"Arctic Reptiles"

I suppose this panel works anywhere that it gets cold, but the farther north one goes, the pause for basking becomes more and more of a luxury. A brief bath of bliss, a recharging of our mental, physical and spiritual battery amidst another seasonal snap.

Indeed the difference is as obvious as the literal contrast between the two versions of the panel: before and after cutting in some shadows to push the range of values + some directional highlights. I want the viewer's eyes to also echo the "ahhh..." when they visually feel the warm glow.

Normally I am consciously choosing to de-saturate the digital feel and flavor of my colored panels, as has been mentioned many a time here before. But in this case I used the Photoshoppy effect to a singular advantage, as evidenced by a failed attempt to emulate the effect in watercolor, which didn't work and needed an extra boost with my last-minute makeover with markers. 

And here is proof positive of a frequent metaphor of mine: that of a sketchbook being more than a repository of ideas - it's a veritable compost heap of concepts, the mental mulch-pile where kernels of cartoons are incubated, fermented until ready to fertilize more funny ideas. Eventually it'll grow into another, even better variation of the initial seed that was planted back on page whatever. "Aaahhh..."