Happy 4th of July

I'm trying to split my time between working digitally and analog. Both have their advantages. With analog, you don't have the luxury of unlimited undo and redo options. Once you start inking, what you get, is pretty much what you get. Imperfect lines are accepted as they are. Ink washes that bleed the wrong way, too dark or over the line, just become part of the final look. Making and living with mistakes reminds me of why I started sketching again.

Here's a piece that I created for the 4th of July. Since the COVID-19 quarantine has kept everybody from gathering for the traditional fireworks displays across the country, I thought I would pay tribute to that tradition. It wasn't my plan, but you could interpret this as a robot Uncle Sam, lighting a mega firework rocket. There's also no intended commentary on the state of Uncle Sam or the controversy of lighting fireworks during the protests of police brutality during the Black Lives Matter movement. I just wanted to create a simple and innocent representation of life before 2020 - for better or worse.

Process started with a rough thumbnail sketch and a tighter pencil. This time, I decided to do an ink wash, before doing my ink lines. The more I do this, the better understanding I have of lighting and volume. My goal is to continue getting better at that.