Luis Royo: Dark Labyrinth
http://phistars.blogspot.com/2011/11/luis-royo-dark-labyrinth.html
Luis Royo: Dark Labyrinth
I know that some of you have become nostalgic about Luis Royo. He is the most prolific contemporary dark fantasy artist. His artworks has inspired many Heavy Metal bands. He has also revolutionized our perception of what a dark fantasy artwork is all about. Today, I am mostly gonna focus on Luis Royo Dark Labyrinth collection. In his Dark Labyrinth, Royo taps into our darkest dreams, our darkest fantasies he brings to life. Here we see all the goons and monsters from our nightmares. So, sit back and enjoy the show.
The first fantasy picture is a rough sketch of a pretty girl sitting on top of a bed. Her attire is post apocalyptic. She is currently wearing the mask of demon. Just imagine how scary that mask must be. Like one of those eerie scary movie moments, when the pretty girl turns around and you see she's a monster. In any case, this dark labyrinth sketch is 5 star worthy.
The next dark Labyrinth picture shows a strange man with a red cape. I am incline to think that he is a mage. Some of the pages of his book have strange runes. I think I see the twin snakes of life and death inside his book. Based on the color of his skin, he does not look too alive. If he is not a vampire, and he has a spell book, the only way to explain his odd blue skin color must be that he is a necromancer. Necromancer have a way of going back and forth between this world and the next. Some start getting that odd sulfuric scent of death. In any case, this lovely necromancer under this tree is 5 star worthy.
The next dark labyrinth monster is this demon. This demon is of the traditional gargoyle variety. In the morning they become petrified statues hiding inside church columns. At night, they take to the skies. Most fear gargoyles however, if you are pure of heart (which is unlikely) you do not need to worry about running into one. These are repentant demons, guardians of the Gothic Cathedrals. Only the wicked are their targets. In this picture, a gargoyle is reaching down. He seems like a specter that has fallen straight from the moon. The entire image is quite romantic (romantic as in romanticism not lovy dovy). The moon highlights gives the skin of this monster a leathery feel. Truly, Royo deserves 5 star for this piece.
Well, onto the classics. When one thinks of dark labyrinths and dark fantasy artwork the first thing that comes to one's mind (after minotaurs) is vampires. Lots and lots of blood sucking vampires. So here is the first vampire girl of Luis Royo. Behind her, you can see her hungry vampire brethren. Vampires are solitary creatures by nature. However, they tend to gather around in a group to serve a the elite (the most powerful) of their kind. Judging by her cross and pose, she seems to be the leader of this vampire group. She is holding this metal cross as if it was her scepter. She must have a lot of power to wield the instrument of a vampire's demise. Another interesting detail is her bat necklace. It looks super cool. The way they are walking in the night, gives me the impression that this vampire army is on the attack. Truly, Royo's vampire army is 5 star worthy.
Here we see a lone vampire maiden. She has her hands wrapped around a metal sword stake. The patterns in this stake are quite elaborated. More importantly, the tip is bloody red. She must have killed one of her brethren (no one said that all vampires were pals). Her frail hands are also stained with blood. She must have gotten a lot vampires angry cause a black vampire bat is about to jump her. What I like best is her silky frail blood shot red dress. Truly, she is 5 star worthy.
Hey, you remember this one? Its the futuristic couple who like the use Gernica as a coat. Behind them you can see the infamous cubism painting. Look at the intense look on that cyborg. His fierce glare is contrasted by his protective arms around his girl. This one strong robot protecting his girl from the viewer. This dark labyrinth fantasy pic of Luis Royo is 5 star worthy.
The next dark labyrinth monster is this wood nymph. The tree branches are growing around her. Its pretty cool how they are piercing her skin. You can see how the vines are growing under her skin. The blood teardrop works pretty well. Overall, this is one beautiful fantasy image. 5 stars
Ah!! I'm in love... This is one super handsome man. He must workout a lot. I think he is a post apocalyptic cop judging by his whacking stick. Another thing I like are his fancy tattoos. In any case, this Royo futuristic cop is 5 star worthy.
Another lovely dark labyrinth lady. She is tied to a black pole. Across her back we can see numerous whip wounds... She must be slave (which is such a pity). Another dark corner, inside a dark labyrinth. 5 star rating.
The following fantasy artwork shows a lovely fallen angel. The only light in this image comes from the super sharp fancy sword. Her gaze is so severe, immutable, she is ready to strike. Another interesting detail is her arm armor. Claymore users have at least some armor in their arms. The color of it is pitch black. In any case, this lovely demon of Luis Royo is 5 star rating.
The following dark fantasy picture shows a maiden strapped to some weird wires. She reminds me a bit of the matrix life support system. These tubes seem to have been newly placed. I think she is drulling...This dark labyrinth image is pretty disturbing. In any case, Luis Royo gets 5 star rating.
Now this is one disturbing dark labyrinth picture. Here we see a cute girl embraced by this disgusting mage. He is so into this girl that he is practically druelling. Another interesting detail, is the vague tears that are falling from the eyes of this mage. He seems so happy, so thankful to have her all for himself (can you blame him?). She does not seem to be resisting. I have heard that magic is a powerful aphrodisiac. In any case, 5 stars for the lucky son of a gun.
The next dark labyrinth picture is an allusion to the "to be or not to be?" scene of Hamlet. In the original scene, Hamlet while looking at a skull decided whether he was gonna send Ophelia to the loony bid. Following this traditional depiction, here we see this cute gothic maiden looking upon a monster skull. In her shoulder she has an upside down St. Peter's cross. What I like best is the weird feathery strands floating in the back of her head. The entire image is pretty mysterious. In any case, Luis Royo deserves 5 stars for this picture.
Another fallen angel girl. This maiden has the coolest, sharpest metal claws. As you noticed, she only has those claws in one of her hands. It would be inconvenient to wield a sword with a clawed hand. Thus, the sword hand does not have any claws. Another thing that I like are her tattoos. Truly, she is lovely Dark Labyrinth angel girl is 5 star worthy.
The following dark labyrinth image shows a monster bride. Her veil is adorned with the skull of a dead human. The ends of her clothing are stained with blood. I truly love the design of this wedding dress. It looks beautiful on her body. Truly, she is 5 star worthy.
The next dark labyrinth image shows a pretty maiden with a mask. She is similar to the first dark labyrinth image that I featured. The only difference is that this maiden is looking straight at the viewer. We can see her lovely masquerade mask. Truly, she is 5 star worthy.
Another lovely maiden. I think, its raining in this dark labyrinth image. What I like best is the highlights in her skin. They give her a strange sort of glow. The way her hair his parted on the side looks cute. Truly, Royo has earned another 5 stars.
This is one super cool looking grim reaper. Around him I can see lots of fallen warriors. This grim reaper is harvesting souls in this battle field. This image was done 100% by pencil. The shadings look amassing. Truly, a wonderful 5 star rating grim reaper sketch.
Above we see a lovely close of a maiden's face. She has a pentagram (or symbol used in spell casting) on her forehead. On her right cheek, there are runes that resemble Hebrew text. Her earrings are made of albino baby snake. Her necklace shows a strange bat girl necklace in a Jesus pose. There is also her choker that has a stylized fortress, mountain and ocean. Behind her, the wall shows a giant pentagram. Her entire body is covered in white smoke. Perhaps she has been summoned. If that's the case, then she must be a demon. In any case, Luis Royo gets another 5 star rating.
Another vampire Queen. This one seems to be conversing with one of her colleague in his vampire form. Her intense glance implies that this bat is bringing her some news. Her bloody mouth shows that she has fed recently. In any case, this dark Labyrinth picture is 5 star worthy.
This is the last vampire of the Dark Labyrinth. In this scene, a vampire Queen is fighting a werewolf. I can tell she is royalty because of her cross scepter/ weapon. Her mouth is bloody hell. The entire image is super dramatic. She is bent on killing this werewolf. This lovely picture is 5 star worthy.
The following dark labyrinth image shows a random maiden with half of her attire missing. The top that is shown is filled with blood. She is licking her finger. I feel sorry for the poor son of a gun that ran into her. The way she is glancing down implies that she had a lovely human feast. In any case, this Dark labyrinth monster of Luis Royo is 5 star worthy.
Lets wrap things up, my dear chibis. The last image shows a warrior maiden resting on top of an altar. Judging by the pentagrams, this is a sacrificial altar. Perhaps, she was meant to be the sacrificed of the monster whose head lies in the foreground. The tip of her blade is stained in the blood of her quarry. It seems she is just resting on top of the altar (quite the odd place to take a nap). Truly, this last picture is 5 star worthy.
I hope that you have enjoyed the pretty picture. I hope that my fun vampire and demon facts kept you interested (that is assuming that you read it). The next Luis Royo blog focuses on his Dead Moon work. So, stay tune. Bye, Bye.!!!
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