Rethinking...

Here's a quickie coloring in of the artwork I'm fiddling with for LD, just to try out some color schemes. I'm still planning to use pencil for filling it in...but it's missing something. Too much black background makes it too damn stark. I tried laying it over a lodge and that seemed to help...a little. I like how the shower curtain and the shirt turn out, but I'm not crazy about how Daniel looks. It's still too cartoonish and not in a professional way. I'm not sure I can overcome that.

Maybe I need to go totally cartoon, like the cover of A Confederacy of Dunces. Maybe it does call for a photograph instead of artwork. Or maybe I need to completely rethink what I'm doing with it.

I could still do the idea using the head and shoulders of Daniel with the pistol and money still in hand but closer to his face, and then little vignettes of the characters around him, all looking at him with various expressions. Maybe have Gretta grabbing his shirt and Van trying to soothe him and Tad smirking on and such.

Or I could put Ace behind him, in the snow, in his trench coat, looking like he can't believe what's happening...with Carmen on the other side...or Tad...or Van...hmm... Just their upper bodies peeking around from behind Daniel. Their lower bodies would be hidden by the shower curtain. And draw in the house in the background. I found a great one with steps...

Or...I just start from scratch...