Couples' Dinner Ruined

Gary and Lexi hit a rough spot in their relationship... again. Hoping to make things better, Gary took Lexi to Esposito's, the Italian restaurant. It's a shame Lexi didn't have the best time!

Another single panel strip, I'm beginning to get the hang of these I think! After Gary's encounter with the elephant (as seen recently on the blog) I decided to write them an aftermath. I had the idea sitting around of someone spelling salt over their dinner so this was a perfect oppurtunity to use it, will Lexi ever get a good day?

While I usually use a base coat of pen ink shaded with pencils, I decided on doing the opposite this time! This means the shading has to be blocked rather than using gradients it's still a beautiful effect and perhaps easier given that pens are hard to find in lighter tones. The only issue with is is that some shadows may be too dark, such as the shadows on the table and this was the case for Gary's skin until I went over it with a second coat of pencil. Additionally I am concerned about John's arm which just looks weird and unpleasantly shaded.

How are you liking this new comic strip format that I'm trying out? It's quite fun and I'm going to try for strips with more than one panel soon. Maybe you've got a funny dinner story worth sharing to the world, see if you can turn it into a comic strip!