About the Author - Artist Inspiration - Emily Carroll

 Emily Carroll brought out a book of tales that she wrote and illustrated called "Through The Woods". I have this and have read it and can confirm it is the most terrifying thing I have ever read. It's like a graphic novel of folk tales.

The illustrations are really beautiful but also deeply unsettling. The panelling and zooming on certain sections really creates atmosphere and tension within the story. 

In the pages below I love how the text leads the viewer through the panels, and also through the characters walk through the house. The fact that it is bright red against these calm blues, dominates the page. The textures on the ends of the red makes it look kind of liquid, like blood. All the elements create a scary atmosphere. 

I really like the use of black backgrounds and borders instead of white because it gives the impending sense of doom and darkness. 

Carroll's style is adaptable but recognisable - she has done this terrifying graphic novel but also does more lighthearted drawings such as these faun's below!!

This has given me a bit of a confidence boost that just because my go to "style" is cartoon-like doesn't mean is has to be funny or lighthearted, it can be scary and macabre without having to change my whole way of working.