Artist Spotlight: Horror and Healing
Artist Rendyl James Lazala on Creepypastas, Nightmares, and Art as Therapy
I have always loved making art for as long as I can remember. I remember asking my dad to teach me how to draw faces and stuff like that. Same with other kids born in the early 2000s, I was basically raised by the internet. One of my very first fascinations is horror, and the scary stuff that other people share on the net. I remember going on forums, blogs, and watching animations that tell different horror stories.
That is where my love of everything creepy comes from. Like other kids my age, I was absolutely hooked with creepypastas*. I remember being called weird on and off by my aunt, cuz I had drawn pictures of my favorite creepypasta characters and taped it on to my wall, haha…and they all looked like the typical stuff you see that kids draw in horror movies.
About my art, most of it comes from the dreams I have. I do a lot of fanarts, but the personal art that I make almost always comes from a dream or a nightmare that I have. I have always tried experimenting with ways on how to document these dreams. Drawing is always the best way to do so.
This is based on the painting Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan, I drew this on MS paint and added final touches using a drawing software on my phone. Growing up, me and my dad became distant and have had a rough relationship as years go by, even after I moved out, I have dreams of the terrible things that have happened. I drew this as a way to show my thoughts on that matter? Or I guess how I viewed it. because even if I am getting hurt, I used to still view my dad as my hero, as someone that is there to protect me, which I think is why the focus is on Ivan, and not on his son.
This is an oil pastel drawing of Lucifer. I always see him in my dream, well not him, but I call him that because of his face. Whenever bad things are happening in my life, I always see a man with a red face looking at me from a distance. I really don't understand it, but I like to think that he's my guardian angel, in a twisted weird sort of way.
This one is a recent one, I call it "We Were Just Having Fun" I don't really know how to explain this, I like to think it is about the loss of innocence.
Here's a self portrait of mine:
And last but not the least, here's Jeff the Killer! I have always been fascinated by him and other creepypastas, and I know it might sound cringe. But I do not like him in a fanboy sort of way, haha.
I just really adored the idea, that one little story (and not a good one too) that someone wrote on the internet once, can reach so many people and inspire millions, and this is not only for Jeff, but for the other Internet characters that started out as a simple scare.
I do think that I can expand more on some of my works but I am really rough when it comes to explaining my thoughts, which is why I think I like art so much, you can tell a lot of things without even saying a word.
Bio:
I am Rendyl James Lazala, from the Philippines. I am 22 years old.
I spend most of my time working in a corporate job trying to make ends meet.
I also love watching movies, reading comics and world building characters that i make up. I also draw a lot traditionally, i sketch on every paper i can get my hands on. I just love drawing.
If you want to check out more of my art…here's where you can find more!
Instagram / Behance / Tumblr
*Editor's Note: For those not "raised by the internet," Creepypastas are horror-related legends or images that have been copied and pasted around the web. They are the digital equivalent of campfire ghost stories, viral myths that blur the line between fiction and reality.
