Banshees: Origins and End of Module Final Piece

Banshees

Banshees are mythical creatures that originate from Irish folklore and are said to appear having long hair, in a grey dress. They are believed to be an indicator of someone's impending doom.

 

The banshee from the Irish mythology is more tame than those found in popular media. While the myth does explain that banshees are an omen of death, video games and media use these creatures as hostile entities that attack mortals when they get too close.

Dark Souls & Dead By Daylight

Dark Souls

Banshees often are enemy entities that hunt players in games. The appear as ghouls in Dark Souls and float above the ground and appear white and grey rags.

Dead By Daylight, The Spirit

Dead By Daylight interprets the banshee as a zombie-like character who is possessed with her body parts floating in place. Although known as "The Spirit" she does have a significant backstory when she was human, which indirectly adds to the faithfulness of Irish mythology.

One thing to note about both games is that the banshees' appearances are as undead. This is as accurate as it technically gets because of the fact banshees are essentially already dead and serve the purpose of warning about incoming demise. For video game's sake, the banshees are possessed and aim to kill the player at hand, which is very much obvious given certain visual aspects and dangerous looking colours and aesthetics.

Final Process

One thing to note about this process in particular is that I wanted to incorporate my preferred style when drawing characters. For the banshee, this fits in well as the style I predominantly use is often for human characters. It also allows me to add some expression to the banshee. With this said, I also tried to make a more personified backdrop rather than a natural landscape of environment to fit in better with the adaptation of the banshee. I decided to stay faithful to pop-culture and depict the banshee as a threatening killer.

  

Sketching and Lineart

 

Cel shading, spot colour, volumetric shading and depth shading.

 

Second character introduced with glowing effects, background features, reverse shading and multiply layers.

I've often come across banshees in media and video games that have the purpose of trying to kill the protagonist. This is why I opted to use a design that should appear disturbing and frightening. Also, if I had used a painterly technique or style, I feel the expression I want would have been lost making it less effective.

Using a stylistic approach to the banshee allowed me the play with the expression of the banshee to a huge degree. The sadistic looking expression with red was the best match in my opinion as it also is faithful to the violent nature of banshees in media. The addition of long nails, kill tally, and a hovering spirit should communicate better the fact that this banshee character is a ruthless killer and a spirit. I should also note that I intentionally attempted to illustrate the banshee as an entirely evil creature.

Sources:

Claddagh Design (2018), Ireland's Best Known Spirit - The Banshee. Available at: https://www.claddaghdesign.com/history/irelands-best-known-spirit-the-banshee/ [Accessed 7 May 2019]

Egalitaria (2016), Banshee, Mythical Creatures Guide. Available at: http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Banshee [Accessed 7 May 2019]