A Story in Design: Moretta

The character I want to introduce to you today is called Moretta. It was made in 2018 as my attempt to participate in Atomhawk's Into the Void art contest. This name alone evokes a whirlwind of ideas and images in my imagination 😌 The main task was to draw my own interpretation of this phrase and to convey the feeling of emptiness as much as possible with my drawing. At that time, I was actively jumping from course to course, studying character concept art. So the question "What exactly will I draw?" did not even arise. All that remained was to decide on the details. How to convey the feeling of emptiness in the character? What should it look like? I couldn't just draw a black hole with legs and call it a day 😂

A good idea in such cases is to build a chain of associations. Emptiness - darkness - coldness - silence. Something that slowly draws you in, giving you a deceptive sense of security. Maybe "cold", dead beauty? This was closer to the truth. Considering that in those days I had problems with drawing male characters 😅, there was only one option - my "void" would be a pretty girl. But only on the outside. And on the inside - only darkness and cold, which most people do not see behind the beautiful picture. Thinking about her appearance, I decided to collect refs of Venetian dresses and Renaissance hairstyles. I think all those volumes, ruffles, crinolines, and ten-story hairstyles with ships and birds work the best for this case (besides, I've been looking for an excuse to draw something like this for a long time 😁). In addition, while I was looking for the right photos, I saw very beautiful carnival masks, which led me to an interesting idea. Beauty without a face is the personification of external attractiveness without internal content. A quick Wikipedia search and I found the perfect solution. One of the masks mentioned in the article was the best fit to reflect my idea. The moretta mask (of course 🙂). It was made of black velvet, oval in shape (to emphasize the features of female beauty). This mask also had one unusual feature - it was held in place by the wearer biting on a button or bit (women wearing this mask were unable to speak). In its time Moretta was considered a mask of an attractive mysterious stranger who hides her face and voice. Just like the void that entices and then pulls in without a sound and without warning. Everything else now was simple: find a cool dress, choose a hairstyle. And the main thing - draw the right pose. Moretta is extending her hand to the viewer. As if calling. Tempting. But in her chest, where the heart should be, there is only a dark vortex 😨

Of course, I did not win the competition. Not the right level of skill 🥲 However, I really enjoyed the process of creating Moretta. And, actually, the result itself. Despite all the mistakes I made (which is quite enough 😅). But don't worry. Rapid artistic assistance is already rushing to the rescue! ✊ I`ve decided to remake this concept. To breathe new life into it, so to speak. Also, It would be great to check how much I`ve learned over the years. If you`ll ever decide to "measure" how much your skill has grown, I highly recommend this exercise. It is demonstrative 😉