Well, Something Killed That Billionaire
Pen and ink wash of mansion staff going about their business, cleaning and answering the phone, while a gesture drawing lays on the couch (dead).

Id and Ego Babble

While concept sketches are a great tool to practice, I need the crutch of stock photos. Yup. I lack the ability to pull something like this from a thought. I mean, budding artists spend a lot of time copying others, right? It's how I get better. Impatience, man. I'm impatient and want to do what I desire now like busting out a fine work of art in one go. That's probably not the reality of how artists operate. Yeah, that's not realistic, especially at this time. Case in point: I scribbled the pillow the gesture's head is supposed to be on because I didn't plan it out. Yay me! Rush rush rush. You know what? I don't hate it. It's messy. It's my mess. Exactly. Mine.

Image Created:

Meta Data

Title

Well, Something Killed That Billionaire

Description

Something amuses me about staff murdering their boss. And, until I can draw that, especially the people part, these concepts will have to do. What was the final straw? Was it an offhand nasty comment? Complete lack of recognizing humanity in another? Was it a team effort and how many people were involved? Do the wealthy with servants ever wonder if their staff wants to kill them? Do they worry?

Image

600x size: Pen and ink wash of mansion staff going about their business, cleaning and answering the phone, while a gesture drawing lays on the couch (dead).

Date

Sunday, November 23, 2025

Modified

Sunday, February 01, 2026

Previous Versions

Five mini concept sketches revolving around a rich person's death in their mansion.

Id and Ego Babble

I learned about small-format concept sketch exercise and tried it out.It's not as fun as jumping right in and creating a masterful piece of shit, is it? No. Maybe I can convince myself that it'll save me time and help my progression by focusing my attention on a composition that might work for my skill level. Patience and practice are boring. And wasting time drawing half-cocked ideas is worse.

Image Created:
A couple of sketches of a cleaning service worker sitting at the table of a dead client. Very, very crude, rough sketches.

Id and Ego Babble

I wanted to create a scene where a chill domestic sips wine at the dinner table in a mansion's dining room next to a slumped over body. And? I don't know how to do it. Yes. And I also don't have a clear picture in my head which is why my sketches are half assed. How fix? To suck less? I know the answer. Don't be obtuse.Practice. And start easier. Blah blah blah. I hate sucking at things.

Image Created:
Inspiration

Well, Something Killed That Billionaire

ABF Newswire: December 25, 2025

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, December 25, 2025 (ABF Newswire) Unexplained circumstances is the leading cause of death for a local billionaire found in his palatial upstate mansion this morning.

Speaking to reporters, the lead detective offered a cryptic and terse statement. "Until we know more about why and how the body was found, we're head down working the case."

The deceased founded a private equity firm that had been on a recent buying spree of local veterinary clinics across the nation. The firm would purchase a clinic, load it with debt from its own acquisition, then cut costs by replacing experienced vets with cheaper recent graduates, reducing appointment times, and upselling unnecessary procedures to grieving pet owners facing end-of-life decisions for their animals. Prices went up. Care went down. The debt stayed. When a clinic became unprofitable, the firm would simply close it and leave a community with one less option for their sick pets, while the partners collected their management fees and moved on to the next acquisition.

Editor's Note: 2025-12-25T16:45: This story will be updated as relevant details become available.

Go Elsewhere>