Daily Life was a piece made for Kathleen O'Connell's "mask" project, but I used it as an opportunity to show a glimpse into the city I have been building for my Wake project. 

First and foremost, the game these children are playing is a variation of tag in which the designated tagger wears a mask which partially blinds them, leaving them to rely more heavily on sound to hunt down their prey. In order to "catch" their friends, the child with the mask will slap their friends with the tongue, while each of the friends is trying to sneak around the designated "monster" and attach clothespins to the nose of the mask.

The monster the mask is based on is a creature used later in the story, mutated from a star nosed mole, they are blind and rely mostly on scent to hunt down prey. Even though they mutated from star nosed moles, they are carnivorous and hunt similarly to chameleons, using their tongues to grab prey.

The beast which the cart is drawn by was intended to be a combination of a centipede and a horse, but by the time I was done with sketching, it transformed into an entire species based on Sleipnir. 

The shepherd is a teenager with the role of playing babysitter for the goats and occasional sheep of the town. Spread around throughout the city, they make their rounds, picking up livestock, taking them around the city to grazing areas and watering holes alike, then back home at the end of the day. There are a few for different parts of the city, and if one needs a day off, the others will expand their route to cover for them.

As his legend tells, the Shepherd travelled with a pack of wolves, defending the city from gigantic beasts, which were ancestor to those now known as sheep. Their efforts in defending the city allowed for the titanic monsters to be eliminated. Those who remained were only those small, stupid, or weak enough to be captured. From that point on, more shepherds across the land took in these once-monsters to their packs. At first it was to keep tabs on the beasts whereabouts, but then the villagers learned to spin their wool, and it became a source of income to not kill the sheep, but to shear them. Through selective breeding, shepherds mutated the beasts into much less dangerous creatures, and when it became more common for families across the city to own their own livestock, the shepherd's role became to watch over them in a different way, yet.

Although shepherds may have wolves, in this alternate world, it was less canines owned as pets, and moreso badgers. This one is this girl's pet, but across the city, you'll see them most common as service badgers. My favorite one to draw is a large European Badger who assists a spunky little old woman. He wears a saddle on his back that's intended for Matilda to ride on, or at least hold onto as she climbs the many stairs of the city. Henry, the badger, is constantly trying to offer assistance, but she is constantly trying to remain independent of any help offered.

Last but not least, here's a little cameo of Lev and Tweets sitting in the café.