Shippers

Well, this has certainly been a long time coming!

BACKSTORY:

Several years back, I was flipping through my copy of "A Bug's Life: The Making of an Epic of Miniature Proportions" when I noticed something odd. The render of Slim, Francis, and Heimlich behind a leaf was clearly inspired by a piece of concept art by Tia Kratter, but instead of smiling, Heimlich was worried, Slim seemed annoyed, and Francis looked downright pissed (The work in question is on page 32 - I can't find it online, and copyright restrictions prevent me from uploading it to deviantART). While the explanation for this change is probably that promo art with characters smiling is more versatile for merchandising, I always wondered if Kratter's painting had a specific scenario in mind that was cut in the writing process.

Flash forward to January 2011 (yeah, I'm REALLY slow), when I was thoroughly enjoying season three of Castle. During the episode pair "Setup" and "Countdown," there were a lot moments designed to drive Casket shippers crazy, and after awhile even I noticed that my cries of "JUST KISS ALREADY!" were obnoxiously loud.

Shortly after the episode ended, I finally had an explanation for the art change: Slim, Francis, and Heimlich were frustrated Flik and Atta shippers! I liked the idea too much not to draw it.

In case it's not clear, this is meant to take place shortly before the banquet for the Bird. Heimlich's "Lieber gott" is basically the German equivalent of, "Dear God." Pages 1 and 2 were completed prior to my hand surgery, while page three was roughly sketched but not inked or colored until after my drawing hand had recovered.

I've been experimenting with a simpler coloring style, so hopefully I won't go a year between ABL posts again. The method of shading I've been using is just too slow for anything with multiple panels, though I'll probably continue to use it on single images like "Visiting Hours," etc.

Lettering fonts courtesy of blambot.com [link]

Compare to:
Page 1 line art:[link]
Page 2 line art:[link]
Page 3 line art:[link]
Sketch set 1:[link]
Sketch set 2:[link]