The Phantom of the Opera (also known as Erik) -- perhaps my favourite character of all time, but I think Elphaba just beats him.

Anyway, I based this illustration on the Phantom’s description in the original novel, Le Fantôme de L’Opéra by Gaston Leroux. Unlike the handsome actors who have played Erik in the many Andrew Lloyd Webber productions, the original Phantom looked like a corpse from head to foot, not just on half of his face. It is also said that he was abnormally tall, had very long fingers, eyes that glow red in the dark and no nose.

Another thing, the notes you can see on Erik’s cummerbund form part of the Dies Irae, a piece of music for which he has great respect (in the book, this hymn appears on the walls of his lair). Erik’s own magnum opus, Don Juan Triumphant, is lying at his feet.

I know this portrayal is a bit cartoony. I have a friend who’s a great fan of Erik and didn’t like this painting all that much. I started a more realistic version, but stopped after a while. I like cartoony better.