Mortifer started out as a concept. A series of pictures that captured her: her role in the story, her powers, her visuals. She didn't even have a name at first. As I progressed with the story, she became clearer in my mind. This is pretty much the same process that most, if not all of my characters are subject to.

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Let's break down her name to start with. "Mortifer" is derived from the Latin "mors"/"mort" and "fer" - mors/mort meaning death, and -fer meaning -carrying; literally translating to "death-bringer" or "death-bearer": perfectly fitting for her power and role in the story. She also came to be more commonly known to humans as "Death" or "The Grim Reaper" centuries ago - a name she has accepted quite happily and continues to carry with pride.

This was probably the first time I ever drew Mortifer - way back in Oct 2018. Let's move swiftly on - the longer I look at this the more I want to go back in time and stop me from ever drawing it <3

To flesh her out as a character and really lean into the macabre nature concealed by her good looks, I thought to give a rather morbid habit: collecting bones and skeletons, as a reminder of human mortality. That, or having them as mere trophies. To be quite honest, knowing Mortifer, it's probably both.

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However, there is one particular set of bones that she hold close to her - quite literally. She uses a human skull as a mask.

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Grim.

Sinister, regal and deadly. 

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These are the three adjectives I would use, and always have used, to describe Mortifer. With these adjectives in mind, I settled on my design choices: purple and black to reflect her both her royal, charming air and the lethal power that lies just beneath. Triangular shapes and sharp angles to invoke a sense of imbalance and danger. A distinct, dark, gothic style of dress that is gorgeously out of place in modern London with an allure that is entirely unbefitting of someone who has taken so many lives as she has.

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As each witch has a familiar, I knew hers just had to be a raven - for obvious, ominous reasons (their connotations of bad luck, bad omens, death, etc. and I can't forget their lovely matching of Mortifer's colour scheme). And, of course, her weapon of choice would be the iconic scythe the Grim Reaper is commonly depicted wielding.

I'm not sure how I feel about Mortifer's design just yet. It's still very much a work in progress, but that's okay. I haven't decided which iteration of her I like best. Perhaps it won't be both, but a combination. We'll see.