Medieval Doll Nouveau & Aturo Obscuro

Today, I unveil the styles composed and designated as the crowning choices of presenting ideas.

My path is paved with memories, dust, images of old beliefs, and visions.

Some of the stones may not align. Some may be moldy or broken.

Words and symbols incised in them by an unsteady hand of an artist who humbly attempts to read nature as a book and to translate it into stories.

One may choose to walk the path, read the inscriptions, and travel through the portals formed along the way in search of the truth before vanishing into non-existence.

Pause. Breathe. Back to reality.

I am hanging my whimsical coat.

I am putting on a comfortable buttoned-up shirt.

Let’s explore some of the styles' specifications.

• Backgrounds are layered rather than placed in traditional perspective.

• Objects in the foreground and background may follow perspective loosely, but never with strict precision.

• People are also layered and shown only in front view, as if presented on a small stage.

• Awareness of anything occurring behind living beings is assumed, not depicted.

• Colors and patterns carry symbolic meaning connected to the illustrated story.

• Plants (trees, flowers, grasses, etc.) represent real species found in nature, yet they also hold symbolic associations relevant to the narrative.

• Patterns may echo medieval tapestries, manuscript borders, or ritual motifs.

• Most objects possess a golden outline representing a living energy imprint — a presence in and connection with Kastutima.

• Kastutima is the universe where everything designed and drawn in the style of Medieval Doll Nouveau lives.

• Movements are posed, deliberate, and may carry symbolic significance when appropriate.

• Facial expressions are conveyed through subtle shifts in eyes, eyebrows, and mouth.

• Figures may appear slightly stiff or icon‑like, emphasizing presentation over realism.

• Writing is script‑like, with a cadence that may drift, pause, or circle back.

• Poetic, myth‑building introductions (Atmospheres) describe the emotional or symbolic state of a situation — each one is a Beat.

• Several Beats form a Breath.

• Breaths combine into an Episode.

• An Episode may contain Breaths from various storylines occurring in different locations or even different time periods.

• Each Breath of a new storyline has an anchor character.

• The essence of each character is chosen from the Tarot of the Fool deck by Astore Faber.

• Essences are predetermined — each character is associated with a specific essence before the story begins.

• The narrator is always present, acting as an observer who knows much about the characters’ essences but may still discover something new along the way.

• Atmospheres (introductions) are the narrator’s comments.

• In Dialogues, the narrator’s comments appear in round brackets next to the character’s name. These comments may describe movements, states of mind or body, emotions, or references to past experiences.

• Stories behave as observed experiences of chosen characters during a particular timeframe.

• All stories form a web of potentialities and actualities.

• The web is drawn as the story progresses; each key Breath is represented by a symbol (or knot).