gothic apparition - design concept // june MOTM // sfw (Patreon)

thanks again to toreadorkable for suggesting "goth" as a MOTM design prompt!

a few things immediately came to mind: gothic architecture, gothic horror, and the goth subculture.

gothic architecture flourished in europe in the 12th-16th centuries, and had a revival in the victorian 19th century. the most iconic type of gothic building is probably the towering cathedral, with tall towers, pointed arches, stained glass windows, gargoyles, and grotesques. imagine a looming stone building, stained by centuries of smoke and dirt, adorned with countless spires and sculptural decor.

gothic horror is eerie, dark, elegant, and romantic. it invokes images of people cautiously exploring a haunted castle by candlelight; meeting their secret lover near the family crypt in a withering old cemetery; or experimenting with forbidden sciences and matters of the occult, often with dire consequences. i'm thinking dracula, frankenstein, dr jekyll & mr hyde, edgar allen poe, and sleepy hollow.

in gothic horror stories, gothic architecture often embodies the mysteries of both the past and present. similarly, the goth subculture draws that sense of dark romance from gothic horror. i've got to confess i don't know much about goth music, but for my designing purposes the aesthetics matter most. the goth style is dramatic, mysterious, often inspired by victorian dress, and may challenge traditional gendered fashion norms, perhaps especially for men.

i wanted to draw inspiration from all of these three directions. this character should be ghostly, terrifying, gorgeous, and elegant, all at once. his appearance should make you wonder if he's a restless spirit, romantic vampire, seductive devil, or a human who was transformed by his forays into dark mysteries.

you wouldn’t want to spot the silhouette of his coachman’s coat in a foggy forest, or hear the steps of his leather boots following you on a cobblestoned street … or would you? either way his historical look places him in a classic victorian horror story, or suggests he's haunting you from the past. he wears a corset and necklace that challenges gendered fashion, and a shirt with lace ruffles along the neckline.

his corset, "collar," and tail very literally incorporates architectural elements. ornate spires frame his face, pointed arches hug his waist, and the carved stone comes alive in his tail. i'm pretty proud of this idea, since i feel like it's an innovative way to incorporate a gothic aesthetic into a character design! :>

the "collar" also resembles both a starched elizabethan lace collar and a sort of halo, and he wears earrings because this guy is just fashionable like that. he has ghostly pale skin, dark hair, and a haunting wide grin that shows sharp fangs. oversized hands with gnarly knuckles and long claws adds something uncanny to his otherwise "normal" anatomy, and the patches of fur hints at some kind of supernatural transformation.

i decided to keep both the design and resulting art pieces in sepia-toned monochrome, in reference to the illustrations that might accompany victorian horror stories. for the painting i put more emphasis than usual on the linework, inspired by wood-engravings such as those of gustave dore. i also wanted the painting to embody the gothic sense of the memory of the past looming over the present, so the background features a moss-covered ruin.

in sum, this design relies heavily on the atmosphere inherent to gothic horror, architecture, and style — i hope you all like it! :>

// art + character © me.