With Eyes of Glass: Page 2 [Inks + Insights] (Patreon)

Cuh-clank. Whiiiirrr. Bleep!

Insight Function: [ACTIVE]

In a couple of weeks, we will be sharing the second page of With Eyes of Glass. It's such a beautifully atmospheric project, and we're always excited to show it off some more.

Last time, we posted an illustration called Late Night Haunting: a glimpse at how encroached Kelsall's ghost is in Locke's life. This motif is present in most pages, and in Page 2, Box brought it to life masterfully. It lingers in the back, eventually transforming into the red-eyed birds at the bottom panel.

When I first wrote this page, I depicted Locke going down this building, floor by floor, accosted by either hauntings or clear indicatives of how an insomniac city succumbs to debauchery and grime. We tightened the section up, and slowly homed in on this depiction.

Box played around with Kelsall's motif quite a bit, eventually introducing her in the fifth panel as well, but another perspective shift was considered...

...and it just felt right. It moved from an omnipresent lens to the eyes of the hallway ruffian, really bringing us in into the scene. It meant that Kelsall would no longer be featured in this panel, which meant needing to make her presence really pop in the second panel.

Her visage is like a shining beacon, wanting us to linger in the dark, rather than follow Locke towards the foreground. I fucking love it.

The sense of claustrophobia and looming doom in that last panel is the cherry on top:

You might be out of the building, only to walk into the bowels of the city.

It's an excellent way to bring Locke outside, while simultaneously showcasing her obsession and predator-like mindset: chasing that stench. A stench left by the inconclusive case of her partner's murder.

Oh, I can't wait to lead you to the very last page.

- Miguel