I loved the well scene so much that I added Archimedes and used it as a cover. I love the lighting and their curious looks. I’m really happy with how Drexel’s hair looks like it’s being affected by gravity. It’s another opportunity to allude to Drexel and Mira being different. As I drew, I thought of Drexel looking down with an “Oh, jeez” expression, while Mira just smiles and says “cool”
Because it was prose before a webcomic, I have to figure out how to condense multiple paragraphs of explaining time passing into a few panels with visuals.
Also, I figured out what color the sky was. I color picked a picture. It’s more turquoise than I imagined. I mean, can you swivel around a color wheel/square and select the right-ish color?
Drexel’s house’s interior was so hard to draw. First I had to use perspective rulers. Second I had to draw a stupid amount of books. Why? Drexel says it best. “I’m a hermit, what else am going to do?”
Why doesn’t Drexel have a bedroom? I think of him as very practical in that he didn’t need a large space, so why add a bedroom? I also imagined his house like a studio apartment. He’d just fill the bedroom with books instead of bed-related things anyway.
What’s on the shelf of his bookcase? A telescope. Oh, the other thing? I don’t know. Just drew some stuff, thought it looked cool. He should have more magical instruments strewn about, but that requires me inventing them.
Drexel’s hair randomly got longer for a few panels. I might have been excited?
What is he putting away and where? I don’t know. I’m so bad at food in art or writing, so nothing is anime level tasty.
Drexel’s expressions in the last two panels is great. Really, he should comment on how dragons aren’t real, but there’s wasn’t room. The last panel captures the “Seriously, Mira?” look that he wears quite often. I love pairing Mira’s almost sarcastic, excited way of speaking with Drexel’s literal interpretation and deadpan expression.
About those birds… I think it took less time to do Mira’s room than Drexel’s house, but I had gotten used to the tools. I really wish I could better express Mira’s gratitude at the gesture of creating a personalized room. I reveal her history later. There’s also a big contrast in what Mira envisioned a page or two earlier and what she gets. She would have been thrilled with a cot on the floor.
I used reference for this. In part because hands are hard, in part because it’s the ASL sign for bowl. When I was writing, I thought, “Crap, how do I write out the sign for bowl?” When I was drawing I thought, “Crap, how do I show the sign for bowl…in a webcomic that doesn’t move.”
Later they sign for “candle,” which involves a finger wiggle….not sure about that.
Also notice that Drexel is a little excited? about creating Mira’s room and pleased to show her magic. When she asks for him to teach her magic and he answers “I suppose.” I imagine it’s a fake sort of inconvenienced sound. “I suppose I could be troubled, but I’m also really glad you asked.” I gave him a little smirk. It’s a bit subtle. Later Mira tells Archimedes that Drexel likes talking about magic.
Drexel has also been alone, reading about magic for years. While some of it is practical application for himself, some of it is proper pedagogy. What should students learn first, what happens when this goes wrong? It’s something that appears later that he’s good at explaining, correcting, and modeling.
I also imagine that Drexel is very pleased to have someone who doesn’t dislike him for breathing and taking up space.
Mira almost looks smug. I can see her saying it as in, “this was what you said, please clarify” but also “you said I’m too good for that.”
I’m excited for the next segment. Mira seems to know about Drexel and mistakes it for knowing Drexel. It’s the start of really seeing their personalities clash a little.