Sketchbook: Half-Demon Downtime

Pencil on paper

All comic artists want their key shots to be great - dynamic action, heroic protagonists, imposing villains - you get the idea. The artwork for the story's defining moments should make an impact, because those points of high drama sell the story.

From many years of role-playing games, I've learned to appreciate downtime just as much. Some of the best in-character moments I've had occured not at the climax of a major plot point, but in those quiet moments in between, when I had to figure out who my character really was inside when I wasn't rolling the dice. Anyone can roleplay or write a character in a conflict, because it usually involves picking from a few choices. But do you know who your character is when he or she comes home at the end of the day? When nobody's watching?

Dzeriel loves music. As an angel, the only music he heard was live chorus. Music he could take anywhere and listen to any time struck him as the greatest invention in the world, and it contributed significantly to his Fall from grace. If I ask myself at any given point in the story "What's Dzeriel doing right now?", the answer is probably this sketch. Model sheets have to include all the standard front-and-side poses, but sketches like this are just as important in developing Dzeriel as a person, not just an idea.

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