“Every hero is a villain, and every villain is a hero. It just depends who you ask.“
— Gena Showalter
The superstitious nature of the northern tribes was no accident. Claiming to be a mere teacher at first, the stories told by the “Prophet of the Peaks” came to shape the lives of generations. While in her fantasy retellings of history she claimed to be immortal… with each new year that passed her by—seemingly without notice—even the eldest began to question their memory.
Character Inspirations
Isara marks the beginning of my newest project, wherein I’ll be fully fleshing out the post-apocalyptic world in which my characters live. To this end I wanted to begin by making a character whose story directly interacts with another that already exists. The Prophet of the Peaks is intended to be the driving political force behind the tribes’ regression in culture/technology… and in Gwen’s absence, the primary political party vying for control.
While every hero needs their Antagonist, I’m also a firm believer that “good” and “evil” are—more often than not—a matter of perspective. For now, however, let’s just say there’s far more going on than meets the eye…
Photography & Design
In contrast to Gwen we made use of mostly evening sunsets which—after calibrating white balance—made for some really deep blues amongst the snowy shadows. Stone and steel, structures that were more function than form, were the goal—though the Canal Locks of the local metro park made for an interestingly fitting feature.
The Outfit
This time around I knew just how cold winter shoots could be, so I made sure to include LOTS of fabric, warm furs, leather, and even gloves. Even the multi-layered sheer train on my back/arms was made with the intent to help safeguard my exposed skin from any winds/snow.
The pauldrons are handmade of multiple layers of genuine leather (with a designer ‘foil’ finish), each scale individually cut and stitched. Each pauldron is attached to the leather collar/O-ring via a layer of rabbit fur—which did wonders for insulation. Feathers and gems were attached to the edges to help add to the “ethereal” look I was going for.
The dress was an old wedding dress, custom dyed for the occasion and padded with fur. While a dress in the snow might sound cold, it actually allowed me to discreetly wear a pair of sweat-pants beneath it for added warmth—but shhhh, that’s a secret! ^.~
The multi-layered sheer train connects to a pair of hooks on the pauldrons, as well as to a pair of thin leather cuffs lined in feathers on each arm. Each of the connector points actually features a small charm and ribbon to add to the look, and when the sunlight beams through the different layers they make an interesting diffusion/color shifting effect.
