[Editorial] Heavy Metal AF: The Dark Horror Artwork of Sludgework

Dark, consuming and heavy metal AF is one way to describe the work of Meg, who is known more commonly by the pseudonym of Sludgework. Focusing on black and white imagery within the discipline of pen/ink, she is a graphic artist that creates artwork for a variety of creative industries and outlets including metal bands, content creators, clothing apparel and more.

Meg recently created the artwork for Ghouls Magazine column Films To Ruin Your Day, which perfectly captures the monstrosity and death of the films spoken about in that column.

We caught up with Meg to understand a little more about how she first got into the art (she’s self-taught which is just incredible!), where the inspiration comes for such a stylised aesthetic and a little about horror films too.

What was your first moment of inspiration and knowing you wanted to pursue a career in graphic design?

When I left Uni and got my first job, I would spend evenings consuming lots of horror movies and listening to metal music. I loved the art and imagery that came with it, so I applied my existing love for drawing to that niche. I was posting on Instagram in summer 2018 just generally showing my drawings without thinking much of it and a band messaged me asking me to make them a shirt design. From that point I just knew that's what I wanted to do. That was an unpaid job, but the excitement I felt from it was awesome.

You’ve mentioned you are a self-taught artist, how did you begin the process of teaching yourself?

A combination of practice and finding inspiration. I love skulls, skeletons and darker gothic looking artwork so I enjoy looking at and researching that genre of art. I doodled many skulls and drippy creatures and skeletons etc for ages during my first job out of Uni due to boredom. I just wanted to apply creativity and learn more pen techniques. I've found what works for me, just through filling over 10 sketchbooks and about 150 random bits of paper! 

Do you have any advice for other budding artists who are looking to move into a creative space?

Absolutely. Firstly the cliche but true - go for it! Do it for yourself. There is temptation to dive into something to make money but if you are not in love with what you do as an artist it can become hard to keep going. Apart from a couple of times a year when I know I need a little break from the pen, I gravitate towards it without hesitation. I just love drawing.

 Secondly, within that creative space, know your worth and do not do anything you are uncomfortable with. If it feels wrong, don't do it. By this I mean, you may be asked to do creative jobs you don't agree with, or like, don't be afraid to say no, and absolutely call someone out and seek help if you ever feel unsafe or uneasy.

Your artwork has a very distinct personality to it; what influences have you used to create such a dark style?

Metal music, my favourite, is a huge inspiration. I love album art and metal shirts and being able to create them now is awesome. Again, horror movies too.  

You create in black and white only - was there a particular reason for taking this aesthetic direction

I just don't have skill with colour, either digitally or physically. By that I mean I haven't developed great coloured pencil or paint skills, and I do not have the knowledge for colour within photoshop or illustrator. The simple black ink pen and the graphite pencil are my things! I think I took the direction to develop pen and ink because the artwork I love most and I'm inspired by is predominantly black and white or grayscale.

To date, what’s been the project/piece of art you’ve had the most fun creating and why?

That is very hard because I find a lot of different aspects of each commission or project super fun.

If I had to pick a few I'd say the projects for which there is gain beyond the art and its use, i.e charity or fundraising. So in that case, the shirts for Dogula - 50% of funds going to animal shelters (plus drawing dogs in Sludgework style!) and the ‘Final Girl Shit’ t shirt design for Abominable Book Club - proceeds from the March box which included the shirt going to women's shelters.

If you were given complete free reign to create absolutely anything, what direction would you take it in and what would be your end product?

I would love to do two things right now as personal projects. One is to put a book together of my art since I started, and one is to create a beer label for a brewery. It would be so cool to be in a shop and see my art on a beer. Beer label art is quite cool, and I like looking at the artwork in the specialist beer shops.

You’ve worked with a multitude of bands, brands, outlets and people; who would be your dream person/band/brand to work with?

I mean of course i’d love to work with some of my favourite bands such as Birds in Row, Portrayal of Guilt, Conjurer, Vile Creature etc, the list goes on. I don't have a single dream brand or band to be honest. I would, in the most immediate, love to work on more zines for underground and indie publications. The lovely George at Astral Noize has opened two opportunities for me within that which I've thoroughly enjoyed. 

You’re into ‘sludge metal’ which sounds awesome. For a novice like myself (too lazy to Google as well) can you explain what is sludge metal and how you got into that genre?

Sludge metal is about distorted instruments, harsh vocals, a traditionally slower tempo. Great example would be ;The Melvins;. Sludge can be paired well with doom, and stoner rock. I’m not a musician or expert though, so don't take my word for it!

Genuinely, I didnt know a thing about it until I was looking at a festival lineup back in 2017 and I found Gurt. Still a favourite sludge band of mine to this day. When I was looking for an artist name in 2018 and was about to start freelancing I Googled sludge artwork for inspo and then Sludgework just felt right. 

When you’re creating, what bands or tracks are on your go-to playlist?

I return a lot to Portrayal of Guilt, Phoxjaw, Hundred Year Old Man, Old Man Gloom etc at the moment but it changes regularly. I also like to listen to my bandcamp collection which contains a lot of very talented artists I have discovered through Twitter. 

You’re also a horror fan, which of course we all are at Ghouls Magazine. What’s your preferred subgenre of horror?

Found footage 100%. I adore this genre. Two of my favourite horror films are 'As above, So below' and 'Hell House LLC'  and both are found footage. I just love it, even lesser known ‘low budget’ movies in the depths of Amazon Prime like Bad Ben and Blackwell Ghost. I'm a fan of the unpolished, raw feel to them. Adds to the fear in my opinion. 

Any recent recommendations for films that just went straight into your top 10 list?

As above, So below and Hell House LLC! Also Midsommar, Hereditary, REC, Saint Maud, Prevenge - just a few that shot straight into my ‘recommend to everyone’ list. Basically found footage and slow burn visually stunning horror, two genres I love. 

If you could choose one, who would be the most admirable horror character for you? Doesn’t have to be a villain either!

Can it be an animal? - Shark from Jaws. I mean it's iconic, well made, and inspired many shark films plus a movement to understand them more. Great Whites are so misunderstood. There are a lot of classic and loved horror characters, but I pick Jaws.

But to add, I do like artwork that surrounds some of the classics like Pinhead, Pennywise etc. 

Have you ever found that being a woman in the industry has been challenging? 

So, for me personally up until this point, since I began freelancing in 2018, I will say no. This is only because I'm very lucky that the people I have interacted with have been awesome and respectful, and mostly virtual i.e over the internet. However, that does not mean that problems are not huge for women in the industry. I'm aware of that each day, and will always try to help where I can, and ensure I'm only following and promoting good people. Calling out shitty behaviour and supporting and believing issues that are raised is so very important.

As someone within the horror industry, how would you like to see the industry evolving and becoming more inclusive for different people?

I just believe that everyone should have equal opportunities. I  love that horror and music is starting to more frequently highlight talented BIPOC, LGBT+ and other minorities more and more. It's wonderful. It needs to be more, and I hope the industry improves and becomes inclusive and safe for everyone. Racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism etc just should not have a place within the horror industry (or any industry) at all, the sooner it's eradicated the better.

What plans do you have for Sludgework coming up and what do you see the future holding?

To keep working all available hours outside my day job on what I love, to eventually be able to dedicate my full time to it. It's my passion and there are so many talented people in horror and metal and I want to work with and connect where possible. Also, I'd love to have made the book I mentioned, and maybe be sat drinking a beer with my art on the label!

You can find Meg’s work at the following places through her website, on Twitter, on Instagram or Facebook!

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