As I have been struck down by a curse from the Nain Rouge, I am taking a breather from the drawing board. Instead, let me share some early concept work, so that you might catch a glimpse of the Nain Rouge's twisted mind.
In the first novel, the Nain Rouge manifests himself as a wicked sprite. Evil, dangerous, but nothing more than an imp. Now that evil is growing in the city of Detroit, the Nain Rouge has become something far more wicked. He lurks in the shadows and has become more monster than mischief.
Above are some images of demons and creeping hands, all inspired by the most unpleasant faces I could find, plus tales of shadow people. I spent a few distorted hours listening to the soundtrack to 28 Days Later... feverishly shaking as I drew.
Next I put together what I knew - about the Nain Rouge and about horror - and came up with the fiendish apparition above. I discovered that day a new weapon: eraser putty. Perfect for picking off patches of charcoal, and not just mistakes. Applied in just the right places, glowing eyes and bright, pointed teeth emerge from the darkness, watching and mocking.
Frightening, and reeking of death, the Nain Rouge was perfect in essence, but needed hints of that cheeky, little imp of those early, bygone days. Now peering from behind his hooded cloak we catch a sight of his hawk-like nose and curled, pointed chin. And those bright eyes still watch his prey intently.
The wonder of illustrating is how a character changes once it's put into a scenario. These first glimpses of the Nain Rouge are the first stages of his evolution. Just wait until he enters our world, where his transformation is completed...
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