the summoning ritual - design concept // september MOTM // sfw (Patreon)

thanks again to ciyu for suggesting a theme of candles, wilted flowers, and incense! i consolidated this idea into "the summoning ritual," because the items mentioned sounded like ingredients for such a rite.

the most classic idea of a summoning ritual is, of course, that of demons being called upon from magical circles painted with blood. it's usually a dark, grisly scene, carried out in a secret and hidden place. think inky shadows, flickering candlelight, demonic sigils, ominous chanting, and perhaps some kind of sacrifice.

that's all well and good, but i had the idea of trying to paint a more wholesome and heart-warming demonic summoning ritual -- as already mentioned in both the painting and sketch, i love the idea of a mortal witch magically summoning his hellish boyfriend for a date night. with that in mind, this MOTM art is as focused on the scene portrayed in the painting as on the design itself. i was mentally composing the summoning ritual at the same time as i was designing the star of the show; the incense, wilted flowers, and candles aren't present in his design, per se, but i knew they would help set the stage in the illustration.

i wanted to use airy and gentle colours, like the blue-ish greys of pale wood, thin ribbons of white smoke, and the faded petals of brittle old flower bouquets. rather than being lit only by torches flickering in the dark, the scene should bathe in bright and soft light, with the candles adding a cozy ambience. and instead of bloody demonic sigils, the summoning circle should be painted in a less eerie manner (i ended up placing a perimeter of grey ash under the row of candles, and used icy blue to draw something like a snowflake on the wooden floor).

but no matter how cozy the scene, the demon himself needed to look, well, demonic. rather than assign him to any particular cardinal sign, i focused on aesthetics and vibes. candles burn until both wax and wick are melted and gone; incense is also consumed by fire, leaving only ash; and wilted flowers eventually crumble to dust. a theme of impermanence, disease, and the withering of life seemed appropriate.

i decided to stick with a pale colour palette, but chose yellow and green undertones. such hues make me think of old, decrepit ceramic tiles lit by eerie fluorescent light, like the hospital wards of many a horror movie or game. streaks of green marbling run across his chest and limbs, like algae blooming through a still lake, and his fingertips, claws, and eyes are reddish orange.

speaking of, his only facial feature is that abundance of eyes, running vertically and diagonally across his face. it makes him look otherwordly, but the lack of a mouth doesn't keep him from talking -- i imagine his voice sounds like grating metal and hissing fire, with a whispery undertone of nails on a chalkboard. horrific, but kinda hot, you know?

anyway, adding horns is a pretty surefire way to make someone look demonic, and his curve and bend at both soft and sharp angles. finally, his "hair" and tail look gooey and ever changing in shape, like a spill of some poisonous liquid. the slimey strands stick to any surface they touch, and when he's at rest both his "hair" and tail begin to melt out of shape (note how they're leaking into the cracks of the floorboards on the painting) or stick to his skin in a more two-dimensional way (as on the sketch).

all in all, i think i achieved a pretty neat balance between a demonic appearance and loving boyfriend vibes -- his witchy lover certainly seems satisfied!

// art + character © me.