Palette & Process: Sherlock Holmes

a behind the scenes on the new collection from 221B Baker Street.

Sherlock Holmes is a recurring allusion and retelling in many shows, movies, and books. It is one of the most famous classic pieces of literature today. This collection truly enforced the “dark academia” aesthetic, especially because Sherlock Holmes embodies that.

But it begs the question as to why? Why does this character have this specific aesthetic we all know and love?

What is Dark Academia?

The Dark Academia aesthetic has always existed, but was recently named sometime in early 2020. It portrays studiousness and intellect with a gothic atmosphere. Other characteristics are classical arts, books, music, and interiors. Little do people realize, it dates back far in history.

Historical context to Dark Academia

Sherlock Holmes was first published in 1887 during the Victorian era. The Victorian era was a time of progress in literature and science, where the age of industrialization was growing rapidly and the golden age of literature was shining.

The Victorian era had its identity in literature, some authors used Victorian characteristics, portraying daily life, class issues, economics, and industrialization. However, the fascination of the Gothic era never ceased with the Victorian era, since Gothic characteristics emerged in the golden age of literature; A Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, and finally Sherlock Holmes The Hounds of Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Merging the elements of the Gothic and Victorian eras within Sherlock Holmes breeds dark academia. Not only because of the settings, but Sherlock Holmes himself; an intellectual man solving dark mysteries beyond the average individual. Without realizing it, our adaptations of Sherlock Holmes depict dark academia in Sherlock’s clothing, apartments, and film aesthetics.

Details & Process

I wanted Sherlock to play his violin in the middle of the night, to be a true representation of the aesthetic and theme I’m going for. The colors were muted and dark intentionally. Usually for digital prints, I saturate the final colors just to make them bright and stand out, but for this particular print, I decided not to.

Then I focused on the lighting. I lightly brushed some deep purple over the shadows of the print and then brushed over warm yellow where I wanted the candle light to hit.

For the border, I intentionally made it look scuffed and weathered out to maintain the gritty Sherlock Holmes aesthetic.

Final Thoughts

This was more difficult to draw as I’ve never really drawn men. I prefer to draw women/heroines in a novel, but I think it worked out! Overall, it was a great challenge (the arms and torso especially) and it came out successfully!

Tune in next week about how I balance my 9-5 with art!

Cheers, Jaclynne