The Drawing Duke

Visual storytelling and black tea enthusiast. Hapless creator of the comic Fantomestein! www.fantomestein.com

[thedrawingduke]

Chipping away on like 50 things at all times but finally set aside some time for a couple illustrations I’ve been wanting to do. Nothing completed yet but boy it feels so good.

I am technically a Fuseli The Nightmare ver. 2 truther. The "mare" is so stunning, I prefer the pose on the incubus, the overall composition is so fun….but the poor lady’s anatomy is…a lot.

[thedrawingduke]

Chipping away on like 50 things at all times but finally set aside some time for a couple illustrations I’ve been wanting to do. Nothing completed yet but boy it feels so good.

I am technically a Fuseli The Nightmare ver. 2 truther. The "mare" is so stunning, I prefer the pose on the incubus, the overall composition is so fun….but the poor lady’s anatomy is…a lot.

[les-gnossiennes-fantomatiques]

Dude what is UP with the world tour cast right now, because whatever they are cooking with has me mentally unwell, it’s just that good.

[thedrawingduke]

is fantomstein done or are you taking A break?

Not done! Just taking me a hot minute to finish pages for the next update! It’s a passion project that I don’t make much (if any) $ off of right now, so it is, unfortunately, subject to delay. Gotta play second fiddle to the day job and my other life obligations. I try to devote at least a day of the weekend to work on it—but sometimes “work” is thumbnails or writing or editing or making the actual pages so not every weekend can produce an update.

It’s a little sad, perhaps, but chipping away at it still brings me immense quality of life and creative fulfillment so as long as I am able, there will be Fantomestein updates!

I’m doing my part of being aggressively human and doing my own thing in the face of *gestures to the burning pile that used to be creative industries, now overrun by big businesses, consumerism, greed, and ai* ….that. It’s not much, but it’s honest work! 💀👍

Thanks for asking!

[thedrawingduke]

Hello! I was rereading the first part of the Fantomestein comic and as a Victorian nerd and Goth who knows too many funeral rites, I love the detail that Christine thought Erik was her father's ghost because of the Victorian "souls trapped in mirrors" superstition, it's such an ingenious touch!

I’m so glad you enjoy that detail/interpretation—thank you <3

Poor thing, she thought she finally cracked the code, reached thru to the Great Beyond at last…but no, just some guy.

[les-gnossiennes-fantomatiques]

I had the thought yesterday that this could be the last thing I ever draw and—

[phaptomoftheopera]

“I am Red Death stalking abroad” oh ur stalking a broad alright and her name is christine daae

[dross-the-fish]

Doodled some Frankenpals. @muirin007's creature design has a fae like quality that I really like and there's something ghostly and haunting about his expressions. @rosietealeaves creature is an absolute unit. Every piece I've seen of him is brimming with personality. Rosie has a really wonderful Don Bluthesque style. I love it so much @thedrawingduke's creature has what I can only describe as awkward dad energy. I find him endlessly charming. If you haven't read Fantomstein I highly recommend it, it's a beautiful comic.

[thedrawingduke]

Forgot to post this here but this was when I was in a very creatureverse time of my life in February (?)

Creatures featured (from left to right) @muirin007 ‘s, mine, @rosietealeaves , @dross-the-fish ‘s, and @gauntlettoart ‘s. It goes without saying that the Big Blue Baby belongs to Guillermo del Toro, but alas, I do not know his tumblr dark web account (which I feel in my bones he must have). Had to draw Rosie’s creature in more detail w/ bonus Christine as well.

Siri, play "Creatures of Love" by The Talking Heads

[breebird33]

TFW the pressures of "polite" society are just too much, you run off to the woods to cry and accidentally befriend its lord 🫣🌿💕

I'll finish writing the full short story/novellete someday lol

details of the two:

[thedrawingduke]

up late, straight up wuthering it…and heh and my "it" I mean my heights

This is what happens when I revisit literature of my youth. I get wuthering pilled!!…sigh. Ruefully adding it to my list of things I’d like to do a graphic novel adaptation of :,D

[thedrawingduke]

Was going a little cross eyed while working on the next comic pages so I asked the kind folks on my CF for some distracting sketch ideas and they delivered me from my suffering momentarily. I don’t think I can top Divine Manatee…may be the best thing I’ve ever drawn who knows, folks, may be down hill from here. Also a sneak peek of the page I’ve been toiling on <3

Also I hope y’all are staying safe and warm! I have been snowed in since Friday night and it’s been relatively cozy and peaceful, which I am grateful for.

[thedrawingduke]

I feel like you've done this before, but if you haven't, I recently saw this again, and I feel like it is a must that you put the Daroga and Darius in this.

If I have, I’ve forgotten, so I better be safe than sorry!

I dialed up Mullet settings to 100 for good measure.

[thedrawingduke]

I was wondering if you were okay with people drawing ur designs (with credit, ofc) and what boundaries you might have, if any, for the art?

to be more specific, I'm a really big fan of ur book accurate dracula design <3

Hello! Yeah as long as I’m credited I don’t mind at all if people draw it for their own personal use.

And thank you! Apologies for my delayed response here , thanks for asking!

[thedrawingduke]

Happy belated birthday to @gauntlettoart ! Caleb and Henry are too sweet and I hope they enjoyed their little lad picnic in your honor! I know Henry and Daroga would be good buddies ♥️ Idk it may take 2-3 business weeks for TC to warm up to Caleb, sadly.

[thedrawingduke]

Blorbomaxxing this cold/flu out of my system. Medically sound? Absolutely not. It’s a good time, however.

I really with TC/Erik would do some therapy so stuff like this could be reallll

[thedrawingduke]

A day late and a dollar short for #makeaterriblecomicday2025 ! Which is crazy because that’s all I ever DO! I "finished" my valentines comic epilogue for the occasion. It’s barely legible, I’m so sorry.