In the beginning of 2001, Ariock®, a Fantastic art creation studio is looking for the sensual spokes model who will become their new face…Search which didn’ t go so well for a while as , even though models are interested, the one who would sweep the artist’s mind and soul has yet to appear…, Then finally,the one who was to become the lively incarnation of his artworks leaves him speechless It would be her, the carnal Goddess, perfect muse of his erotico Fantastic creations….
It is funny how a small add on a casting website can change the course of your life…
That’s what happened to me in 2001, when I was both a receptionist and an occasional fashion model/actress. I call it occasional as not like many little girls growing up I had never been interested in pursuing a modeling career… But I guess my lucky star was there and being at the right place at the right time offered me nice opportunities such as modeling for an international hair care products campaign and playing in a french movie, not to mention cool jobs such as tv extras and stuff
Anyhow one day as I was surfing the net I saw this add from a horror oriented artist looking for his spokes model.
The add specifically said that the girl had to be a brunette,at least 5’10” and very familiar with gore movies.. My Nemesis if I may say lol But, for a reason I still can’t explain I decided to send the guy a message saying only “I am a redhead, is that gonna be a problem?” without really expecting a reply… But the same day I received one with a phone number and the explanation of why this artist needed a spokes model.So I sent him another email with my phone number (I was young and a little out of my mind at this time but i had such a nice feeling and I knew in my guts the guy wasn’t dangerous…). When I came home from work that same day he called me and we spoke for 5 hours straight, chatting about our hobbies, our likes and dislikes, and our mutual taste for erotism, fantasy,comics and witchcraft. To tell you the truth this talk took a very personal level right from the start and I did kind of forget i was interviewing for a modeling job lol
I still recall my grandmother who was staying over for the week telling me she was really surprised to see how two strangers talking for the fist time had so many things to say to each other… But then again we were no strangers, we had found each others..Weeks went by and we kept on with our daily phone chatting routine giving birth to Drakaina.
3 month later, I packed my stuff and moved to Avignon. I forgot to tell ya that at this point I still had no ideas of what Ariock looked like, nor did I knew his real name…But I just knew my life was about to take a new turn, so, once more I followed my guts.So here I was in Avignon, standing in front of the man I’ve had been talking to so many hours on the phone and who had managed to have me leave a great job and a confy lifestyle to live the life of an artist with no financial security…. I wasn’t disappointed as our first lively encounter was charged with sweet promises…
And from there it went very fast…
Ariock and I started to work on the “world” of Drakaina®, creating my first website to bring the artist’s visions to life. First artworks, first photoshoots, always very dark yet very sensual… Nothing unusual though.. after all Ariock was the author…It could only be very dark yet erotic.
My website started to be known on the Internet, Ariock’s artworks leaving people longuing for more.. Being the good spokes model that I am, I take care of the PR, chatting on message boards, answering to people’s questions.. Little by little the name Drakaina® starts to be heard all over . Soon we realized that Drakaina wasn’t only Ariock’s spokes model anymore but an artist herself with a universe of her own … And this universe starts to attract Fantasy artists first and then pin-up artists too..
By the end of 2002, I decided to launch a Fantasy art contest on the theme of Drakaina, and many artists registered. Khimaira magazine (French fantasy art mag) even published the artwork.. And most of all I met wonderful artists, most of whom I am still very good friend with today
Time for a renewed website, in which I started to add galleries of reference pictures for artists. I am now considered a Fantasy art model, being used as a model by many artists from various styles and backgrounds. Plus, and thanks to Internet, I am able to work with artists from all around the world.
That doesn’t go without creating a few strains in Ariock and I’s relationship; his spokesmodel getting more exposure than his art, going way further than the reason we had started this all venture together… Plus being to busy shooting all the reference pics for other artists, Ariock feels he doesn’t have time to work on his own art as much as he’d like… Doubts, questions and frustrations arises… It’s not easy to manage a love life when it’s so closely mixed with a professional collaboration… Fortunately the strongest point in our relationship being communication we quicly find a way to fix this issues : I started to work with other photographer to give him more time to paint,while I am still his official model. At least for a while, since after living together for quite a while, he doesn’t quite see me as a Muse anymore, but his wife and he soon needs to find new sources of inspirations. It will be a very hard time for me, the feeling of loosing a precious gift, the fear of losing him too..
I registered Drakaina as an international trademark, thus why there is always a little ® next to my name.
My name is seen a lot at that time, both on the Internet and in the press as Fantasy art Modeling is a brand new concept in France. Therefore the medias are really in demand and curious about this new artistic form of expression as well as on the one who was the first one in the country to bring it to life. This brings me an extraordinary exposure, allowing me to introduce Fantasy art to a broader audience. Ariock’s pictures start being sen in magazines too, his erotico fantasy universe laid out on glossy paper, illustrating articles about me .
To much dismay of some people, I make an honor point of always mentioning Ariock in the articles and interviews, as, if you think about it, he is and will always be the “father” of Drakaina, and if it wasn’t for us meeting back in 2001, I probably wouldn’t be writing this biography today
I am starting to receive fan-arts, and people start calling me a Muse and not a model anymore, as I start to inspire artists not only pinup painting but full imaginary worlds…
Various contracts will follow, for books, RPG collector game cards, calendar ect… Life is smiling at us
That is around this time that my baby girl, my pup Beltane entered my life, as a Valentine’s day gift from Ariock, to my greatest surprise.. Because you see, I grew up with dogs around me and not having a dog was making me sad.. Yet Ariock had always fought all my attempts to seduce him into getting me a puppy. So when he finally changed his mind I was delighted This is how our adorable little Shiba inu entered our lives, little monster looking like a fox. My little mascot, loving to come to the shooting with me and go anywhere with me as a matter of fact lol. She will even follow us to the Cannes Festival where I was invited to sign pictures (yeah the Cannes Festival but not the movie one, the games one… Same place, different crowd lol). She was the only dog there because dogs are usually not allowed to enter the building. She discovered the conventions as well as breakfast in bed with mom and dad in a four star hotel… Who said my dog why spoiled?? lol, Needless to say she really enjoyed it…
Now even the TV stars to grow an interest in the “Drakaina phenomenon”. Comedy Channel first, followed by FR3, then TF1 (number 1 channel in France), which will come to my house to shoot a documentary on me and my activities for the tv show called “Incroyable mais vrai”.
Contracts keep pouring, I make the cover of several mags, and Ariock (or his art rather lol) does the same as he now works for various mag as a cover artist…
In august 2006 we relocate to Halifax Canada, the 3 of us ready to embrace a new way of life.
Fast forward on to November 2007, we now live in a charming apartment, facing the ocean (where I walk my princess every morning), we a re finally settled (it took a while, time to get used to a new country and figure out who we could trust or not… Ya know, normal life lol), Ariock works for Huslter magazine, and I just finished the art books, reminiscence of these past 8 years , who were full of joy and surprises, punctuated by some of the “highest in color” people I’ve ever met in my life. I hope these art books will take you to the same fantasy worlds where they took me many times…”