Shards

Hey everybody!
Here it is, the finished FCFS-prize for Jacey Boy, who wanted to have this lovely little scene, inspired by a real-life incident from their childhood!

This was one of those projects that just fly by automatically, I really didn't feel like I'm “working” at all.
Everything just came together without any issues, I kept making great progress every day without stress, and the result is super satisfying!
Very proud of the background, the colours, the composition, and basically everything else. One of the rare pieces where I honestly wouldn't change all too much if I had to draw it again right now :D

The basic concept here was to have Ben in a scenario where he had shattered a vase, and is being yelled at by an employee, with Anthrodad coming to the rescue and comforting the shocked human.
Now I had thought about actually going for a more intimidating pose for the big bear at first, but something about that simply didn't feel right.
Employees are never supposed to be “angry”, because they don't want to scare off customers, and I also didn't want to depict a character that's just blatantly offensive.
So I asked myself what the reason for a more aggressive attitude could be, and eventually came up with that sign in the near background.

If an object breaks as an accident, that's no real issue.
But if it happens out of a lack of attention on behalf of the parent, it's a different story.
The bear has probably had to point out this sign, and clean up broken stuff, a dozen times already, and it's getting on his nerves, so him adapting a somewhat louder voice and more serious demeanor feels relatable.
Of course, I also made the sign intentionally small, in order to convey the idea that it is really easy to miss, preserving a somewhat neutral position in the matter.
Furthermore, I added a stroller in the back, implying that, potentially, Ben has managed to sneak out of it, straight into some trouble, so there's really quite a bit of room for interpretation.

Fortunately Shepdad is a good negotiator and is handling the situation rather well, managing to console not only his human, who seems somewhat overwhelmed by the whole thing, but also the slightly annoyed bearman.

Some shards aren't the end of the world, he'll pay for the vase, and he promises to keep the leash/harness on in the future. Happy End :)

Phew.

This concludes the month, and I can not express the amount of gratitude for all the support you guys have given me recently!
We are currently on exactly 90 patrons, so, chances are we MIGHT have a celebratory Keyword scramble next month for reaching this great number, which would be an amazing opportunity to get a lovely Christmas-themed piece done! Excitement :O

Naturally I also have a BUNCH of sketches ready to be transformed into full pieces, so there's certainly no lack of projects eitherway, one in particular that I can almost GUARANTEE will become some people's new favourite on here x3

Alrighty then!
I hope everyone has a good transition into the final month of the year, and I am very much looking forward to seeing you all around!
And big congratulations to Jacey Boy again, for winning the FCFS-contest! :D

Take care, and thank you all very very much <3 <3 <3 <3