A Cephalopodic Situation

Done as an assignment for a Sequential Art Productions Class. Ok, so technically, just the drawing was done for the class. I needed a break from schoolwork today...and so I accomplished that break by doing further work on a school project...brilliant I know.

So the assignment was to create a crime scene photo. A homicide specifically.

Fun story, here in Savannah Georgia, there are these awesome, old brick streets. Sometimes when you walk over them you can see where the tree's are literally pushing the bricks up out of the ground as their roots grow. I pass them all the time with a shudder, I can't help but imagine someone getting really pissed off at someone else in public, and then in a fit of rage picking one of these suckers up and bludgeoning someone to death with it.

So when we were given the assignment of a homicide drawing I created this elaborate narrative in my head about a murder via brick. Brilliant! No one has ever been killed by a brick before! My, but I am certain no man has ever gazed upon that blunt, heavy object and thought to use it to harm his fellow man.

...and then my teacher pointed out that killing someone with a brick is kind of cliche. Pwned.

Anyway, I came up with a list of things that would actually make weird murder weapons. Octopus took the cake. (And I enjoy drawing octopi.)

This is the drawing that earned me the official nickname of "The Octopus Lady".

So yeah, I know there are some big problems with this. I can see them even now, anatomy, perspective, modeling, etc.. But I'm also reaching this point in my artistic life where I am trying to learn which projects are things I need to be a creepy little obsessive nit-picker about, and which I just need to get finished. At least as far as the photoshopping goes, I just had to put the pen down on this one. Maybe I'll revisit it some day, but I'm learning more and more how important it is to both sit down and make art, and also to leave art alone. If nothing else, I am proud that I actually made a large composition with multiple stacked figures in it. Even if it isn't entirely correct. This isn't something I usually do, but which I needed to learn how to.


Ummm, what else...This is set in 1910 America. I'm not sure where exactly, but it's likely in the south as that's Spanish Moss on the trees. The murderer is actually in the scene, but I won't tell you where...what else... I had SO much fun coming up with the people in the crowd there.

Mechanical Pencil and Photoshop.

This drawing and idea belongs to me, no stealing.