Dearest Readers! I just totalled the funds from $5 sketch week, and it was almost $350.00 --thank you SO MUCH. The Young Man has been unable to find a new position so far (though he's sent in applications to studios in three countries), and while I don't have any new long-term contracts, I've enjoyed the influx of commission work. You've been a huge help to us -- because of you, I was able to make my monthly student loan payment and buy groceries. THANK YOU. For any of you who missed sketch week, I'm thinking about making it a regular thing, and I'm going to look into doing commissions properly in the future. In the meantime, posters and pins are available in the shop!
Congratulations on the funds! I'm sorry I wasn't able to participate as I was intending, but I do intend to nab a poster at your store when I'm able to figure out PayPal.
As for this chapter, I love the dimensions and architecture in this page. It's just lovely. Bravo. Also, Beauty is so wonderful. She's clearly lonely, yet she hasn't broken down sobbing as I imagine many girls would. I can imagine her speaking quietly, maybe shyly or desolately, but there's also an inner strength in her. I just adore her character! Never mind. I just adore this comic in general.
His paws! His silhouette in the chair! Having an artgasm over here, don't mind me.
I also like their dialogue, but since we're getting it a very little bit at a time, I'll want to comment on the scene as a whole later.
So I love this page. The foreshadowing with "The Illiad," the heavy shadows to indicate the mood, the Beast's gentlemanly demeanor, and Beauty confessing that she doesn't want to be alone. The Beast, of course, likely knows that feeling very well - he's probably been (nearly) alone and certainly lonely for at least ten years now. This will definitely strike a chord with him. And the silhouette of the Beast in this one is great.
Oh, this library. And the play of firelight and shadow. And the silhouette of the Beast. (His tail!) I love this.
(And please feel free to ignore this if you wish, but I thought I should at least let you know: The Iliad is spelled with only one "l," not two...unless you're tossing in an allusion to the artist/writer of the webcomic User Friendly. Or the Interlibrary Loan software ILLiad...which would be quite fitting, considering their setting. ;D)
And I'm so glad your sketch week turned out so well!
"You didn't want to be alone...so wait, you came and found me? OH HAPPY DAY! Er, night, I meant night. Because it's dark outside. Yes." But yes, this is kind of a sweet, but also kind of a sad page. Both of them are probably so lonely, so I like that they can find some comfort in being near one another, even if their relationship HAS had a shaky start. The page definitely gives a sense of the space around them and how very alone they are in it. The inclusion of "The Iliad" is also a nice touch.
Now that my imagination is on hyperdrive after the last page, I keep thinking that maybe, the bottom panel being shown through the perspective of being on the balcony is actually an indication that someone is watching them? Probably a stretch, but now I wonder. There's so much delicious mystery here!
