Negative Space Book Art

My friend Josh and I absolutely love the NBC show Hannibal. It’s beautifully shot, the stories are macabre and creative, and the acting is amazing. I’ve still never seen Silence of the Lambs and can only stomach PG-13 style horror movies, but I absolutely love this show!

I knew I wanted to make something for Josh that centered around that. I was walking down the street and I saw an artist selling silhouettes painted on the backs of books. Insert lightbulb moment here! I went online and purchased a used copy of the book Red Dragon, which the show is based on.

One of the major pieces of imagery throughout the series is a stag. Huge, haunting, and powerful. The stuff of Will Grahams nightmares.

Hannibal_Stag
Is Hannibal the stag? Is the stag Hannibal? Either way, that’s one evil woodland creature (via)

 

I wanted to do something really cool with it using all of the cover to highlight the stag. So instead of a simple silhouette, I decided to work in the negative space to create an image. The most popular example of negative space art are the two faces/one vase we’ve seen a thousand times.

are we about to make out or hold flowers? (via)
are we about to make out or hold flowers? (via)

But here are some other really cool examples as well:

look out Red! (via)
look out Red! (via)
pretty much sums up my dogs (via)
pretty much sums up my dogs (via)
like a hoodie to the flame burned by the fire (via)
like a hoodie to the flame burned by the fire (via)
very clever logo (via)
such a clever logo! (via)

Below is my final creation, or as Will Graham would say, “this is my design” –

The nightmare stag is coming for you!
The nightmare stag is coming for you!

Nightmare Stag Book Art

Nightmare Stag

I plan on making another one of these using a different book and artwork. I’ll be sure to make the post a DIY in case you’re interested in making your own.

In the meantime, go catch up on seasons 1 & 2 of Hannibal and let me know what you think!

hannibal gif

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