Added shadows and highlights to the characters’ flat colors. Also started a little blending (see around Medusa’s eyes and hair).
I realized I haven’t mentioned the origins of this drawing. It’s something I doodled a while back when I first started using brush pens to do the webcomic. I needed something to practice on, so I doodled this with the pen. No penciling first, just straight up pen. I did Medusa first and liked how she came out, but I thought she needed a conspirator in the picture, so I drew Bats to go along with her. That’s how I think of them now, as conspirators, and I will probably title the final piece “The Conspirators.”
Medusa was inspired by a sketch I saw in Ben Caldwell’s book on Fantasy cartooning. Not exactly sure where Bats came from, unless it was Neil Gaiman’s “The Dangerous Alphabet.” My drawing looks nothing like the illustrations Gris Grimley did for that book, but there are things I see in it that do reach back to that story.
BTW, if you can get ahold of a copy of “The Dangerous Alphabet,” do so. It’s warped, twisted, creepy, a bit gorey, and beautifully drawn. Too wonderful not to have. You’ll find it listed under kids’ books.
