They don't eat innocent animals.
This illustration explores a disturbing encounter from the perspective of someone opening a door and discovering a horrifying scene inside.
Two cannibals are interrupted while feeding on their victim, suddenly turning their attention toward the viewer. Behind them, a ghoul watches from the window, acting as their unsettling companion.
The scene was developed through different stages of exploration, including initial sketches, composition studies, color variations and lighting tests, focusing on atmosphere, tension and visual storytelling.
A wildlife reference of lions feeding was used to study body language and predator behavior, helping create a more believable and unsettling interaction between the cannibals and the viewer.
Traditional Pencil Sketch
Initial concept exploring composition and character placement.
Digital Block-In
The sketch was refined digitally to establish the composition and values.
Color Exploration
Different color palettes were tested to define the mood of the scene.
Lighting Exploration
Multiple lighting approaches were explored to reinforce tension and atmosphere.
Here I combined the two previous images to obtain the green colors that contrasted well with the blood and the intensity of the lights in the more yellowish version.
Final render where I add small details, such as lights to represent the moisture of the blood, in addition to the open skin on the corpse.
Reference photo by Valentin Pacaut. Used as composition and animal behavior reference.
Reference photo from Roger Sanmartí. Used as reference for the Ghoul in the window