Concert

Music fills a great empty hall. As she performs, spirits and entities are drawn to listen.

Character illustrations can often be elevated by adding in a deliberate action - allowing your character to do something transforms a static depiction into an event that spans a passage of time. The quality of the “action” can affect the final impression as well. Simple actions like brushing away stray hair, or posing dynamically with hands on waist are good, but more deliberate and complex actions can have an even greater impact. Here I decided to make use of this personal observation to create an illustration that is hopefully more engaging and interesting! The character is playing a traditional string instrument called the ‘Erhu’. I chose a spotlight-style lighting to imply the setting, which is that of a concert hall, along with the seating rows in the background to complete the scene. A solo performance like this wouldn’t be extraordinary in the real world, but changing the theater to an empty one added a new layer of intrigue. The simple question of “Who is she playing for?” then forms the core story of this piece!