Roughs (Sacrosanct)

     Every now and then you have a project that falls through and won't come to completion.  It happens.  Most of the time, the client decides they want to go for something different (different style, different story, or want to avoid/focus on a subject due to current events).  Often, the client will keep NDAs in place in case they decide to go back to wanting it at a later date.

     One project of mine that was recently scraped was a short story called Sacrosanct.  It's a love story, focusing on our heroine River asking the Goddess of Death and Fate to sunder her soul, in the hopes that part of it can keep the deceased soul of her lover (Jon) company in the afterlife.  The story never got beyond the tight roughs before it was scrapped, but I'm able to share one of those pages with you all.

Pencil and Paper, 6"x9", Tight Roughs for Sacrosanct

We start with the heroine crying and begging for the goddess to hear her at an alter, deep in the swamps (I've found backgrounds are best saved for later, the more you pencil a page with tight details, the more you have to worry about smearing the lead).  The Goddess appears to her, and they begin their dramatic back and forth.

As always, there is more symbolism then a casual reader would ever pick up on - atleast consciously.  The camera is always eye level with out heroine, and always looking up at the Dark Goddess.  The alter of death is always in the background, often being used as a crutch in some way shape or form.  River's sword, a symbolic instrument of death as swords have few other purposes, will cross over her multiple times as she slips further towards, in many way, a living death with her actions.  While the [Goddess] is trying to talk River out of her decision, the goddess is blocking the stage left exit (often used for permanent leave from the story).  In later pages, the this deity is towering over River in a much more terrifying manner and is pushing her towards the stage leff exit when the request is performed.