Daniel Strachan

‘The Laughing Academy’ is a character focused artbook which aims to explore how the themes found in lovecraftian horror can be translated into visual illustrations. The theme of the artbook is centred around a dark gothic laboratory. Each wing is based upon a different school of science, such as botany, geology or astronomy, but taken in a more sinister direction. The visual motifs for each of the designs take inspiration from its own set of fears and phobias, giving each of the four schools their own distinct aesthetic. The narrative of the artbook is centred around four groups of scientists making a Faustian deal (for knowledge, vanity, greed or power) with an eldritch being, who are in turn using them for their own horrific purposes.