Queen of the Night Process Work and Illustration!

Here's an ongoing project I've been working on. I'm really loving doing black and white illustrations right now, and finally got around to drawing something from my favorite opera: Die Zauberflote/The Magic Flute, by Mozart.
 

This is the scene in which the deceptive Queen of the Night appears to a wandering Prince Tamino, urging him to rescue her kidnapped daughter Pamina, promising he will be greatly rewarded.

As you can see in my process work, the concept changed a bit as I was working on it. Originally I had more characters involved (the Queen's servants), but then decided they weren't as relevant to the moment in the narrative, so I removed them and I also changed the male protagonist's expression to be more awed and concerned, rather than simply delighted at the sight of the kidnapped princess.

About the Queen's first aria:

In the first part of the aria, the Queen of the Night bemoans Pamina's capture in motherly grief. Just when you think the tragic song is over, the entire mood of the musical piece shifts. She declares that Prince Tamino will be the one to save her daughter in a hopeful and victorious manner. That was the particular moment I wanted to capture. In most productions Tamino has already seen a picture of Princess Pamina, showed to him by the Queen's servants, but I wanted to take a little artistic license with his love at first sight.

One of the things I enjoy so much about the aria is the vast number of interpretations one will find. The queen ranges from sombre, to seductive and confident, charming and bewitching, yet fiendish, to all of the afore mentioned. She really is a dynamic and wonderful character, and her arias are amazingly beautiful.

Here's a link to the aria with English subtitles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZnajWt115g&t=3m35s

for a great visual performance, I recommend Diana Damrau:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov1hRqPnm58