Arthur in the Kitchen

Inception . Arthur + Ariadne . Pencil, Photoshop CS2

Notes: I think this is my most successful attempt as far as getting Ariadne's features right. For some reason I tend to draw Arthur from the back. His profile is hot, I guess.

I may have to go back and fix Arthur's gaze. Can't tell if he's quite looking directly at Ariadne like I intended.

I also scanned this with my iPhone, because I'm that lazy. As a result, the darkness of the pencil lines is rather uneven. Meh. A coffee stain texture was added in Photoshop.

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She wakes up to the smell of coffee and something baking in her kitchen. Groggily, she walks out of her bedroom to find Arthur with his brown poplin shirt sleeves rolled, a snowy white chef's apron protecting his brown worsted wool pants (did she even own a chef's apron?) bustling about in her kitchen. There are two cups of espresso waiting, steaming. Milk in one of those saucer pouring thingies, and sugar in a sugar bowl. There are sprigs of lavender in a plain white vase next to them.

"Morning," Arthur says breezily. "Coffee is ready, don't let it get cold," he adds over his shoulder as puts on oven mitts. As if him making breakfast in her apartment was a daily occurrence.

Ariadne stays rooted where she is, wondering if it's a dream.

—Excerpt: "All That We Keep (Part II)" by namistai8