Drool#

The idea came from an inktober 2022 prompt: dream. I had this classic idea of being hunted by a beast in your sleep, which is shown in the initial sketches:

Two very rough drawings side to side. The difference with the finished piece was that the person was laying on the ground, the cat was more like a black dog, and the little skeletons were marching in line at the bottom of the page. figcaption — The rough sketch and ink test. | Full size

I didn't thought about it at the time, but the inspiration was probably The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli:

The Nightmare is a 1781 oil painting by the Swiss artist Henry Fuseli. It shows a woman with her arms thrown below her, in deep sleep as she undergoes a nightmare as an almost hidden horse looks on as a demonic and ape-like incubus crouches on her chest. figcaption — Wikipedia page | Full size

But after that, I thought it was too nightmarish, and decided to replace the "beast" with a cat (the inspiration was a Devon Rex). I also re-framed everything into the page.

The paper drawing for the final piece. figcaption — The final sketch. | Full size

As for the inking, it was done with a chinese type brush and black ink.

I had a lot of fun doing this piece, which encouraged me to continue with the same theme later.