Yes, I'm trying a comeback as an artist and a writer after some very tough years. I can't believe a decade has passed since my last musings, but here I go.
What gets you inspired to write/create? I'm downloading pictures to my phone from several sites I follow on Facebook and Reddit. What piques my imagination is all over the place. Under the dark, disturbing, Goth, demons, fantasy, Earthscapes, sky views, constellations, every Northern Lights picture I see, a few animals like the big cats, wolves, ravens, owls and other raptors. This takes up alot less room than scrapbooks with 20 years worth of cutouts. Though I do miss mine.
While perusing the bounty, there's alot of dreck. Goth women in black corsets, ripped stockings, dribbling fake blood, and trying to seduce the viewer get old fast. Some pictures are not worth 10 words let alone 1000. A few Goth fashions are amazing with the lace and sequin details on gowns that span 8 feet across. Castles--I love castles, every stone has a tale. Anima rarely has anything worth saving. A shot from some video war game has a massive warrior with shoulders about 5 feet wide. He's covered in what looks like 300 lbs of armor, stands, oh, 10 feet high, and his head is the size of a cantaloupe. Proportion people! Ever hear of it? Oy! In drawing, normal human women stand 5-7 heads high, men 6-8 heads high. I understand orcs and demons and aliens et al are anatomically all over the map, but some things are ridiculous.
One cringe-worthy look--lots of Goth models wear contacts to make their eyes red or white and I'm itching to tell each one--please get the contacts from a credited optometrist because cheap contacts can seriously damage your eyes. Around Halloween I've seen posts of folks wearing colored contacts picked up at a costume shop or even a snack shop at a gas station. 31st October the person looks like a monster. 1st November they have blurred vision, scratched corneas, and blindness. Looking different is not worth losing your sight.
A picture that tells a story is invaluable. A woman warrior, battered and bruised and resolute though the next battle may be her last, or an owl stretching her wings over a winter forest. We all love the picture on the web of that little rotund snowy owl chick running because he can't fly yet and this chick is on the move! Makes me laugh every time I see that photo.
I love the pictures of wolf/werewolf with a woman/girl in a red cloak and hood,who are allies. This redoes the Red Riding Hood trope into something new. Or a wry minimal shot of a young woman's legs in white socks to mid-shin, and ruby slippers on her feet. Also at her feet is a bloody butcher knife and there's blood stains all over the shoes and socks. This is how Dorothy really got the Wicked Witch of the West! Now I'm having fun!
Frank Frazetta, Luis Royo, Boris Vallejo, Victoria Francis--amazing artists all. One Royo painting of a woman in a glittering gown, gold nail covers on her fingers, and wild hair became the inspiration for a sorceress in a tale for me. The way a crossbow is decorated may make it into another tale. A dark path leading to a cliff opens up oodles of possibilities.
"What if?" Is a question with infinite answers. 📝
