The Red Muscle Chapter 3 WIP 4 (Patreon)

The month is almost up but I've got another set of sketch pages here!

It's time for Edgar to wake up, and his routine is now much less involved than before (which I think sets up against Scarlet well, he's just a bumbling guy that's taking it easy). I wanted Edgar to try to put a better effort into cohabitation with Scarlet and I thought him trying to prepare something for them to eat would be a fun addition. He's not good at it, which makes it more significant when he cooks Scarlet food in chapter 8.

I'm not completely satisfied with what I've laid down with Scarlet's new entrance: I wanted Edgar's vision to be altered and he sees Scarlet as radiant and beautiful when she walks in, and it would contrast with the final panel of her actual sweaty face and her hair stuck to her head. I know I can push the idealized Scarlet to be more obvious that he's seeing her as more charming than in reality, but maybe adding some effects or coloring will have to carry the idea across to the finish line. I thought about Edgar still looking at Scarlet's body when she comes to watch anime right next to him, but I felt like it would work better to show a composition that feels like Scarlet's REALLY close, feeling comfortable with her personal space.

Another important change for long term was to have Edgar wanting to spend more time with Scarlet and get closer but he is still at odds with the moral dilemma of their power dynamic. He won't let himself forget that he's the boss and she's an employee so he has to try to tell himself that spending time together is actually just what he needs to do as a good boss. This line of thinking won't last very long for him though, Scarlet's just got a way of getting into his heart! Hopefully that will feel like it pays off well in the end, it's definitely more than what I had going on before.

That's all for now! I'm thinking about trying to get the ball rolling again on NSFW drawings for next month and maybe some other fun projects but I'll see you all in the next update!