Pete Von Sholly is a hardworking man, that’s who he is, and this article barely touches on his work.
He drew the storyboards for Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and 4; Child’s Play 1-3, Seed, Bride, Curse, and the series; the Full Moon features Puppet Master 2-5, Demonic Toys, and Dollman Versus Demonic Toys; and many more including some phenomenal one-shot movies like Freaked, The Mist, and The Blob remake.
He was a layout artist for the late 1970s Godzilla animated series, and the art director and character designer for Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures and The Real Ghostbusters, both animated series from the early 1990s. His IMDB page would fill a book, and the work he has done would fill volumes.
He has illustrated books by H.P. Lovecraft, Joe R. Lansdale, and Stephen King; created a mini-comic book series called Stories that Make You Say Ugh!, which he later puts together in book form; and made a Graveyard Die-O-Rama Playset that will make you use that “shut up and take my money” meme with Fry from Futurama.
It was his History of Monsters mural that sucked me in though.
History of Monsters tells the history of monsters like nobody ever has. It’s a mural in book form that starts with monsters in the dark, then in mythology, and then movies. It begins with cavemen huddling around a fire and ends with a family telling stories by campfire. Best of all, it’s ongoing. You can tell when he gets to the 1980s cause it is jam-packed with everybody.
Clover Press offers a hardback version where the mural is one solid unit that folds out in an accordion design. There is also a softcover with the mural divided up into twenty-one plates. And you can purchase it as a poster with all the images or as a set of twenty-two prints. Check it out here on Von Sholly’s own YouTube channel.
For more information on Pete Von Sholly read his biography with some of his work If Not Now When? You can support him on Patreon and Kickstarter, but definitely follow the real him on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. When workaholics are artists we all benefit. And for that, Pete Von Sholly, we thank you.