This post was originally shared on Patreon in December 2023. I'm sharing all of my chapter 3 development with Patrons now - the first couple of pages will be live very soon!

If you enjoy behind the scenes content & want to support Obelisk directly, become a Patron today!

--- 

There are only 3 pages remaining for chapter 2, and I've been busy plotting what's to come! 


Chapter 3 revolves around Margot and Eve over the course of several weeks, as they meet repeatedly in conversations about their lives (with certain elements thoughtfully left out, of course.)  

A big part has been the beginning of these meetings, though - the reason Evelyn chose to come see Margot again, after being brushed aside so briskly before. Even though she isn't entirely sure of her own reasoning when she first arrives... It has its way of coming up in the moment, after her uncomfortable conversation with Alexander.

Margot is visibly well-off, and seems to be running her shop by herself, by some clever turn of fate... Surely she must have something to advise Eve on! Right? 

Right??? 

This post was originally shared in August 2022 on the Backstage Blog, as I worked on the development and costuming of Margot's dream at the end of chapter 2 - in retrospect, I think I was very successful with the end result! 

If you enjoy this kind of behind-the-scenes stuff, you can see much more by supporting Obelisk on Patreon!

Hey all! I've been really excited to dig back into the costume development I started way back in late 2021. This look will be turning up in the coming scene of the comic - a very Margot-centric end to a chapter once again~

In the mid to late 18th century, Margot was deeply entrenched in the social circles of French nobility - something that came to a, well, rather sudden end, but she had her fun while it lasted ;)

Since this costume is only showing up for a few pages, I really wanted to go all-out on capturing the silhouette and beautiful details that court outfits had in this period and location. The back of men's coats in particular are so visually striking to me, how they fall and how the embroidery creates these really clean shapes across the back!

They're so pretty...

I'm still exploring what the final product will be, but I hope to find a solid way to get floral motifs to feel appropriately... goth ;> (Not to mention, deciding what hairstyle - in all likelihood a wig - she would have worn! I don't want to get too married to her contemporary look, when fashion mores have changed so much..)

And a bonus peek at the early thumbnails for this scene before I go...

I wonder who that could be...

References & further reading: FASHION: A History from the 18th to 20th Century from Kyoto Costume Institute (& their digital archive ) Getting Dressed in the 18th Century from Crowseye Productions The Interview with the Vampire show trailer - this one isn't wholly a reference, especially with the time period shift, but have you SEEN it! I'm sliding back into my Vampire Chronicles madness, it is time...

This post was originally written for Patrons on the Backstage Blog in January 2021! With Chapter 2 complete, I wanted to unlock some of my development and thoughts on it for everyone to ponder and enjoy.

You can see much more behind the scenes stuff like this by supporting Obelisk on Patreon!

---

I was breaking in a new sketchbook for the year and trying to get back into the right mindset to continue the current scene - which means spending some time with Dean!

 When you just wanna get groceries but you have vampires in your brain...

My notes, if you can read them, are mostly thoughts on how to handle Dean's wardrobe - as one of the few prominent male cast members, he provides an important contrast to Margot in terms of the eccentricity, timeliness and personality of her masc fashion choices.

That is, even if you don't know much about 1900s fashion at a glance, ideally you would still be able to see a difference between his clothing and Margot's! Especially since hers can be a bit... outdated... 

Fashion aside, chapter 2 really focuses on the characters' inner conflicts and anxieties around their interpersonal relationships - what's expected of them, what they expect of themselves, and how they feel they might fall short of those expectations. Dean has been a tough character for me to get to know in earlier stages of Obelisk - he lives very selflessly, even to his detriment, and only in working on this chapter did I realize... why. It's a complex thing for him, and one that the coming pages will just start to touch on.

But whatever he might be shoving to the side in favor of all that people pleasing, I'm sure his strange connection to a certain monster won't get in the way... ;) 

"The ultimate horror is a failure to connect."