Illustration Notes for Episode Twenty-Nine

Happy New Year, everyone! 2020! A year that has loomed large in the popular imagination for so long. Now we’re actually here, and…it looks just like another year… I wonder how 2020 will look in ‘hindsight?’

Oh—and about this week’s episode illustration, yes. :] Well, we’re back in Matt’s tale again, for a while, as he recounts having finally met The Lady in her ‘natural environment.’ I thought about drawing a portrait of The Lady—in all her splendor, and that starry dress. But I’ve already depicted The Lady a few times, and she will certainly be seen again and again as the story unfolds. The other person encountered in this episode—if only very briefly—is Jordan, The Lady’s mute little ‘page.’ You may recall him from the prologue, where he briefly became a ventriloquist’s puppet for whomever really set this whole train of events in motion. I decided that his portrait would be more interesting at this point. ( And, besides, my little nephew—who happens to be the spitting image of Jordan, and whose actual last name happens to be Page—was visiting for the holidays. I had the perfect model right here! So, no-brainer, right? :] )

Of all the portraits I’ve done for TWICE so far, this is the one that most completely matches the character I have always seen in my head. Not to spoil anything for you, but while Jordon’s appearances in this story will mostly be brief, infrequent, and given his muteness, expressively silent, his presence and his role in the tale are NOT small. So many of the largest currents in life turn out to be driven by tiny, unassuming things… :] Few if any of the characters we have met so far are who they seem to be—or even who they think they are.

Below, as always, find an uncropped version of this week’s illustration. Enjoy!