Hey, sometimes you gotta write before you can draw. I’ve been toying with varying ideas with the same theme, but I think it’s finally starting to come into focus.

Couldn’t sleep, so I caught up with an old friend.

In my improv class it’s rare to hear a recited joke, but one of my classmates felt it was relevant to the conversation:

Why did the elephant paint his toenails?

Because he was hiding in the rose bushes.

Cue 10 minutes of banter about elephants and toenails. Improv is a lot of fun.

Here’s two sketches from last night’s brainstorming session. I was thinking of displaying  most New Yorkers, from the protagonist’s perspective, as shrouded in shadow. Conversely, the little connections he makes, like helping a tourist, are as clear as day.

I kinda like the idea, but I fear that the dark vs. light thing will seem to imply that the character is morose. What I’m really trying to express is turning inward vs. turning outward. It’s possible to be happy but inward-gazing. I just need to find a way to visualize the difference between shutting people out and letting people in.

But hey, at least they’re ideas! That’s the real value of this class, is that it locks me in a room and forces me to be creative for a few hours. I just need to find a way to do that more than once a week.