The Monster Below

This illustration is for an article about domestic violence, a story of a nice guy with a monster inside. The girl leaves but always coming back, because she sees something kind in him. But the monster always comes back too.

I inked it with a brush and then coloured it digitally via Photoshop. I was happy with the composition, and how I was able to use it to express the content. This illustration took a few versions to get it right, as well as some happy accidents along the way!

The final illustration:


The Monster Below
Photoshop CS3, 29.5 x 41.7 cm @ 450 dpi


Below is the first version I originally posted. Re-visiting this illustration, there were a lot of things I felt like I didn't quite nail, such as the colours, the shading, and the overall impact. It was too washed out, and didn't make the theme of domestic violence clear enough.




And here is the original inked page (brush and ink):