Artwork Wednesday: Shadow

The last couple of weeks have been just this side of overwhelming.  In the process of preparing for shipping I've also moved into a new place and regained a roommate; all that brings along its own stressors.  Oftentimes I feel like I'm onstage, or under the scrutiny of everyone.  Granted, I somewhat put myself out there sometimes, but more than once I've concluded that I am essentially a glutton for punishment - in that regard, sometimes I think I should've joined the Marines.

Today's drawing is from a few years ago.  It's called "Shadow" - story after the jump.

This was inspired by the character Shadow from Neil Gaiman's American Gods.  Basically, there's this guy who's on a quest at the behest of the gods and I think there's a line in there, or something to the effect of: "all the gods were watching Shadow" because their fates would depend on the result of his quest.  At the time, as I somewhat do now, I felt as though everyone's eyes were on me - not because their fates depended on me, but just to see what I would do - would I succeed in my endeavors or would I fail?

Below is the original pencil drawing.

I think I prefer the simplicity of the pencil drawing, but I like the darkness of the photoshopped version.