I made this illustration based on a place in the book Deerskin, by Robin McKinley. The book explores the healing process from sexual trauma in the framework of a fairy tale. I loved how the elements of healing and femininity were encapsulated within the main character's (Lissar's) experience in an abandoned hunting cabin in the woods during the winter after she ran away from her oppressive life as the King's daughter. It's a heavy theme, but it's stuck with me for years since I first read the book. To me, the process Lissar goes through seems applicable to all kinds of healing for all kinds of trauma. I wanted to capture the beauty in brokenness, the divinity in femininity, the empowerment in finding your own identity, and the process of healing and the rediscovering of one's own body.
Some mockup explorations:
