Beaumont Page Experiment 02 (Patreon)

Following yesterday’s post, I’ve decided to try a vastly different direction. I took a similar approach for the prototype comic in 2019, albeit with a different rendering style.

One of the benefits to this style is that my rendered illustrations use the same process (before colour is applied). However, it is much less modular, so it's harder to make sweeping changes the more developed the piece is.

The Intent

When I had first conceived of Elayne Beaumont, I thought about portraying her stories in a manner like the old Universal horror films which inspired me, like Dracula & Frankenstein.

These films were inspired by techniques found in German cinema following the events of WW1 – or the Weimar Period. This style of work is referred to as “German Expressionism,” and can be seen in films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu. These films feature distorted imagery, staging, lighting, and special effects to express the psychology of its characters – often a moody & oppressive atmosphere.

It’s monochrome, and thus, does not rely on colour to visually communicate. However, unlike the black & white inked illustrations from yesterday’s post, it is afforded a wider variety of values (shades of grey), making for a very organic image. 

Unfortunately, because it is much more realistically rendered, the bar of acceptable quality is higher as a result – if something is flat or shaded incorrectly, it’s much more obvious. I don't know how this will translate to more complex imagery, or even environments.

Don’t forget to eat & sleep.