Cleaner

I have a sketchy, almost messy style, no doubt. While some see that as part of my work's look, I strive for a cleaner, refined finished product. So when I saw the work of illustrator Carlos Aponte at the illustration session two weeks ago(and later online), I was struck by how neat his linework is. Even Stephane Manél, with his soft strokes, boils things down to a clean outline. Maybe that's why some of my favorite artists are all so neat - Nagel, Manel, Paul Smith - I want that control and clean look. I find I can do it then revert back, leaving in the scratchiness that I use to seek out the form of each drawing, sometimes feeling that those self-same strokes add essential fluidity and movement, as often, I think that when I clean out my illustrations to be super tight, they look stiff. But I've developed a style in my head that may move me forward in that direction, and this is a sample. I would still clean out the outlines more, but there may be a few spots where I can leave my natural strokes (specifically the hair). This is only the start of it, as I will likely refine the colors and shading some more, but I do like the outcome so far. It kinda doesn't look like my own work. Maybe that's why I like it? Oof, talk about self-deprecation. Well, I suppose I'll just have to make this pseudo comic book / Gruau style my own...