The Wonderful, Whimsical Art of Abigail Larson

Abigail Larson is an artist from Virginia with a fondness for all things creepy.

Larson uses a combination of traditional media (watercolor, inks, and pencils), and digital media to create dark and exquisitely detailed illustrations. Her artwork is reminiscent of artists like Edward Gorey and Arthur Rackham, and is inspired by Victorian fashion, Gothic literature, fairy tales, and the macabre. She has based illustrations on stories by Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Lewis Carroll, Bram Stoker, and even J.K. Rowling. She often explores sinister topics like grief, terror, and the unknown, somehow managing to add a whimsical touch. Common subjects found in her work are monsters, demons, skeletons and other creepy critters, along with beautiful, ghostly women with wild eyes, tattered gowns, and untamed tresses.

Sinuous lines, muted, inky colors, and abundant shadows lend Larson's work an ethereal quality and make them immediately recognizable. One can't help but want to lose them self in her rich narrative worlds, whether it be a stifling, cobweb-ridden study or a dimly lit, winding path in a forest.

Though she bases much of her work on well-worn tales, like the Beauty and the Beast, her characters and compositions are startlingly refreshing.

Even her furniture has personality; teetering grandfather clocks, ornately carved, imposing armchairs, and cabinets full of curios loom in the background and add to both the depth and wonder of each illustration.

Laron's work has been featured in galleries across the U.S. and Europe, including The Poe Museum in Virginia, The Museum of American Illustration in New York, and The Galerie Daniel Maghen in Paris.

She released her first illustrated children's book, "Sarah Faire and the House at the End of the World," last year (which you can purchase here: http://tjcomics.com/sarahfaire/) and has many new, exciting projects in the works.

To see her portfolio and visit her online shop, check out her website, http://www.abigaillarson.com/, or follow her on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Abigail-Larson/193028701665.

And while you're at it, visit her deviant art page too: http://abigaillarson.deviantart.com/?rnrd=5879.

All images are courtesy of abigaillarson.com.