Start it off with some Flavor

Finally, Alice figures out who she is. Last thing I needed to do for this was to heighten the volume of the caterpillar and throw in the smoke. I'm happy that it didn't take long to do, but thinking it out sure did. Enjoy!

So let's talk shop. I wanted to show Cedar in a seat of power. After all she was invincible at a throat tumor wasn't going to stop her. So there she sits, almost snobbish in attitude, smoking her cigarette and holding her cup. The cup was actually a spittoon she used because her throat was bleeding so much. The wings behind her double as the view the doctor had when he looked down her throat, telling her not to freak out. I used the wings because the whole story had an air of divinity, or of some force from maybe the dark side. It also gives her power because she's in front of what is supposed to be crippling her.
I wanted to be soft with the lighting and color of the piece. By keeping her light and giving that darkness to the wings, it separates them symbolically. They are her wings, but they are also the antagonist in the story. That's also why there is a red tint in the wings and a cooler feel to Cedar.

Candyman is a metaphor for the way we treat eachother sometimes. In a world where everything's a shade of grey...this is the candyman.