#gothtober

Trying to find inspiration for someone to emulate this character was a bit tricky to conjure on my own, so I decided to put myself in its place. I drew upon vintage photography of Austin, Nevada to set it in and looked up 1890s American men’s fashion and Wild West steampunk fashion for inspiration behind this. Although I was going for a Wild West steampunk gothic angel, I didn’t have the time or energy to make a character that looked like someone from 1892 Austin, NV so that’s that.

I was trying to find a color for the woman on the right’s tuft that was unique and one-of-a-kind from typical tuft colors worn by women around their age, and I got to thinking, “What about red, the color of blood,” and that’s just what I did, but now she looks more like a rooster lol(don’t judge me)

I did many sketches of hairstyles, eyeshadows, and clothing for this Gothtober Art Challenge prompt before deciding on a few for the final sketch before posting. I hope you like it.

The Grand Guignol was a theater in Paris, France which existed from 1897 to 1962. It was dedicated to dark, horror plays that were both adrenaline-racing and gruesome with graphic, gory special effects. The theater’s popularity peaked between the World Wars, when even celebrities and members of royalty were curious in seeing some of the shows. The “evil doctor” was very popular amongst the plays presented, so I decide to set a stage show within the late 1920s, taking inspiration from the vintage Mickey Mouse cartoon, “Mickey’s Nightmare”, plus a Grand-Guignolesque maniac doctor of my own creation.

For those who don’t know, La Voisin was a fortune-teller, herbalist, practitioner of the dark arts and infamous poison-maker. She started her career as a palm and face-reader in order to provide money for her family, but after marrying a wealthy merchant whose business was beginning to fail, she eventually became a herbalist and developed a business of potions, the dark arts, and even poisons. She had many clients who were all female of both high and low classes, however when working for Madame Montespan, a high-profile French noble who wanted King Louis XIV to love her but was in love with another mistress whom he had impregnated, and then the Duchess of Fontanges, La Voisin’s reputation significantly upturned. Madame Montespan wanted the Duchess of Fontanges poisoned as a result of this but La Voisin’s work also narrowly poisoned the King as well, which led to her arrest and accusation of witchcraft. She indeed confessed on arrest of being a poison-maker and practitioner of black magic and as a result was burnt to the stake. Some historians have speculated that she called out to God or the Devil to forgive her before she died, others say she eventually cried out having regretted telling the truth or practicing the dark arts.

Inspired by symbolism found in 17th century Dutch art, Vanitas symbolizes the allegorical transience and vanity of life and time’s quick passage. On one hand is a skull; on the other hand is a peeled lemon, representing the richness and abundance of the natural world while also conveying its vanity.

Taking some influence from various depictions of witches in 17th century artwork and advertising and gave it a modern goth appeal. Wanted to make her hair longer although not knowing how I was going to fit in her overhanging hood on her cloak.