Pushing a comic idea to the finish line.

Ever since we got a helper, she takes care of Toby while we focus on our work till 6:30pm. Most of the time, it's my domestic helper that takes him down to the playground in the evenings before dinner, and well...you can read the story.

To say something about this process: This one took some time to finish. Maybe about a year. I had the idea in my head and did a thumbnail. But I couldn't end it in a satisfying way (for myself) so I'd keep tweaking this. I'd forget about it for months, see it again, and tweak it. Then put it away. Recently I found it again and this time, I felt I made it work. I'm glad I finally got myself to complete it. It's good to push a comic idea to the finish line, even if it takes a few tries to get it right. I feel that stories about family is always valuable. Moments like these will be lost forever if I don't capture them. When Toby grows up, he will be able to read this.

Tools: I used a red Steadtler pencil to do my rough sketches. (I heard it's been discontinued. But it erases well) I like the red pencil line. It's not dark, so it's easier to see the difference between a sketch line and the final black inked line. And subconsciously, it also tells me that it's a rough sketch so I don't have to be so uptight about getting it right the first time; I can make changes as many times as I want. I used a Sailor cross emperor fountain pen to do the final inking. And I coloured this digitally, trying to simulate how I'd paint naturally- with an underpainting and then a final paint layer over. I think it helps it look a little closer to natural paint. (I'm still biased toward natural media!)