"He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlour -- but she ne'er came out again!"

To with

My half of an art trade with her. =3 Since she likes the poem "The Spider and the Fly" by Mary Howitt so much, I drew her some fanart of it. As you can see... it is my take on what the Spider and the Fly would look like if they were more like humans. Spoooooky, huh? x3

The Spider was my favorite part to do. I actually hate spiders a lot, but designing this one was fun. Most prominent are the fangs, eyes, legs, and claws. I wanted to use as many features of a spider as possible, and I think I did a fairly good job of it. In fact, this one would probably look quite the handsome one... if he wasn't so scary. He reminds me of a vampire--not just for the fangs, but for the character I tried to portray. He is seductive, but doesn't really care for his prey... he just wants her because he knows he can get her and kill her in the end. I actually ended up liking how he turned out because he's a REAL, scary vampire sort of character--not one of these pansy, pretty-boy vampires in literature and popular culture today. (I LIKE handsome vampires, of course. I just want them to scare the crap out of you even as you feel enticed by them.)

The Fly came out a little differently then I intended, but she has the expression I was going for--pensive, sad, and trapped. Like... she knows what her fate is, and yet cannot fight back, because she is entranced by the Spider. She finds herself attracted... but knows what his true intent is. If you've ever read Bram Stoker's Dracula, it's like how Mina Harker feels when she is captivated and bitten by Dracula. I used green and other bright pretty colors on her to contrast the Spider's darkness.

Well, there you have it. I actually put a lot of time into analyzing what the Spider and Fly would look like and for what reason, so that's part of why it took so long to design, draw, and color. The blood on the Spider's hand... well, it's not the Fly's... yet. Perhaps it was from an earlier kill. >>;

I edited the picture to look dark, so I apologize if the quality is lessened as a result.

Please tell me what you think, ok? I hope you like it! ^^

The Spider and the Fly original poem, lines, and concepts belong to Mary Howitt. However, these original designs are my own.