This piece was intended for Week 3 of Month of Love with the theme word weapon. I felt Crimson Peak was an excellent fit considering that love being used as a weapon is a repeated theme throughout the film. Crimson Peak is a gothic romantic and simply beautiful. Here is the trailer. Even though I missed the deadline for Week 3, I'm happy I got this illustration where I wanted it. This piece took me a lot longer to complete and I even started over 3 times. Perseverance and stubbornness prevailed. The color pallet was a lot of fun to play with. I used a lot of blues and purples and warm greys for the hair. I love my Sennelier Burnt Madder red pastel for the blood/red clay and how it popped with this subdued pallet.
I've been a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak since I first saw it at the movies. I illustrated another tribute piece Thomas. To see Thomas and a 4 min time lapse video of its making, click here.
This background was a great tool to put in some implied lines and keep your eye moving around the composition. MuddyColors did a good post about this. I highly suggest it if you are looking for ways to strengthen your illustrations.
Below is my reference/inspiration. Including my self-reference. Self-sticks are very useful for this. Especially if you're out of town, in a hotel, and don't have your usual models! Luckily, the hotel had an excellent knife to work with.
I know they used Pre-Raphaelite reference for her character sheet, so I tried to keep that in mind when designing this illustration. I wanted soft tones and that flowing hair.
Lastly, I encourage you to Follow my Instagram if you like seeing process work. IG is the first place I go to to share whatever I'm working on in the studio.
