Stride, a recently escaped slave rower, flees during a heavy storm and washes ashore on a mysterious island. He awakens in a world of monsters, beings beyond human understanding. Realising that his returned freedom comes with the price of unthinkable danger, he wishes to unveil the truth of these unknown lands and find other survivors.
What is You Are The Last about?
You Are The Last is an Illustrated Novel set in a dark fantasy world, the land of the Undying Lords, Uendal.
The story follows Stride, a former thief, who washes ashore in Uendal after escaping imprisonment from Byzma the Marauder’s ship. His forlorn life as an oar slave is over, but a new horrifying journey begins.
The book is digitally illustrated in Photoshop.
1. Thumbnail: Every illustration starts with a small thumbnail sketch which roughly outlines the composition of each panel.
2. Sketch: I make an initial sketch with more detail. Still loose and a ‘softer’ brush to net get too caught up in detail.
3. Rough lineart: To emphasise on anatomical accuracies and where details should be.
4. Lineart: Phase of lineart where all details are added, and a darker (custom) brush is used. Background textures and effects are added in last with the character and the foreground taking priority.
Inspiration
The story is inspired by the works of Kentaro Miura, Berserk, Miro Haverinen’s Fear & Hunger and the Black Moon Chronicles by François Marcela-Froideval.
The book is fully illustrated in a black and white colour scheme, amplifying the dark nature of the world, the ruthless and bizarre characters and paying homage to my favourite form of literature (manga).
