This is kind of a mood piece—something I sketched while eating dinner, and wishing it was a bit colder outside. First off, I wanted to play with a low wide-angle view and two-point perspective. A lot of artists like to cram-in as much detail as they can, as if they’re being paid by the brushstroke. I rather enjoy filling a lot of dark negative space. That way the attention is brought to the subject first. Kind of the same way you frame a movie shot—the main subject (person, place or thing) should stand out and not blend into everything else, unless that is the desired effect. The coloring let me try some new techniques in lighting. In addition to the two lanterns, there are some lights coming in through the background fog, which all illuminate the character. The snow was fun, too, especially the close-up “blurry” flakes. This took me one evening to do—comic book illustrators pump out twenty-five pages in a half-month. That amazes me.

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