Witch artwork created for a horror book cover by artist illustrator Duncan Long (1)

Traditional picture of a witch created by book cover artist / illustrator Duncan Long

Halloween witches have varied over the years from the comical creations of Disney to the more sinister women of horror movies. They’ve got mixed reviews, from the too-real Salem Witch trials to the sorceresses of Greek myth to the friendly witches of TV comedy series. Some are portrayed as beguilingly beautiful; others as terrifying hags.

And of course there have been endless argument as to whether witches are powerful or powerless, innocent victims or dangerous evil doers.

But rather than make any judgment calls, most illustrators and story tellers divorce their stories from any real life connections, and let their characters play the roles of angel or demon, letting the literary chips fall where the story leads them.

So that caveat out of the way, this post will be devoted to a few of the fictional witch illustrations I’ve created over the years.

Witch artwork created for a horror book cover by artist illustrator Duncan Long (2)

“Sinister Witch at the Gate” by horror book illustrator Duncan Long

Witch artwork created for a horror book cover by artist illustrator Duncan Long (3)

“The Spell Is Cast” by horror book artist Duncan Long

Witch artwork created by artist horror illustrator Duncan Long

“Of Blood and Spells” horror artwork by illustrator Duncan Long

Horror artwork created for a horror book cover by artist illustrator Duncan Long

“Night Music: Howling” by horror book cover artist Duncan Long

Witch illustration for a horror book cover by artist Duncan Long

“Night Life” – a horror illustration by book artist Duncan Long

Witch artwork created for a horror book cover by artist and illustrator

“Cemetery Dancers” created by horror artist Duncan Long

Witch artwork created for a horror book cover by artist illustrator Duncan Long (8)

“A Witch Scorned” horror artwork by illustrator Duncan Long

Witch artwork created for a horror book cover by artist illustrator Duncan Long (9)

“Witch Come Back” – an illustration by book cover artist Duncan Long

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Graphic artist and illustrator Duncan Long has created thousands of illustrations for book and magazines, working for publishers and self-publishing authors. You can see much more of his work in Duncan Long’s Horror Gallery