David Ho
David Ho is a digital artist and illustrator with a horror-oriented style. His work has a wide range and some of his images are quite different from these selections, but I’ve chosen these “child portraits” of his to portray a unified theme of innocence/corruption or darkness. The macabre, fantasy, myth, and sexuality mix in his works, usually in a very darkly lit, gloomy space with a “cold, metallic” palette.
Tags: david ho, illustrations, innocence/menace, modern fairy tales, pop surrealism, surreal horror
Little Framed Tragedies: The Art of Larissa Kulik
Each one of Larissa Kulik’s dark and whimsical photomanipulations is framed in a way that tells a story in that single, frozen image. Strings and ropes are a recurring motif, suggesting bondage and the threads of fate. These snapshots-of-dark-fairy-tales, filled with symbolic objects, are unique in the way they’re composed, and often the boundaries of the picture itself are pointed out and lovingly inscribed and decorated, so that each work is a lushly melancholy story-rich image framing itself. Her framed stories are instantly recognizable.
Tags: dolls, modern fairy tales, photomanipulation, victorian
Black Swan/Poisoned Apple
Artwork by Keith Eric Williams
Snow White’s Happy Ending by Melissa CampaTags: keith eric williams, modern fairy tales, snow white, surreal, swan
Marina Bychkova’s Enchanted Dolls
Marina Bychkova makes the most beautiful ball-jointed dolls. They are incredibly detailed, costumed, and decorated with body art. Made of porcelain rather than plastic, they are exquisite creations evocative of the melancholy side of fairy tales.
Tags: dolls, modern fairy tales, porcelain, sweet/melancholy
Poetry: “Instructions” by Neil Gaiman
Touch the wooden gate in the wall you never saw before,
Say ‘please’ before you open the latch,
go through,
walk down the path.
A red metal imp hangs from the green-painted front door,
as a knocker,
do not touch it; it will bite your fingers.
Walk through the house. Take nothing. Eat nothing.
However,
if any creature tells you that it hungers,
feed it.
If it tells you that it is dirty,
clean it.
If it cries to you that it hurts,
if you can,
ease its pain.From the back garden you will be able to see the wild wood.
The deep well you walk past leads down to Winter’s realm;
There is another land at the bottom of it.
If you turn around here,
you can walk back, safely;
you will lose no face. I will think no less of you.Once through the garden you will be in the wood.
The trees are old. Eyes peer from the undergrowth.
Beneath a twisted oak sits an old woman. She may ask for something;
give it to her. She
will point the way to the castle. Inside it
are three princesses.
Do not trust the youngest. Walk on.
In the clearing beyond the castle the twelve months sit about a fire,
warming their feet, exchanging tales.
They may do favours for you, if you are polite.
You may pick strawberries in December’s frost.Trust the wolves, but do not tell them where you are going.
See more after the cutTags: animals, children's poems, diamonds and toads, fantasy, illustrations, keith eric williams, little red riding hood, modern fairy tales, neil gaiman, poetry, wolf
Hansel and Gretel
These are some images from a Hansel & Gretel-themed editorial with Lily Cole:
Tags: fashion editorial, lily cole, modern fairy tales, surreal
Fairytale Illustrator Nicoletta Ceccoli
Nicoletta Ceccoli is magical.
Tags: cute little girls, modern fairy tales, pop surrealism, sweet/melancholy
The Path: A Modern-Day Red Riding Hood
I finally played Tale of Tales’ The Path last night. I’ve been wanting to for months.
The Path is a short computer video game that has been praised a lot for its innovation and subtle horror. It’s not a super-thrilling game; like other people have said, it’s hardly even a real video game in some ways. There’s barely any action and very little interaction/choices. The horror isn’t very explicit. There aren’t really any objectives, other than to explore the woods and find your wolf.
Tags: little red riding hood, modern fairy tales, surreal, tale of tales, the path, wolf
Wahre Märchen: The Art of Annie Bertram
I did an interview via email with artist Annie Bertram recently for Sorean Magazine. The text of the article is pasted below. Annie is an amazing artist who puts her heart into what she does, extremely kind, and I’m so glad I got to do this interview with her. She was wonderful and gave some great answers.
Tags: annie bertram, decaying architecture, floria sigismondi, forgotten places, h. r. giger, interviews, modern fairy tales, otherworldly photography, vecona, victorian
The Self-Portraits of Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May is a 22-year-old fashion photographer from California and soon to be living in Scotland. Her photographs have beautifully delightful coloring. They “depict strong women of myth or fragile dolls or dark romances,” and are divided into the categories of “Nightmares,” “Reveries,” “Fairytales,” “Abandoned Places,” and “Dark Romance.” She started out with self-portraits and has since moved on to other subjects for her photos, but I like her self-portraits best. Not because her photos with other models aren’t as good, but because I think she is somehow the best model for her own photographs. She has an arresting gaze that makes her self-portraits the most striking. She has a real talent for bringing out beauty through color.
Tags: colorful, elizabeth may, modern fairy tales, otherworldly photography, self-portraits
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