Touch of the Demon

-By Dan dos Santos

Here's a piece I did a short while back for the novel 'Touch of the Demon', by Diana Rowland.



The original painting is 16 x 24 inches, oils on board, and was a really enjoyable piece to work on.



The heroine can enter an alternate reality where demons roam. Trying to capture that eerie feeling of an expansive, yet desolate environment was a lot of fun. I also tried to imply that something was a bit 'wrong' with the picture by shifting the woman's flesh tones to a slightly purple, and unnatural, hue.

Over all, it an exceptionally simply composition. There is not a lot to look at, but I think that's why I enjoy it so much. It's just easy to look at. Plus, all that empty space usually makes for extra nice cover designs.



Here is an alternate sketch I was hoping to paint (done digitally in Photoshop). Unfortunately, the dagger was well described in the story, and mine wasn't even close. Once I started to revise it, it just didn't look as good.

And finally, here is the finished image with type treatment.