The three interior illustrations above were made for the 23rd issue of the French magazine Etherval, which focuses on SF and Fantasy novels and short stories.
The story was written by Catherine Loiseau, and deals with a Fantasy world divided between nightly (and lowly) beings, and diurnal, solar (and wealthy) beings. A scavenger, creature from the night, sneaks into a noble’s house to steal a golden Egg containing a fairy… But a sorcerer, standing between light and shadow, is after them, and wants the small creature for himself.
I wanted to show the split between light and shadow in all three illustrations, and use it to create a sharp divide between characters. This is especially visible in the last illustration, where the Dusk Sorcerer is sitting between light and shadow, while the nightly thief is using the curtain’s cast shadow to sneak up behind him despite the strong cyan light rays. The sharp contrast and otherworldly nightly mood is also carried by the limited palette of blues and purplish browns that carries over between each illustration, creating a cohesive feel among them.
Find out more about the project: https://www.etherval.com/nos-numeros/n22_ombreetlumiere_subsole/
Catherine Loiseau, “Au Crépuscule”, in Etherval : Sub Sole, n°23, 2024.
ISSN : 2260‐6025
