A long overdue (yup, I’m finally getting through them!) ‘joint’ commission for fellow Sweeney Todd appreciators Jil (Westie Chick) and Tau (Captain Jack).

Normally, I wouldn’t undertake a commission of this nature, but, as it sounded like it was going to be oh so much fun to work on, I thought ‘what the heck?’ and went full steam ahead. Both Jil and Tau are planning to cosplay as Burton’s Todd and Lovett, and Jil is quite the fan of the original Broadway production. As such, they requested that their characters have a mixture of influences evident in their overall look.

So, this is partly Sondheim, partly Burton. Jil has the Lansbury apron & buns but also the Helena low neckline and gloves. Tau has Depp's waistcoat, streak and gloves, but also Cariou's barber coat (the long trailing one) and razor. It felt pretty strange to be working on something like this, when I’m trying to develop my own version of the Sweeney Todd character, but the challenge was a good one and I sure hope they like it! Jil, Tau… have some awesome sauce! :D

(Artwork © Leona Preston 2008 / Characters are © Jill Murdoch & Nick Huber / Inspired by the Sweeney Todd Broadway production / motion picture © S. Sondheim & Tim Burton respectively).