This one was originally a leftover sketch from a previous piece about a homeless man and his dog. So now it's a companion piece to that one.
This time, I wanted to really zoom in and show other people's expressions and how they may affect the main character and his dog. Also, the main character is based on a guy I've seen once or twice down on the subway carrying his dog in a backpack. I just remember thinking that was amazing.With such a strong mental image, sketching was fairly easy. I just wanted to try out the different compositions I had in mind.
I went with the first sketch, which I think was the most dynamic composition and most focused. Going into a revised sketch with some great reference photos in tow, I toned down the size of the background and re-ordered the other figures. 
Next, I blew up the drawing 200% and transferred it over to the watercolor paper. The paper, Arches 140 lb. cold press, was one I hadn't used before. I loved the weight and tooth of the paper and the texture it creates with ink. However, that makes for some potential serious smudging.
The inking took a bit longer than normal, but mostly because I wanted to get all of the details right, from the zipper on the jacket to the bricks in the background. I had a pretty solid idea of the color palette from the beginning, so coloring was fairly easy. Although, the secondary characters were originally going to be a blue-green until I realized how monochromatic the piece would be. Red looked great against the greens and browns and I'm very, very happy with how the piece turned out.
In other news, The Continuing Adventures of Jim Cookie: Space Explorer is wrapping up. Look for the premiere on Friday! In the meantime, watch the teaser trailer:
--CKL--
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