The Messenger

The Messenger
By H. P. Lovecraft

The thing, he said, would come that night at three
From the old churchyard on the hill below;
But crouching by an oak fire’s wholesome glow,
I tried to tell myself it could not be.
Surely, I mused, it was a pleasantry
Devised by one who did not truly know
The Elder Sign, bequeathed from long ago,
That sets the fumbling forms of darkness free.

He had not meant it—no—but still I lit
Another lamp as starry Leo climbed
Out of the Seekonk, and a steeple chimed
Three—and the firelight faded, bit by bit.
Then at the door that cautious rattling came—
And the mad truth devoured me like a flame!

So, here it is, my latest 'project'
I've been itching for a while to do a gothic drawing and also to draw a raven. While scouring Google I came across a wonderful background and a lovely raven pic. I figured why not kill two birds with one stone (pardon the pun!) and put them both together! Both of the pictures weren't quite enough though so I searched through the stock galleries here on dA and found a gorgeous photo that was perfect for what I had in mind ( [link] )

The picture started to take a life of its own in my imagination once I'd found the three reference pics. The drawing now has its own world and story in my mind although what that may be I will leave to your own imaginations...

Stock used - [link]

Edit: the Googled image I used for the background I've found out was an image from right here on dA, if you would like to view the original and amazing artwork here is the link - [link]