Sketch: new england autumn (Patreon)

Doing something real different this month! Taking a break from all the recurring characters and storylines and gonna work on a standalone piece that'll be a bit different from my other work, with no narrative at all. This scene is inspired by a conversation I had with a close friend of mine who lives up in rural New Hampshire. He was describing to me how his wife ignores him sexually, how he's a bit of a punching bag for his family, and how he's starved for male companionship and recognition. I think there are men in this situation all over the place around there, and it made me really want to create a scene that centers a dude trapped and devalued like that, and gives him a spotlight on all those things: his masculinity, eroticism, sexuality, and power. My goal will be to present this in a way that makes that statement without any campiness or irony, and doesn't feel like a cheesy advertisement or something. I've already ditched a ton of sketched out ideas that felt like they were heading that direction, or didn't capture the idea of focusing and centering this guy properly. This is a weird one for me you guys! I struggle to even put my motivation for this into words. Hopefully that didn't read too clumsy. I included two potential lighting setups here - one more late afternoon autumn with blustery clouds, and another at dusk during the blue hour with flat moody lighting. Which is your favorite? Which supports what I'm going for here better? 🥬