Category: Creative

Some things I’ve created – maybe they’ll inspire your creations too?

I Was Interviewed on The Horror Mosaic

I Was Interviewed on The Horror Mosaic

Posted on by Lauren Spear

I was interviewed on Isaiah Swanson/The Bitter Wolf’s show, The Horror Mosaic, about what I do here on LittleZotz.com and – of course – my work over on my horror-focused website, HorrorFam.com!

Here’s the summary Isaiah wrote of for episode:

“As the founder and co-owner of HorrorFam.com, Lauren wears many hats. She edits every article, hosts the HorrorFam.com Podcast, manages social media (@LoveHorrorFam on Instagram, X, and YouTube), applies her many artistic and creative talents to the website’s design and upkeep, and handles countless behind-the-scenes tasks to keep the site thriving. In addition to her work with HorrorFam.com, Lauren manages LittleZotz.com, a place where she writes about “everything else”, as she puts it. In the profile, Lauren discusses growing up in the horror industry, talks about her work with HorrorFam and LittleZotz, and reflects on the power of horror and art in general to help us through the darkest times in our lives. I think Lauren is an inspiration, but I might be biased because I write for her in my human form at HorrorFam!”

Check it out! I’m not interviewed often (I’m usually the one interviewing other people) and, on the rare occasions when I am, I usually find the end result barely watchable… But I thought this one was really nice! Isaiah interviewed me for over two hours and edited my nervous rambling down to a concise 15 minutes while still maintaining the context.

If you’ve ever been curious about me or what I do or how/why I do what I do: This is the interview for you to watch! 😀

Frankenstein Friday

Frankenstein Friday

Posted on by Lauren Spear

My dad (retired FX artist Robert Tharp) wrote a massive article for my horror website, HororFam.com, for Frankenstein Friday! You can read it here: https://horrorfam.com/frankenstein

For the featured image, I made mash-ups of some of the movie monster portrayals he mentioned…

Frankenstein Friday Robert Tharp history

…but I really wanted to do a cartoon-y version of the monster’s I’D “Frankenstein’d” together… so here it is! 😀

Can you recognize the pieces of Frankenstein’s monsters each of mine are made from? Guess in the comments! HAPPY FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY!!

I’m 10 Years Free from Self-Harm!

I’m 10 Years Free from Self-Harm!

Posted on by Lauren Spear

On August 3, 2014 – after over a decade of cutting (self-harm) – I made one very final cut… God, the EMTs, the ER docs, and a few others said, “Not yet.” August 4, 2014 was the start of what became the life I have now. A life free from self-injury.

I’m one decade clean from self-harm as of yesterday (August 4, 2024)!

To celebrate, I drew self-portraits of myself at each age from nine until now.

Illustrating the Bride of Karsaz (VIDEO)

Illustrating the Bride of Karsaz (VIDEO)

Posted on by Lauren Spear

One of the many things I love about the horror genre is how it helps to highlight that we, as humans, tend to be more alike than we are different. And urban legends, in particular, are very cozy in that regard. Every city has at least one haunted road. Every culture has their own version of a ghost bride. To quote John Carpenter: “Horror is a universal language; we’re all afraid.”

I loved learning about the Bride of Karsaz! And I really enjoyed looking at photos of traditional Pakistani wedding dresses (which are red and typically covered in beautifully ornate designs). I’m celebrating half a decade of marriage with my wonderful husband, Frank, this week (we were wed April 27, 2019) and Rohail’s guest post submission really touched me. I hope the Bride of Karsaz finds peace someday. ♥

Read about this awesome urban legend at https://horrorfam.com/bride-of-karsaz

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Once again, thank you to D. Deb for sending me paintbrushes via my Throne Wishlist! I might STILL be trying to color the pavement of Karsaz Road if not for you! lol. Much appreciated. 🙂 https://throne.com/littlezotz

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Music used in this video: Blockbuster Atmosphere 3 (Resolution) by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/130-blockbu… License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

I Got New Glasses! (Hyperlapse Illustration Video)

I Got New Glasses! (Hyperlapse Illustration Video)

Posted on by Lauren Spear

This drawing about my new glasses isn’t sponsored but I *am* a GlassesShop.com affiliate (and a customer since 2012!). If YOU need new glasses too, please consider using my affiliate link: https://bit.ly/ZotzGlasses (capitalization matters). Thank you for watching!! ♥

Don’t need eyeglasses or sunglasses but still want to support my content? Buy me a coffee! 😀 https://ko-fi.com/littlezotz Thank you!!! ♥

Music featured in this video, in order of appearance:

  • “Friendly Day” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • “Split In Synapse” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • “Bright Morning” by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • Rising Dawn by Ethereal 88 | https://ethereal88.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
My Writing Process: How I Write Posts Online (From Initial Idea to Publication)

My Writing Process: How I Write Posts Online (From Initial Idea to Publication)

Posted on by Lauren Spear

Due to my writing background, every once in a while, someone will reach out to ask me what my thought process is in regard to writing posts online. They’ll ask things like, “Where do you get your ideas?” or “What made you decide to write about that?” or “How do you go from idea to published post?”

I usually don’t have an answer. Or, rather, my answer differs wildly from post-to-post! If you ask me about a specific post, I can tell you how I went about writing it — from germination of an idea to what was finally uploaded — but, in a general sense regarding my posts overall, I wouldn’t be able to describe my “process” in a satisfactory way.

That said, I’m going to tell you exactly how this week’s post on HorrorFam.com happened. Welcome to the inner workings of my mind:

Continue reading “My Writing Process: How I Write Posts Online (From Initial Idea to Publication)” →
Let’s Paint Comic Book Nails!

Let’s Paint Comic Book Nails!

Posted on by Lauren Spear

I got to the whole “comic book” nails trend pretty late (let’s face it – by the time something shows up on Instagram, it’s already “over” lol); however, I still think they’re pretty darn neat and I’ve been wearing the style off and on this summer.

Anyway, I’ve been wearing fake nails since 1999, and I paint a fresh set every Monday, but I’ve never recorded myself painting my nails… Until now!

I thought since this style was so fun — and since I’ve gotten a few questions from folks on how I achieved the look — that it would be nice to share my painting process.

Continue reading “Let’s Paint Comic Book Nails!” →