"Candy Dish" Collaboration

    Above is a snapshot of a corner of the supply desk in my office, not terribly clean, but nowhere near as messy as it gets every couple weeks, somewhat similar to the ebb and flow of the tides. Note there's still another couple levels to this compost-heap o' stuff with another shelf up out of frame, which occasionally cascades down over the accumulated detritus, burying it in the fashion of a glacier comprised of artwork and paperwork. Here I'll call attention to the two candy dishes in the foreground, which are the literal focus of the composition, and of this portion of the post. It's been over eight years since I last had a cigarette or sugar, but I still like to live a little vicariously through the sweet tooth of others. So it has long been a habit to have some treats on the table for folks stopping by on their way to class - that and dutifully grinding a fresh-brewed pot of coffee for all comers as well. So a rotating bowl or two of a staple such as M&M's (like the peanut ones pictured here) and/or some gourmet confections (some sort of pecan nougat) from a Costco trip will typically be on the menu. Mind you, nothing near the quality of some of the classic confectionery creations still being made.
    Then one day before a drawing class where we were all gonna do a collaborative page but I had to step into the breech and take the place of an absentee, so whipped up a script that condensed a concept that had been simmering away in the proverbial back-burner in the cavernous mental kitchen. The shortened version encapsulated an idea (oftentimes the very point of that aspect of this exercise; distillation as a crucial part of editing) I'd been mulling over about a recently resurfaced childhood memory. Sometimes stopping and looking at patterns of behavior will unearth deeply rooted reasons, and unconsciously reveal recurring reenactments of these emotionally historical events - both good and bad. Rich fodder for exploring through art, and even richer inspiration when put on the spot for a comic.
    Lastly it's a crowning accomplishment in this favorite classroom experimentation when the other three phases (penciling > inking > value/color) were each randomly carried out by outstanding and exemplary students, each with impressive skills in their own right. Put another way, the amalgamation of each respective talent resulted in a completely unexpectedly amazing page. In short, I have absolutely no desire in any way to wish for any artistic alteration nor see any need for correction, and so consider the idea fully realized. As in, better than anything I could have come up with on my own, and such is the potential beauty behind collaborative efforts like this page.