolves are supposed to come out, but people claim all sorts of weird things happen during the full moon. There’s no scientific proof that strange behavior occurs any more frequently during full moons, however, so perhaps it’s just the increase in light that makes people better notice the weird things that are already happening all the time.
Many maternity nurses and moms will swear that more babies are born during a full moon. Police officers will also tell you that crime increases. Interestingly, none of this has ever been conclusively proven, but that hasn’t stopped people from believing it. For centuries, when something odd happens, people will sometimes ask, “was there a full moon?” as though an answer in the affirmative would be all the explanation you need. Like all good myths, this long tradition of belief in lunar lunacy is all it takes to make people continue to believe it’s true. People don’t actually believe the moon is made of green cheese, of course, but that was never an actual belief. It was just something people said, ironically, about people who were willing to believe just about anything without any real proof or knowledge.
Stories survive beyond proven facts. That’s what makes them so brilliant. It’s nearly impossible to make someone truly believe differently once a story has taken hold. That’s their power. Even if you don’t actually believe in werewolves, they still exist. Each story that makes them real, makes them matter. When I look back, it’s those tales of vampire bats and ghosts around Halloween that made me want to tell my own stories. I didn’t want to scare people, so I knew my stories would be different, but I was fascinated by how real the impossible could become. The strangest of behaviors and the oddest things in the world can be easily explained in stories, but if for any reason they can’t, you can always blame it on the moon.
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About the DoodlewashSennelier L’Aquarelle: Red Orange, Indian Yellow, Opera Rose, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Deep. and Payne’s Grey. Lamy Safari Al Star pen with Platinum Carbon with black ink in a little red cloth hardbound l’aquarelle journal I found in a Paris shop. |
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Wow, this is awesome!
Thanks so much, Deborah! 😃💕
You’re most welcome Charlie! #1 Grandson was wowed by it too! 🙂
Awww that’s even better! yay!! 😃
That awesome bat is perfect for the season?
Thanks, Teri! 😃💕 Yeah, had to get a little Halloween in before the month is up!
Well done Charlie! 🙂
Thanks so much, Jodi! 😃💕
wow!! so good. and that blue just is so perfect!! very cool Charlie 🙂
Awww thanks, Debi! 😃💕 I was sort of rushing my way through this one… hehe… so I’m glad you liked it!
you’re welcome Charlie! I do! And your are right too about rushing.
it gets like that more and more I notice, things just get so busy – and then art, gets no time. Or, sometimes I put the timer on to do art.
I think we need a break from all this rushing!
When I worked as a ticket agent at the airport for a brief time, we could always tell when it was a full moon as things and people seemed to get weirder. 😳 Great Doodlewash Charlie! 😃👻🎃
Thanks, Jill! 😃💕 Hehe… yeah… even without proof, people can certainly get even stranger! I’m sure at an airport you saw a LOT of strange things! lol
Thanks for an enlightening article and an adorable bat. It looks like Stellaluna, all grown up.
Awww thanks, Sharon! 😃💕 I was hoping for a cute and not terrifying bat… what a lovely compliment!
Gorgeous bat, I love the little cute creatures, against a full moon your painting eeks of Halloween and the bat despite being cute, makes me wonder if he may turn into the vampire you saw driving past in a car, vampires appear to adapt well to modern technology in your area, I think ours are still sleeping in coffins, and keeping hidden for the moment??
Thanks, Rebecca! 😃💕 Haha! You’re so lucky to have vampires who properly stay in their coffins. It’s gets soooo weird here! Lol Glad ya liked my bat… got a little muddy with the colors because I didn’t have time to let any layer realy dry. 😊hehe
Here in India, also they say the Full Moon has a special auspicious meaning.
My people tell me “Cattie goes crazy on the Full Moon nite”.
Hehe… that’s fun to know. Hmmm So around mid November Cattie is going to go crazy again! 😉
ha ha ha ha ha……………….Then my Cats Claws and Teeth shine pearly white and then red as blood after the attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha ha ha ha
Wow!! That’s perfectly terrifying!!😳 LOL
Wow, Charlie, that´s so beautiful and creepy at once! Great work! Hope you and your guys are doing fine!
Aww thanks, Ann! 😃💕 Something a little different… hehe… glad you liked it! We’re all doing great! Hope you are as well!
its a bat you can keep as a pet , a friendly bat ! 🙂
Hehe… love that thought! Yes! He’s quite friendly! Glad you liked him, thanks! 😃💕
You’ve captured the bat perfectly, right down to his tiny tongue!
hehe.. thanks, Sharon! 😃💕 Bats creep me out, but they’re fun to paint!
The moon isn’t made of green cheese? I’m devastated. Here, I thought that the moon waned each month because some stellar crittur gnawed on it and then it grew back when the cow jumped over the moon… ah well. Another good story debunked. Love your bat and that’s as far as I’ll take a love for bats, lol.
hehe… Thanks, Sandra! 😃💕 And yeah, I guess I should have started this post with “spoiler alert”! lol