The Man with the Twisted Lip

This illustration was inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "The Man with the Twisted Lip", which was later included in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of twelve short stories. I was particularly inspired by the mood and atmosphere described in the first few pages of the story, where Watson visits a seedy opium den in London looking for a friend, and among the gloomy figures lying around he encounters Sherlock Holmes working on a case. This illustration was inspired by the following passage: "As I passed the tall man who sat by the brazier I felt a sudden pluck at my skirt..."