Friend/Victim (Full)

Watch the process behind this design here: https://vimeo.com/231119758

"Glitterbomb" by Incubus was the inspiration for this illustration. The lyric "I was your friend and ended up your victim" was stuck in my head for days and this idea came to be as a result. A friend becoming an enemy struck me and I wanted to show that shift from a couple's perspective, with the difference being that the man in the relationship was the "victim." I had considered illustrating a woman as the subject, but something about showing a woman in distress seemed too obvious and tacky. He's shown in a state of comfort in black and white, while the "victimizer" and "victimizing" is in red. Her hands are in a position that might have seemed comforting – or even sensual – if they were in black in white, but they take on a more sinister tone in blood red. Who knows what this guy did, but it was obviously bad, right?