THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS
This was made for a narrative illustration class where we chose from a selection of classic short stories and fairytales and created a character design and three cohesive illustrations from various beats of the story, all of which were taken to finalized color comps and one taken to final rendering.
Character Sketches
We started off brainstorming with 30 ideating sketches for the character design. I chose the protagonist, Rainsford--I was drawn to the idea of visually balancing his wit and experience as a hunter with some indication of age. We were urged to experiment with varying shapes and differing types of people who could still fit within the realm of reason of the characters and their backstory.
Turnaround and FInal DEsign
I ended up going with a stockier build to maybe imply a more leisurely lifestyle as a result of his success, but not too much to lose the illusion of strength and ability that fuels his victory on Zaroff's island. The turnaround/design is meant to have taken into account the drama that unfolds, hence the dirtiness and scratched nature of his costume. I like the sternness of his jaw and the hair which felt appropriate for the early 20th century look.
Thumbnailing Illustrations
(see left) The first beat I chose was the scene at the table where Zaroff explains the game to Rainsford, with the plethora of animal heads staring down Rainsford menacingly. I loved the idea of a fireplace pushing warm light against the cold light of the moon from windows on the opposite wall. I toyed in each thumbnail set with the idea of a full page vs one page spread but ultimately the horizontal won out to show the full scope of the wall of heads, which I felt was important to the ominous feel of the scene and indicate the ravenous nature of Zaroff. I toyed with the perspective, either from Rainsford's point of view or having them balanced in the composition to indicate the tension of this rivalry that Zaroff would be setting up and the stakes, as both men are experienced hunters now facing off against each other in a death match.
This scene was a delight to ideate. It's arguably the most tense moment in the whole story, when Rainsford has climbed a tree as Zaroff is in pursuit of him, and just as Zaroff arrives at the tree, his eyes travel up the trunk and they stop just short of the branch Rainsford clings to, and he then lights a cigarette to smoke. It's a moment of torture for Rainsford, he knows Zaroff knows he's there and is toying with him. In all of the thumbnails I wanted to convey the narrative of left to right visually, so I was more inclined to choose a composition with Rainsford on the left and Zaroff on the right, "blocking" his path through the story. I thought the smoke would be a powerful tool to draw the eye between the characters so I utilized that as much as I could. Another important choice to me was making sure Zaroff was facing the viewer so you could see clearly the smug look on his face as he smokes, his eyes cast knowingly in the direction of Rainsford with a slight smirk casting his face.
This beat was torn between the moment where Rainsford is about to confront Zaroff as he settles into his room, after assuming Rainsford died in his tumble off the cliff, or the aftermath of the fight that is implied to have happened. I liked the vagueness of the story in how it skips completely over the final tussle and skips immediately to the implication of Rainsford's final victory. The last two layouts I described had the visual "obstruction" of the general interrupting the left to right journey of our protagonist, Rainsford. For this I wanted to push the idea of having Rainsford finally on the right, triumphant, cozy, and warm. In the previous two, Zaroff had the fire on his side, behind him in the fireplace at dinner and with the cigarette embers illuminating his face in the jungle.
Final Color Comps and Illustration
The two pieces on the left are unrendered but finalized color comps to ensure the cohesiveness of the pieces in color and tone. I wanted Rainsford's face to be triumphant and cozy, despite the fact his hands and face are bloodied from the implied battle, and he's bathed in a warm light--indicative of the fact that he survived the battle. The general is bathed in the cool moonlight that sifts through the latticed window, tussled and limp to make sure the viewer realizes his violent demise.
