Winnie’s Wonders: Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the Style of Patrick Nagel

Time for another Lady of Horror, this time a Patrick Nagel-inspired portrait of Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Drusilla is one of the most iconic characters in Buffy—a gothic, ethereal, and completely unhinged character who remains one of my all time favorite vampires. Introduced in Season 2 as the lover and partner-in-crime of Spike, her tragic backstory makes her one of the most interesting figures in the Buffyverse.

Even better, you gotta love that she was driven to insanity before being turned into a vampire by Angel. Her childlike demeanor, eerie visions, and violent tendencies make her one of the most unpredictable and chilling villains in the show. She’s part femme fatale, part tragic monster, always existing between beauty and madness.

I chose an image of her in vampire form to show off her haunting beauty in Nagel’s stark white skin and black hair style. Bringing Drusilla into this art style was a challenge. When I finish one of these pieces I’m ultra critical of how they turn out because the style sometimes takes away some of the terror that the characters bring to the screen, but maybe that’s also what I love about them too.

Yes, I’m continuing this series with a new lady of horror a month this year. If you would like to see one of your favorites in this style, let me know and I’ll add her to the list.

Winnie’s Weekly Wonders: Artistic Creations and TV Obsessions

It’s been a week filled with artistic inspiration and thrilling TV marathons.

New Art Pieces

Ghouly Haunted Collage: I threw together a spooky haunted collage that kinda captures the eerie essence of the supernatural. I had the hardest time finding pieces for this, but it combines various elements to create a chilling yet captivating scene, right? Quick is not always good. But I had a fantastic time putting it together.

New Abstract Painting: Alongside the haunted collage, I’ve also completed a new painting. It’s another Hilma af Klint inspired piece. I love the color combo on this one. It was difficult to complete at the end, the large circles not coming together quite right. All-in-all, I love it.

TV Show Rewatch: Dexter

In addition to my artistic ventures, I’ve been rewatching the TV show Dexter, and let me tell you—I’m as hooked as ever! This morning I got up and heard the theme song playing over and over in my head. The intricate plot, the complex characters, and the dark humor make it an unforgettable experience every time. Michael C. Hall’s portrayal of Dexter Morgan is nothing short of brilliant, and the suspense keeps me on the edge of my seat. If you haven’t seen it yet, where have you been? It’s the perfect blend of crime, drama, and dark comedy.

Which of the crazy killers Dexter encountered were your favorites? Mine were the Ice Truck Killer and Hannah McKay. Here’s a starter list of the majors.

The Ice Truck Killer (Rudy Cooper/Brian Moser): Dexter’s biological brother, who taunts Dexter with crime scenes that hint at Dexter’s own past.

The Skinner (George King): A serial killer who tortures and skins his victims alive.

The Trinity Killer (Arthur Mitchell): A seemingly normal family man who has been committing a cycle of three murders at a time for decades.

The Barrel Girl Gang: A group of men who kidnap, rape, and kill women, storing their bodies in barrels. Dexter teams up with Lumen Pierce to take them down.

The Doomsday Killer (Travis Marshall): A delusional killer who believes he is enacting the Book of Revelation’s apocalyptic prophecies.

Hannah McKay: A former accomplice in a series of murders and Dexter’s love interest, who later becomes a killer herself.

Or another killer because I left off the Bay Harbor Butcher and some of the minor ones he encountered along the way were way COOL! There are certain episodes that stick with you.

This week has reminded me of the joy and fulfillment that come from balancing creative work with personal enjoyment. I hope you enjoy the new pieces I’ve shared and feel inspired.

Until next time…

Winnie’s Weekly Wonders: Time Machine back to 1986 with Class of Nuke ‘Em High

Not much artwork to brag about this week. It was a week of catching up on marketing activities and editing other people’s work. Not always the most fun, but something that must be done.

Class of Nuke ‘Em High (1986) Review

I watched a few horror movies while posting on social media. Puppet Master, one of my favorite horror movies, was one of them. Considering the title above and the picture to the right, the main feature was Class of Nuke ‘Em High. Wasn’t my first time watching the movie, but it had been many years since I’d seen it back when it was first released.

If you’re a fan of 1980s horror comedies, it’s a cult classic that delivers a delightful blend of absurdity and nostalgia. My favorite students in the movie is a reminder of the the weird shit I used to wear in high school.

The cheesy FX is delightfully low-budget and campy, adding to the film’s charm. From grotesque mutations to exaggerated explosions, the special effects perfectly capture the outrageous spirit of 80s B-movies. The movie oozes with an 80s vibe—from the neon colors and wild fashion to the punk rock soundtrack. It’s a time capsule that transports you back to my era of carefree fun and unapologetic camp. Despite its horror label, it leans heavily into comedy, especially with the bad boy/girl characters. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, often stemming from the absurd situations and the characters’ over-the-top reactions.

While the acting contributes to the film’s campy appeal, some viewers might find it lacking. But in the realm of Troma films, the less-than-stellar acting is almost a feature, not a bug. For a movie with a radioactive premise, I expected a bit more gore. The film delivers some gruesome scenes, but it’s relatively tame compared to other entries in the genre.

Overall, “Class of Nuke ‘Em High” is a fun, nostalgic ride that captures the essence of 80s horror comedies. If you enjoy cheesy effects, a vibrant 80s setting, and a healthy dose of absurd humor, this film is a must-watch. Just grab some popcorn and prepare for a radioactive good time!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Where have I been? Dabbling in the Occult…Collage

WOW! Didn’t realize it’s been a month since my last post. Where have I been? Well, creating the collage to the left is one thing I’ve been up to. I love this one, although it took forever to come together. I started with just the star carved in wood background and placed all the other items, so this one was very involved.

Watched a few horror shows/movies worth watching. In Dark Harvest there’s a “deadly annual ritual in a small town and Sawtooth Jack, rises from the cornfields and challenges the town’s teenage boys in a bloody battle of survival.” All around good acting, characters, effects, etc. Generally a slasher movie if you like that sort of movie, which I was up for when I watched. Also appreciated that they set it in the 1940s.

Also enjoyed Midnight Mass, “an isolated island community experiences miraculous events – and frightening omens – after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest.” Overall great story line with well rounded characters. Very much about relationships with horror around holding on to the past.

Making some progress on The Pumpkin and the Jinn. New page to show off. Here, the pumpkin wishes himself into a dark truck on the way to market. He’s not very happy about it. I just noticed I haven’t added tears to this one, so back to that page for some more details.

I’ve been having a lot more fun with Adobe’s Firefly AI image generator. If you’d like to see more fun with the Grim Reaper, drop by my Instagram account. There are also a few more for the Heaven and Hell series there.

So, I’ve been pretty busy with art projects. Not so busy with writing, although I have been playing with a few AI text generators, including EditPad, Sudowrite, and Claude. Really love how Sudowrite works, so I’m thinking of writing a series with it. EditPad is good for a blog post and I’m pretty impressed with how little editing I need to do with what it generates for free. I need to spend more time on Claude, but I did ask it to write a story about Nita, who will serve Satan by running his restaurant on Earth in her own series after the end of the Angels Dark and Dumb first trilogy is complete in The Corner of Hell and Second Chances. I gave it no history about the series, so it made everything up including the main character’s name. Here’s the prompt and the story if you’re interested in reading it. The story’s not that interesting and doesn’t have much of a plot, but it’s well written.

Here is a fantasy story about a waitress who works in Satan’s diner, and is a God-created daughter of light possessed by a demon:

The Fallen Daughter

Amara had been an angel once – a pure daughter of light created by God himself to bring joy and grace to the mortal realm. But that had all changed the night the demon Malacai invaded her celestial form, twisting her brilliant aura into smoldering embers of corruption.

Now she walked among the denizens of the underworld, trapped as a server at Lucifer’s Pit Stop Diner on the outskirts of Hell. Her once radiant beauty was still evident beneath the demonic possession – flowing blonde locks, porcelain skin, and haunting azure eyes. But they stood in stark contrast to the infernal diner and its customers.

“Order up!” growled the flaming cook, Belior, sliding a platter of molten lava cakes onto the scorching hot counter. Amara snatched it up, the searing heat not even fazing her tainted flesh.

She wove between the booths packed with belching hellhounds, cackling witches, and foul-mouthed dwarven miners fresh off the night shift. Reaching a secluded corner table, she stopped before its solitary occupant – a wizened demon with ash-gray skin and curved horns protruding from a misshapen skull.

“Your desssssert,” Amara hissed, her voice a mixture of celestial harmony and demonic rasp as Malacai’s influence briefly flickered across her face.

The demon barely looked up from the arcane tome he was studying. With a clawed hand, he waved her off in clear dismissal. Amara’s jaw clenched in frustration. Even in this wretched place, she refused to be treated like a common servant.

Defiantly, she slammed the molten lava cakes down on the table, splattering small globs across the demon’s precious book. He reared back with a animalistic snarl of rage. Before he could utter a curse, Amara locked eyes with him, her irises pulsing brilliant blue for just a moment.

The demon instantly calmed, his anger melting away into an almost trancelike calm. With a slight nod, he returned to his studies as if nothing had occurred. Amara spun on her heel and continued on her rounds, a small smile playing across her lush lips.

The demon’s willpower was negligible compared to the strength of angelic mind control granted by her divine origins. Malacai’s possession had robbed her of so much light and goodness, but some holy powers still lingered. One day she would break free from this wicked place, Amara vowed to herself. One day soon.

Margery the Demon According to AI Image Generation

This AI’s version of Margery the Demon. Pretty damn good likeness except for the hair, which is my fault. I didn’t include troll doll hair in the description. I’ll have to try for her demon form next. Did this in Adobe Firefly last week. I had been given beta access and through I might have more fun with it than I have. I’m still finding it easier to search for stock images.

Speaking of Angels Dark and Dumb, the eBooks are on sale for $1.99, except for Fall for Freedom, which is $0.99, until December 1st. Go to angelsdarkanddumb.com for links to purchase books on Amazon.

Have you seen Wolf Like Me? I just finished the first season and loved it. Can’t wait to start the next season. Such a great ending to the first. It’s reminding me how much I’ve loved werewolves over the years, but I’ve been neglecting them for a number of years. I used to read books with werewolves, but the genre got too saturated with urban fantasy romance books. Just for the heck of it, I paused from writing this post and searched Amazon for “werewolf comedy,” and it took pages to find what I thought I might read.

On to some more complaining. I watched Nutcracker Massacre on Tubi (where there’s a good selection of holiday horror) for my 1st new holiday horror viewing pleasure, and there was nothing but pain. Slow, boring torment to be exact. If you’ve read my movie reviews in the past, you know that I watch movies willy-nilly. This is because I tend to love really bad horror movies. This one was an exception though. I don’t look up reviews until after watching, so I was surprised that Nutcracker Massacre didn’t get a score lower than it’s 3.1. There was a really good idea or plot behind it, but it’s like no one bothered to develop either. My biggest complaint was the speed of the movie. Since I started watching a bunch of newer indie horror movies, I’ve noticed a trend. A really bad trend toward slow torturous kills, which this movie delivered from start to finish. While this sounds like a good thing in the horror genre, it’s more eye rolling with a deep sigh. The characters are stiff and dumb and boring. And at the one point I was hoping to laugh out loud with the nutcracker cracking real nuts, I just shook my head at how poorly the irony was presented. Yeah, don’t waste your time with this one, unless you have a lot of email to check.

That’s all this time. Have a great week.