Work Horse: Grace Jones + Joan Jett

La Vie en Rose

Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin

Two of my illustrations will be hanging in a group show at the Sequential Art Gallery + Studio in Portland from December 1–26, 2016. The opening will be on the 1st, so please come out to support me and my co-workers from Dark Horse Comics! See the poster, designed and illustrated by the fabulously talented Rick DeLucco, at the end of this post for additional details. 

These are personal illustrations done in my spare time. I dig music, and I dig apocalypse video games and tales... Grace Jones and Joan Jett are two music personalities I admire and have long wanted to take a stab at the likeness of. Here I've mixed them with imagery from the Fallout universe: Grace with the aggressive and deadly Assualtron robots, and Joan with the ever loyal canine companion Dogmeat.

I'll let my hero, Grace, take us out with a mantra for this year. :)

poster by Rick DeLucco

The Ghost Ease

The Ghost Ease

This is an album release poster I made back in February for The Ghost Ease, commissioned by Banana Stand Media! Check out the video below for their excellent song, "Gemini Rise".

I actually created this illustration around Halloween 2015 - hence the spooky vibes. I was listening to the You Must Remember This Podcast, which had an episode about America's first gothic sex symbol, Theda Bara. She was known as "The Vamp", and was an early Hollywood silent film femme fatale bringing men to their knees in such movies as "Sin", "Destruction", and of course "Cleopatra." Fox Studio publicists built up her image to be as exotic and mythical as possible, going so far as to claim her name to be an anagram for ARAB DEATH. Despite this, she was actually a bookish lady - typecast into the witchy-woman roll for the rest of her life.

I'm going to close out with this quote, which is admittedly concocted by the Fox Studio star-builders of her time to support Theda's "big, bad, scary feminist" image - yet still I dig it:

"V is for Vampire, and it stands for vengeance. The vampire I play is the vengeance of my sex upon its exploiters. You see, I have the face of a vampire but the heart of a feministe."

Theodosia Burr Goodman (Theda Bara,) July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955

Banana Stand PSU Posters

Two "sister" posters I illustrated and designed for shows thrown by Banana Stand Media at Portland State University. The Shook Twins show already happened... but Portland State of Mind Music Festival 2015 is still coming up as of this post! For more info check out the PDX.EU website, or the Facebook Event page.

If you're curious, these monkeys are based on Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys. I'm not making this up. They are real, and pretty damn great.

watch me WIP

Woolen Men

The Woolen Men

Here is an album release poster for The Woolen Men that I created in December 2014. This is another commission from one of my favorite clients, Banana Stand Media!

I have quite a collection of old photographs in my home. They're mostly kept around from when I was doing a lot more collage work. Now-a-days I sometimes use them as reference material. I have a particular series of photographs depicting very sober looking soldiers, posing on a stone fountain covering in creeping vines. They are smoking, and mostly glum shots. I wouldn't quite classify their gazes as the traumatized "thousand-yard stare," but I'm left with the feeling that they are looking into their own futures. Perhaps expecting that outcome. These were photos I acquired while living in Michigan. From their shoulder sleeve insignias, and the help of a few choice Internet search terms, I've learned that they are all soldiers from the U.S. 32nd Infantry Division, which consisted of soldiers from Michigan and Wisconsin. Here's an interesting tidbit from wikipedia about the origins of red arrow insignia:

It was the first allied division to pierce the German Hindenburg Line of defense, and the 32nd then adopted its shoulder patch; a line shot through with a red arrow, to signify its tenacity in piercing the enemy line. It then became known as the Red Arrow Division.

The band's name, The Woolen Men, got me thinking of these old photographs. So I dug up my morose soldiers in hopes of incorporating their demeanor into the illustration. Here is a scan of one of my favorites, Mac.

Sincerely Yours, Mac

Red Arrow Insignia

Double Dragon

Double Dragon

COMING AT YOU WITH INCREDIBLE NINJA ACROBATICS: a really late posting about a poster I designed and illustrated back in May!

This was another collaboration with the fine folks at Banana Stand Media. This time for a series of secret summer shows they are hosting at the Double Dragon Bar in Portland. I'm happy to say that after the poster's debut, it got some love on Portland Mercury's Blogtown "Poster of the Week" feature!

It may be pretty obvious to gaming nerds why there is a video game theme here... originally I was asked to do something pretty simple: draw two dragons. Which is fun n' all, but after hearing that the event was at a bar called the Double Dragon, my mind went straight to the video game connection. Therefore, I requested to do a sort of homage to Spike and Hammer, the martial arts bros you play in the 1980's game series, Double Dragon. Design inspirations came from the classic mail-order NES Konami posters of the time, as well as a promo ad of the brothers, back-to-back, showing off their guns.

Spike + Hammer

I don't think there was ever a Konami Double Dragon poster specifically... Feel free to school me ninja-style if you know better.

The shows are taking place every monday from June to September 2014, with a special unannounced band taking to the stage around 8:00 each evening. For more info here is a write up in the Portland Mercury. If you are around P-land, you should check it out! It's an awesome venue for seeing some local bands in a cozy setting, while sipping the hell out of a Ginger Margarita on a warm summer night. I will mention that this bar also has some seriously fantastic Miso Gravy Fries that I get mad cravings for now... but they don't sell this item on show nights. *whimper*

Special thanks goes to my friend Sara Proctor for nailing an impromptu modeling session in the Dark Horse parking lot, and also to Jesse Gregg for reminding me about those rad Konami posters! Thanks again to Aaron Colter, and Banana Stand Media for allowing me to get fun with it. (Some of you may recall my Arrested Development themed illustration of Buster Bluth that was also commissioned by Banana Stand. I wrote about it here: MotherBoy XXX )

Peggy and ED-E

Peggy and ED-E

This was a commission for the editorial director at Dark Horse, Davey Estrada, who has a rather awesome on-going custom of asking artists to do portraits of his favorite musicians. He tells me he's been gathering on and off since the seventies... That is a collection I'd like to see!

Aside from picking a musician we were both interested in, I had permission to art freely on this one. Davey leans towards Jazz, while I have a habit for New Wave... but it was easy for two music lovers to find common ground. When he brought up Peggy Lee I got excited right away. I have a lot of Peggy in my library, partially thanks to video games. That's right. Video games!

Sounds strange, but the first Peggy Lee tracks I ever purchased were those I heard while playing the post apocalyptic RPG Fallout: New Vegas. Nothing like being attacked by monsters in a post-nuclear Nevada while listening to Peggy croon about lost love. I should note that she isn't an actual character in the game... but the sound track is SO good it's practically it's own character. I can totally picture her in this world. Singing in run-down bars. Boozin' with the radiated ghouls. Getting jazz-sassy over a drink of gin. Layin' down hard truths: "If you were prepared twenty years ago, you wouldn't be a-wandering from door to door."



As for the floating robot in corner? Well, that's ED-E. Also known as "Eyebot Duraframe Subject E." The only model of it's kind to survive the "Great War" that brought the Fallout world to ruin. Originally designed as a sort of mobile radio, but latter repurposed into a weapon. You find him broken down in a small town in the wasteland, and bring him back to working order. ED-E was my favorite companion in the New Vegas game. Why, in a time when the human population has been downsized dramatically, would I choose to wander the wastes with a floating piece of scrap metal that can only communicate via beep-boops? I try not to dwell on the whys. Simply put, trust no one. 

I like to think that in the wake of a nuclear exchange Peggy Lee too would go the way of the lone wanderer. She'd ditch the band dynamic (humans being squishy, unpredictable companions at best) in favor of the easily portable, armor plated, one-man bandstand: DJ ED-E MON-E, dropping the beats while PEG-E rocks the mic like a vandal. Besides providing the sick tunes, ED-E would also double as a body guard because he's a mean laser-slinger with a thrilling battle cry:



Anyone else play the Fallout games and have a favorite companion, or tune to adventure too? I'd love to hear about it. I'll leave you with one more song from Miss Lee that wasn't in the game, but would have been suited to the post-apocalyptic landscape. It demonstrates why I think Pegs would be a survivor. She'd be the lady leaning on the bar, sipping a martini and taunting the burgeoning mushroom cloud with a raised eyebrow and a clearly unimpressed, "Is that all there is to an apocalypse?"



Special thanks to DAV-E for the fun commission!

pencil

Motherboy XXX

Make love in your own hand, MOTHER!

On May 26th Netflix is giving the world new episodes of Arrested Development. On May 8th come out and celebrate this fact with the rest of Portland at the Arrested Development Returns party at Holocene. There will be live music, chicken dance-offs, and Arrested Development themed artwork for sale from local artists... such as me! 

To commemorate the occasion I've made this portrait of everyone's favorite Motherboy, Buster Bluth, featuring Lucile, loose seals, and varying degrees of "juice" addiction.

A few weeks back, I was asked by Aaron Colter from Banana Stand Media if I'd like to sell a print in this show after we had swapped terrible Prince puns over Twitter. (I mean really, they were barely funny.) Which reminds me, I would like to take this moment to thank Prince. He's done so much for me over the years... from supplying the go-to karaoke classics, to landing me cool projects via twitter. What a guy. Aaron's alright too. Thanks man!

Read more about the show at PortlandPulp, and invite yourself to the party on Facebook. 

Through the Veil

Through the Veil

This was created specifically for a gallery show in Grand Rapids, Michigan called "Into the Woods and Through the Veil." It was a group show held at the CODA gallery, and I got to share the wall with many lovely artists and friends, and curated by the one and only Jesse Gregg!

Possibly the hardest part about being in this show was writing the artist's statement. I suspect I get worse at it as time goes by. I don't fully understand what makes me dread them... My brain has a toddler-esque tantrum. I rage quit three to four times. Then, after much inner turmoil, I give in and write. It's a ridiculous routine. Especially when considering that I can cough up a blog post about my dislike of artist's statements in under 15 minutes. So one measly statement? Why the mental hullabaloo? Couldn't say, but this is what I came up with:

It is difficult to cut loose from what would bind us to the veneration of stifling traditions. It takes bold deeds, a questioning mind, and a desire for knowledge that is held out of bounds. The one who willingly traverses murky territories in search of forbidden enlightenment is typically called a “hero”. The ones who are made to suffer for these bold acts are perhaps held in the highest esteem, and we call them our “fallen heroes”. 

I am a fool for myth and sacred storied, but believe in none. 

This work was created using traditional media which is then colored and collaged onto digitally.

Some of you already know, but I've been hired onto the Digital Art and Production team at Dark Horse Comics. I feel this illustration has been greatly inspired by all the gorgeous art work that runs through the office on a daily bases. What's great about working there is that it makes me want to be better. Better at everything! I busted out my inks and tried to regain some old skill. Turns out I'm super rusty, and I ran back to my dirty pencils with my tail between my legs... but I so enjoyed the process that I plan to keep playing.

ink on board

framed up and lookin' important at the C.O.D.A Gallery.

Menolly

Menolly

Just in time to close out this Year of the Dragon, I've completed this illustration of one of my favorite childhood heroines: Menolly.

I have the fondest memories of Anne McCaffery's Dragon Rider's of Pern novels. I remember reading and rereading my father's yellowing dog-eared copies of the Harper Hall trilogy; the ones with the fantastic psychedelic covers by Elizabeth Malczynski. Elizabeth's artwork alone successfully imprinted on me how fire lizards should be depicted forever and ever ad infinitum, and is no small part of my inspiration for drawing this. Hell, it was my inspiration for drawing to begin with! Between the ages 10 and 16, I'm not sure I drew anything OTHER then elegant, cow-eyed fire lizards. 

As far as the story goes let's just say, the first time I read Dragonsong when I was a little girl, I wanted to BE Menolly. (Go ahead and read that Doc Brown Back-to-the-Future-3 style.) After the initial introduction to the Harper Hall trilogy, I pretty much devoured any novel with a dragon on the cover. 

Historical reenactment of me listening to my father read Dragonsong, age 10.

I can't say how the novels would hold up these days... but as a young kid who desperately wanted a blue fire lizard of her own, it sure meant something to me. In any case, I'm fairly certain that a story about an exceptional yet wildly under appreciated teen finding independence and hanging out with 9 tiny dragons will appeal to most kids.

Alif the Unseen - Create-A-Genie Contest

I entered this illustration into a contest to win a signed copy of G. Willow Wilson's gorgeous debut novel, Alif the Unseen... and won! It was called the "Create-A-Genie Contest" and the rules were to pick a favorite out of five types of jinn, and interpret how it might look.

The word Jinn means "hidden," and refers to a sort of unseen creature in Islamic theology. They are mentioned in the Qur'an as being one of Gods three intelligent creations; Angels made from pure light, Humans made from mud or clay, and Jinni made from a smokeless fire. For whatever reason I've always been freaked out by the idea of angels... but find Jinni to be much more down my alley! What's cool about them is that, like humans, they were given free will and can be anything from benevolent to down right evil. I wish they existed in western mythology to a larger extent, because they kick ass compared to angels. (angels. pssht. "goodness and light." bah!) It was fun researching the different types of jinn. My choices were between: The large and powerful MADRID (think Aladdin), some cunning schemers called the EFFRIT, the undead grave robbing GHOULS, the shapeshifting female SILA, and a sort of psychic-vampire genie called the VETALA.  Here is a link to the more detailed descriptions provided by the contest: The Five Types of Jinn.

There were aspects of each djinn I found intriguing so this is an amalgamation... particularly of the fiery Effrit, and the "ostensibly demonic" Vetala. Call me crazy, but there is something appealing about a creature that can possess human corpses and still be considered "ostensibly demonic." In the end I submitted her as an Effrit... mostly because I had to get specific. :)

A bit about the book: Alif the Unseen is hard to categorize... it's full of myth, technology, humor, and even romance. My attempt at a one-liner explanation might be: "It's a myth-filled cyber-thriller that follows a young hacker who is assisted and hindered throughout the novel by jinn... with WiFi access!" I really loved the book, and thought G. Willow Wilson combined the supernatural and the technological in an unique and incredibly entertaining way, while also providing some lovably bizarre and memorable characters to travel with. Pick it up folks! I read it in two days flat because I actually only ever put it down to eat, and even then only after considerable prompting.

Besides the signed book, I also won a gift certificate to a local bookstore of my choosing and a beautiful panel from Wilson’s graphic novel Cairo. I'm a lucky lady! Thank you G. Willow Wilson for the inspiration and the folks at Grove/Atlantic for sending me these tasty tasty prizes.

*Edit: I would post a picture of the panel... but I never received it! :(

His Dark Materials

Lyra Silvertongue

This is Lyra, the heroine from the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy written by Philip Pullman. For those who have read it: I imagine this image takes place sometime after the events in third book. 

I loved how unpredictable these stories where. It's not like reading Harry Potter, where you're constantly being reminded of every other fantasy book you've ever read. (Lord of the Rings much, lady?) Let me append that statement by saying I've read and enjoyed all the Harry Potter books... and I should probably say something about imitation being the best form of flattery... It's just I found His Dark Materials to be a more unique in it's vision. No deja vu to speak of.

It really wasn't my intention to attack on Harry P here, so I'll drop it cause there are other better reasons why you should read these books. If you're a fool for stories about gods and myth that's a good start, because Lyra is essentially a modernish Eve that helps save the world from the rule of a false god. What I like about Philip Pullman's take is that she isn't portrayed as a negative mother-of-all-sin Eve. Instead the Fall is seen as a positive, and that's a beautiful thought. It reinterprets original sin and the fall from grace as a great moment that brought consciousness, knowledge and love to beings in all worlds. (yes, plural.) I love that it turns the guilt and regret you're expected to feel on its head to become a desirable event that made us the wonderfully curious and complex creatures we are. Eve mother-of-all-knowledge! (P.S. Sexy-time is awesome.)

The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides. - Carl Sagan

You don't have to dig theology to get swept into these books though. It's a fun coming of age adventure like so many great stories. It's about embracing curiosity and wonder, and living life the best way you can. Which is a universal theme anyone can enjoy.

I wanted to share a couple of things that influenced me while working on this illustration... simply because they're cool. This is a statue I found while flipping through a massive volume of religious art in architecture at the bookstore. I liked the color, the texture, the aged gilded goodness... even the break neck angle of Mary's head. With those eyebrows, I can only assume this was the result of a Vulcan neck pinch. I'm also just assuming that is Mary, because I was an idiot and didn't write down the name of the book or the name of this piece. This is a cell phone shot... and on a second trip to Powell's Books I was unable to find it again. If anyone recognizes this please let me know!

Another fun resource was this tumblr blog called Ye Olde Fashion. While trolling the archives I saw this summer dress from 1912 and could picture an older Lyra wearing it. I imagine she would have a simple style with 'Gyptian' (gypsy) influences.

That's all for now. This was a personal project, hope you enjoy it.


*EDIT: This image is now available for purchase on Society6.

As You Like It

As You Like It - a play by William Shakespeare

Here is another illustration based off of a Shakespeare play and made specifically for SubPlot Studio. This time I went with the comedy As You Like It. It seems I really needed to lighten the mood after delving into deep, dark Titus. 

Mix laughs, love, cross-dressing and mistaken identity together and you have the basics of the play. Plus, As You Like It has the wonderful female lead, Rosalind. Focusing on her wit and awesomeness really made up for the sadness I felt over the empty symbolic shell of Lavnia in Titus Andronicus. Also keep in mind this is a Shakespeare play... and it would be a incomplete without a healthy dose of banishment. So Rosalind, of course, gets banished. (baniSHED!) She then disguises herself as a lovely shepherd boy, names her new identity Ganymede, and wreaks sexy-havoc in the Forest of Arden. From that point on every man, women, and tree falls in love with her. him. them. er. well. anyway. Everyone falls in love with Ganymedalind. I mean Ganymede. what?

My experience with As You Like It has been a short and recent one. I saw it performed by the Kentwood Players at the Westchester Playhouse in LA. It was directed by my friend, the multi-talented artist and karaoke machine, Jeremy Speed Schwartz. He asked me to read a couple lines with some folks of superior talent. We were then recorded and our bits were edited together to make us look like botox-riddled, caffeine-drunk talk show hosts (à la Talk Soup.) Perhaps not the most traditional introduction to As You Like It?

Here's a photo that helped inspired me:

 A Cary Grant-Katherine Hepburn-James Stewart sandwich? Don't mind if I do!

Titus Andronicus

SubPlot Studios invited me to take part in designing a theater poster to sell on their shiny new website. Their main goal is to make quality and affordable poster designs available to theatre companies, high schools, and other professional venues that might otherwise not have the funds to create unique designs to promote their shows. By doing so they hope to support the performing arts in our communities and schools, while working with an array of talented artists along the way.

Here is a direct link to the poster: Titus Andronicus. If you scroll over the image you will get a feel for how fully customizable it is.

I got to choose the play, which was a pretty nice incentive. There were many great plays on the list that I would have loved to work on, but when I saw Titus Andronicus was available I felt like it was one I just couldn't pass up. It's a play I studied in college, and I remember feeling struck by it then. The blood? The animal references? How could I pass that up?

There is so much going on in Titus Andronicus, and you could hardly claim any of it to be pretty. It's considered one of Shakespeare's most violent plays, and often is looked down on as being nothing more then shock and awe. Though it is crazy violent, I find it incredibly interesting. Revenge and betrayal are the blatant themes, but the more interesting ones (at least to me) involve gender, race and power. I don't think you can capture it all in one poster. Well... maybe you can but it might make you sick, and I was looking to make something simple, striking and not terribly vomit inducing.

With so many themes to pick from I decided to focus on the character I dwell on the most and the part of the story that strikes me hardest: the rape and torture of Titus's daughter Lavinia.

Lavinia is used as a symbol of Rome, where the story takes place. Her rape is compared to its fall. Her attackers described as tigers and wild beasts. Titus even says, "...dost thou not perceive that Rome is but a wilderness of tigers? Tigers must prey, and Rome affords no prey but me and mine." Wild animals, hunting, and dismembered body parts (particularly hands) are mentioned throughout the play, and were other aspects I chose to highlight in the illustration.

I'm going to indulge in some personal thoughts on the play from here on out. It's a brutal topic, so if you don't wish to feel incredibly depressed you may not want to read on. That being said, if you don't mind some heartbreak and upset, please read on and let me know your thoughts.

Rink Rash

Some portraits for the good folks at RinkRash.ca A Canadian site dedicated to Roller Derby! I think their name pretty much sums it up.

Rink Rash: The nasty red burn a skater gets on their skin after falling on a skating surface, while playing roller derby. Rink rash is often worn as trophies and is something skaters are proud of.

Since these are their contributor page portraits, I lifted the color scheme and distressed circle designs directly from aspects of their website. This seemed like a great way to keep things cohesive. I really dig the way their site is designed, and I'm pleased with how the portraits fit in!

The neck tattoo was greatly inspired by the work of tattoo artist Chris Cleen. He has a great, sexy and retro/classic style. Very bold, with lots of women spontaneously springing out of roses. Anyway, I thought that this tattoo style would really fit with the roller-derby-badass aesthetic.

You can check out his work here.

In other news: I'm living in Oregon and it's lush and bloody amazing.

WEREWOLVES @ Comic-Con

Werewolves - written by Paul Jessup / illustrated by Allyson Haller

If you are going to the San Diego Comic-Con this year, be sure to stop by the ChronicleBooks booth (1506.) They will be selling my book, Werewolves, amongst other illustrated wonders!

Chronicle is offering some super deals on their website for those of us who are missing out on Comic-Con this year. Use the code COMICCON11 at checkout and receive 25% off + free shipping on Werewolves and other titles.

Joanna Moody - Pocket of Treasures

Joanna Moody - Pocket of Treasures

I recently had the pleasure of designing and creating artwork for the CD sleeve of acoustic songbird Joanna Moody. This is her first full-length release, self produced with lots of time and dedication. Please check her out, get songs, or order your copy directly at her site on Bandcamp.

One reason I loved working with Joanna was her complete openness towards the project. She described the general feelings she wanted to provoke, often speaking about the paradoxes she aspires to express within her music: sophisticated but quirky, sweet with a darkness, beauty with an edge. Then she shared her songs with me for inspiration.


On the left is the chosen sketch. I started by creating a few logos, and then moved on to the art. This may seem a little backwards, but worked out just fine!

Here's another font/sketch combo:

Once the cover was complete, the inside, disc, and trifold insert was created using elements from the illustration.

Here is the final product:

Thanks Joanna, for all your trust during the project!

DIVA Magazine

None Upon Thars - DIVA

I recently created an illustration for UK based lesbian magazine DIVA. This art is for an article called "Gold Star Girls," that interviews 4 women on the notion of the "gold star."

So... what's a gold star girl? I had never even heard of the term until this article came along. Simply put, a "gold star" is a lesbian who has never had sex with a man. There's often a tendency to view a gold star as being the best kind of lesbian, and that they are somehow more special.

My brain couldn't help but make a connection to my favorite Dr Suess story "The Sneetches." Here are the opening lines to the story:

Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars.
The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.
Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small.
You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.

It shouldn't matter at all. Though a certain amount of awe is easy to understand. After all, who wouldn't want to be sure and confident in life and sexuality right from the get go? But, the impression I got was that the "Gold Star" is just another form of branding. Just another way to judge someone. What I love about the article is that it throws that label to the curb and gives it a good trample. (I make it sound harsh, but it seems Lulu Belliveau and the interviewees are more eloquent than I.) Each woman, coming from her own experience, made it clear that there wasn't anything wrong with being either or. We shouldn't put anyone on a pedestal because of their sexual behavior or experience. So forget about stars and whether you have one, or none, upon... yars.

My hope is that this illustration appears as confident, accepting and non-judgmental as the ladies in the article.

A fun technical aspect of making this illustration was composing it to fit in the unusual space that was predetermined by the designers at DIVA. Hurray for creative problem solving skillz.

I also played a lot with color before I came to the "not pink" conclusion. BUT IT WAS SO HARD. Cause, in pink, this girl looks truly-truly-truly outrageous.

Big thanks to Luciane Pisani for contacting me for this!

Bathory

Erzsebet Bathory

An illustration I created during the trial period for another project. She'll never see the light of print, but I thought I'd share her here and spill some bloody historical details on you for funsies.

Elizabeth Bathory, or the "Blood Countess." A pretty gruesome lady.

Not a vampire, though sure to have inspired their myth, but a serial killer. A Hungarian noble women, born in 1560, to a family line known for it's cruelty; she was vain, privileged, and easy to anger. One of the more appalling details of her legend involves bathing in the warm blood of virgins to restore her youthful beauty. Her victims were young peasant girls and the daughters of lesser gentry spirited away to her castle with promises of work or higher learning. Her bloody-bath was never documented in any official capacity; based on the evidence recorded it's more likely she gained sexual thrills through blood and torture.

Though she was formally charged with the torture and murder of 80 young women, other testimony puts the number as high as 650. The number most likely grew due to time and embellishment. Much evidence against her was gotten through torture, so there's no telling what is true in this story or how much was skewed for political or religious purposes. On the other hand, the documented testimonies from survivors, the multitudes of missing girls and the evidence of human remains on her property is stunning to say the least. Once finally arrested, she was bricked into a small room in her castle and fed threw a slot in the wall until she died 4 years later in 1614. Whatever the truth may be, Erzebet's legend is a macabre one and she has gone down as the most prolific female serial killer in history.

If you really want to delve further into this bit of crazy-horrificness, I suggest this lengthy article on Crime Library, and of course wikipedia for the short of it. You'll find the story is always a little different depending where you look.

*nom nom nom*

The illustration is from the bloody vampire perspective. But I'm thinking it would be fun to do a more realistic portrait in the future.