Project Educate: Epitaphs - RockstarVanity

Most of us know EveryNextDream as the former horror and macabre gallery moderator here on deviant art. I was going to ask her all kinds of questions about how she liked her position, but I figured I would stick to questions about her and why she has created some of the best (and bloodiest) horror photographs that I've come across since joining the site. She's inspirational, she is easy to talk to and just an all around wonder, without further ado, I bring to you some finger lickin' good information on the sparkly, shiny and sleek Tanya.

---

_{Taken from the front page of RockstarVanity.deviantart.com:}

"I have a man's taste in women and a woman's taste in men. I live in an old apartment with my husband and soul-twin and our two kitty-monsters. I'm a photographer and I run a little studio so I spend my days doing a job I adore. I have lots of piercings and tattoos, a small car with purple wheels and a serious coffee addiction. I love Urban Decay eye make-up, silver nail polish and disturbing films. I hate social drama, dishonesty and the fact that all pre-packed sandwiches seem to come with tomato by default."

This is the first thing you see when you click the link to visit her page. It's surprising, since it's so cute, that if you head on to her gallery you'd find a folder that encompasses some truly bloody artwork. Grugingly, for fear of being eaten (or stabbed, or sliced, or...you get the idea!) I asked of her these seven things:

---

1) Inspiration - where do you draw it from, and is it easier to work with yourself then another model for gory goodness?

EveryNextDream - "I find inspiration everywhere. Sometimes a particularly creative piece of violence in a film will get my brain-cogs ticking, sometimes song lyrics do it, a particular prop or piece of clothing, a dream I've had...I guess I find horror potential in just about anything.

There are certain times when I need to use myself as a model because I couldn't begin to explain to another person exactly what mood/expression I want to create. A lot of the time, the model is a big source of inspiration. When I know I'm going to be working with someone, I look at them, or photos of them, and certain aspects of their appearance or personality starts the process of building a finished picture."

2) What kind of equipment do you use, and have you found it imperative to your horror/macabre photography?

EveryNextDream - "My studio lights changed everything. While I do still love using non-photographic lighting (so much fun!) and natural light, the studio lights enable me to make exactly what I'm seeing in my head. It gave so much more scope for creating atmosphere in the way I want it.

When it comes to make-up and physical effects, I use some pro products and I also use food dye, coffee grits, glue...a lot of the time, I use a combination of products, mixing the theatrical-grade stuff with home-made bits and pieces. It's all fun and when I start working with a new substance, it never fails to inspire me."

3) Do you have any particular person you look up to when it comes to horror/macabre photography, or film, or music?

EveryNextDream - "Joel-Peter Witkin's work is amazing, so sinister and beautiful at the same time. His photographs aren't just horror. They capture all these beautiful aspects of the human nature, wrapped up in pictures that are impossible to ignore.

I also love horror movies. Anything 'of the dead' is good with me. Overt, striking and full-on gruesome visuals are fantastic. I LOVE gore, especially when it's hyper-real and full of unnaturally vivid blood and and intestines made from sausages. The other side of that is psychological horror, genuine creeping fear. That feeling is like nothing else in the world and being able to capture it in a photo feels pretty amazing.

There are certain images within films that stick in my head and refuse to budge. I'm the annoying person at the cinema who cheers at the gory bits. Even when the rest of a film isn't great, it can still have parts with major impact. There's a bit in Hostel (or Hostel 2, I can't remember) where a girl is hanging upside down over a bath, and a naked woman in the bath is slicing her with a scythe so her blood sprays out. I saw a similar image in a photo by Joshua Hoffine, who is completely wonderful and makes some of the most stunning horror photos I've ever seen."

4) What is your favorite piece in your gallery, and why?

EveryNextDream - "Of my own? It's this one..."



"Everything about the creation of that photo was pure precision. I'd had the idea for ages and when I finally got around to making it, I was worried that I'd never be able to make it look like the picture I'd been imagining for so long. But it worked and I still feel a happy glow of pride when I look at the details in those individual drops of blood. Or diluted food dye. Pretend it's blood. "

5) Advice for a person just starting out, if any? Did you get any advice when you started?

EveryNextDream - "Don't put stuff in your eyes unless it's definitely supposed to be there! An allergic reaction can make an awesome photo but it hurts like hell and totally isn't worth it. Most of my advice is safety-related and learned through trial and error. Or just error. Don't put sharp things in your mouth. A lot of stuff that's great for making fake blood with will stain like hell. Do a patch test. It beats the hell out of walking about with bright red hands for a week.

I don't remember any specific advice I got when I was starting out making horror photos but I've had some great hints and tips along the way when it comes to props and materials to use. I love learning from other people like that cause everyone experiments differently and we all have valuable knowledge and experience to share. I have massive respect for people who are totally open about their processes and materials and it's something I go out of my way to do.

My most important piece of advice is to get really good at ignoring people who insist on telling how blood is supposed to look without grasping that art isn't always supposed to exactly like real life."

6) Name three songs that inspire you:

EveryNextDream - "Killing Birds by Chris Cornell (on one of his solo albums, Carry On) is pure beauty. It sounds beautiful but is so immensely sinister. I love it to death. Vermillion Part 2 by Slipknot and Closer by Nine Inch Nails hit the spot nicely too."

7) What started you creating any horror/macabre photography at all?

EveryNextDream - "
A life-long love of horror films and books combined with the frustration of my life being turned upside down by an illness that had me pretty much house-bound for months really got the ball rolling. Horror art was a wonderful distraction because it's so involved, all the make-up and thinking of how to express a concept using only things I already had in my home. Some of the photos I shot during that period are still among the ones I'm most proud of."

---