Inspiration for Creep the Clown

I was really inspired by vintage circus clowns when coming up with Creep. I wanted some hybrid of Ronald McDonald, IT, Joker, and the puppet from Saw. I spent a lot of time looking through different clowns and finally came up with this unsettling character. What may not be so apparent when you first see this image is that leaking out from under Creep's 'Grinch-like smile' of a clown mask, is blood from a possible horrific accident which has left him disfigured in a very grotesque way. Somewhat of a metaphor for life. We keep smiling, while the truth of how we feel is hidden right beneath the surface.