I drew this image for two reasons. The first reason is that I just bought an uncorrected reader’s proof of “The Black Hand” by Will Thomas and so was able to read this novel before it will be published in July. The second reason is that upon reading the book, I found an assumption of mine regarding Thomas Llewelyn’s appearance was wrong.

(I had always assumed, due to something Cyrus Barker said, that part of the reason he had hired Thomas was because, when he first saw him, Thomas had an unremarkable appearance, perfect for remaining unnoticeable, like when following a subject, for example. But in “The Black Hand,” a character very close to Barker tells Thomas that Barker noticed Thomas’s “dark and moody” expression and pictured him questioning a subject or following a suspect. So, I tried to replicate that in this artwork. Unfortunately, I have a strong feeling I just made him look angry, not moody. Sigh. But, overall, I like the concept of this pic, though details are lost at 72 dpi.)

Another note: You may also notice I included a knife scar on his left cheek near his eye, received in the book courtesy of a Sicilian assassin. Appropriately, I also included a dagger in Thomas’s hand (as well as walking sticks in both their hands).

Characters portrayed are Thomas Llewelyn (left) and Cyrus Barker (right) and are the property of Will Thomas. This is just fanart.

Media used: Initial mechanical pencil sketch, drawn over in Micron pen.