Eyes are said to be the windows to the soul. It is arguably the most expressive element of the facial features. The idea has also been used in cinema to connotate the emotive state of being of a character with CU and ECU shots… Fear, amazement, happiness and every emotion in between can be expressed. Anime takes it a step further; characters traditionally drawn with big bubbly eyes are good guys, the windows to the soul are wide and open; they have no hidden flaws or animosity or skeletons in their closet. On the other hand, characters with narrow eyes are mysterious at the least, and an embodiment of pure evil at the most.
So as you can guess, we can show a range of emotion just by the eyes of a character. But what about no emotion. Something soulless. Maybe by making a reference to how the eyes look when someone is on drugs. Dilated pupils. Like zombies: drugs that cause dilated pupils usually cause a decrease in brain activity, relative loss of conscious processes, with their bodies as if under a trance, oblivious to the waking world or the tacit that govern it.
This is all good except they still have an emotive aura about them. Evil, angry even. So how do they manage to connotate this through the eyes. The answer is Focus. To see a spastic junkie siezing violently by himself is scary enough but what about one who does all that dead focused on you? That’s why I think this image works well. The idea also surrounding this image is I needed the Zombie to look as if he has been through hell and war: chemical burns, deep lacerations and hanging flesh. Lazarus Rising creates a different type of Undead, not rotting flesh caused from sped-up decomposition, but as a result of being exposed to radiation and nerve agent gases and other tools of war.
LAZARUS RISING: “The Dead Rise” © 2012 Artwork by Dulani Wilson. All Rights Reserved.
The lighting, almost like a spotlight, helps draw focus towards the cold, bloodshot eyes of the Zombie. The idea of this once human being being (double word usage… yes) exposed to a chemical agent similar to mustard gas, also fits nicely with the pinpointing of the pupils; it was common that miosis occurred when exposed to mustard gas, as well as conjunctivitis and exposed eyes and blindness. Horrible.
Aren’t you glad WW1 is something you can experience from the comfort of your livingroom?
#deadinsideRISE
-Dulani
