Madness…

I’m starting to feel so sorry for Tobias. When it comes to surviving the journey through my sketchbooks, I’m the only friend he has, and yet, most wickedly, I put him through so much torture for the pure fun of it. Lol! :D

This is another truly scary page from my sketchbook, in which I’m still roughly figuring out character relationships, interactions, personalities etc… this page is pure bedlam, as you can see…

In the String of Pearls, Todd ends up taking Tobias to a madhouse run by a disagreeable man named Fogg, in an attempt to do away with him for good and hush his blabbing. Tobias, of course, is telling the truth when he says Todd is a murderer but is treated as just another loon by Fogg and his minions (as they have been paid to turn a blind eye). It is at this stage that Tobias is at his most desperate and it’s really quite moving (I mean, it would be enough to drive anyone insane knowing that they knew the truth and no-one else would listen, as well as being held against their will).

So there are two new characters presented here; Mr Fogg, the madhouse keeper and his assistant Watson. It had been my intention to make all the workers of the asylum low, scavenging vermin… as rats and weasels etc… and I had originally meant for Fogg to be a rat himself. However, this concept was thrown out of the window when I read his description, and Watson became the rat instead. Fogg is described as an older, grizzled figure yet still robust in frame. Leading on from this he {I really don’t know how it happened} became a badger, as it just seemed to fit. His black and white colouring would provide me with some fun concerning his ‘grizzled looks’ (especially his crazy hair… I figured he ought to be a little mad looking himself working where he does) and badgers are pretty tough creatures.

There’s also another reason why he works as a badger, his relationship with Todd. Foxes and badgers have also been said to share a love-hate relationship (anyone who grew up reading Beatrix Potter’s books will know exactly what I mean) and will usually only go near each other if it’s for mutual gain. I get the general impression that Todd doesn’t like him, going by this highly amusing passage:

“Sweeney Todd made several horrible faces as he followed the madhouse keeper, and he looked as if it would have given him quite as much pleasure, and no doubt it would, to brain that individual, as to drink his wine, although probably he would have preferred doing the latter process first, and executing the former afterwards, and at his leisure.”

Oh to be surrounded by such mocking figures… would make a lovely illustration, yes?

(Artwork © Leona Preston 2008)