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Death: The Afterlife of the Party

Added 2021-09-16 09:15:24 +0000 UTC

Hello and good evening/morning/afternoon my loves!

Now... Let's talk about Death!

Death wasn't always the life of the party. You see, he started out innocently enough as a director and actor, named Kevin Roach. Here is a photo of him (that he shared on Social Media):

You could say he "inherited" the job when he passed away. Which is similar to a major plot point in one of my favorite stories, "On A Pale Horse" by Piers Anthony. Part of a larger series called "Incarnations of Immortality". A collection I actually wanted to turn into a Body Painting project, but I worried it would be too niche. Maybe some day?

*Note: Kevin didn't actually pass away, I'm telling you a story. Here he is with Best, reaching out for THE Scythe. It's actually VERY heavy.

Because yes, what party is complete without a giant 8 foot Scythe created by Serenity?!

I don't think she's making props anymore, but here is her page (she also does hair):

https://www.facebook.com/colorchem.serenity

She's also featured as "The Tower" card, so you'll see her and Dakota soon!

But did you know that originally the "Blood Cloak" was supposed to go over his head? Unfortunately...it just didn't work. It was a neat concept, but the shadows made it really hard to show off his face in any angle other than straight on.

It was just awkward... and honestly...

I was worried he flew all the way to Arizona for it to be a flub. And then we turned the cloak around and wore it as a cape. Suddenly things started to fit into place!

Suddenly we were GAGGING! ;p

After going through the photos, I selected the next picture to be the original Tarot Card. For some reason I wanted to revisit the 80s and draw laser beams?! I have no idea what those are...but it no longer served the purpose of the deck. So I went into the PSD file and removed a lot of layers, and started to improve the original photo. The word improve is, of course, subjective. But I think it is better in the final card.

The finished card has the pose flipped, the colors enhanced and darkened, and overall the ambiance is better because of it. I added some FX but calmed them down dramatically. The border matches the Scythe's vibe, and has a nice pop of red to pull it together. A looming 13 crowns the photo very pleasingly.

Though frankly girls, gals, and non-binary pals, I got this out later at night than I would like. I've been trying to clone myself, but so far no luck. Things have been very very busy getting this deck ready for publishing! Thanks for your patience while I navigate all of these new complexities. My Project Manager, Assistant, and I are all very excited to get these decks into your hands.

Amusingly enough, the Rider Waite version of the Tarot Card is actually on a Pale Horse. Which is delightful, but we had no horse to borrow. No, Kevin was going to celebrate the meaning of the card in an entirely different way.

With a cloak made of blood, of course! Because as much as it represents death, it also represents LIFE. And pulling the Death card isn't always a bad thing.

The Tarot card can represent something ending, while a positive change takes it's place. Or letting go of attachments, and embracing self awareness. The fog has lifted, an era has died, and you are ready to accept the new.

Relatable! My emotions have certainly been tested with this project, as I had a pretty big break up right before the series concluded. The "death" of that relationship is an important aspect to this story, so I've accepted it.