Wanna hear the story that inspired this image? Well, give us a couple months and by then you should be able to pick up an e-copy of Mary Mary Quite: On Training Up a Child and Other Mind-Altering Substances. This has been a great project so far, and if people enjoy the stories half as much as I've enjoyed illustrating them, then it should be quite a fun read.
I also love seeing an idea progress from humble concept sketches to a polished, completed piece of art. It's fun to observe all the little changes and minor tweaks that occur between sketch and finish. For example, my original sketch for this image had the figures in the background as appearing far too small. So for the next stage of my process, I made them bigger, also adding a simple background. Then, after a quick color sketch in Photoshop, I realized while I was painting that the kid with the mohawk looked way too old -- I was aiming for roughly 8 to 11 years old, but he seemed more like a teenager. So I made his chin smaller and got rid of that Adam's apple and it worked, or at least I think it worked. What do you think? Is it "mission accomplished?" Or do I have another fun afternoon in Photoshop ahead of me before I can call this piece a wrap?
