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Description
"How does it feel, my boy, to be this powerful?"

An image I've had in my mind for a long time, of Stalin and Ivan, with Ivan being just a tiny bit uneasy at the beginning of the changes his boss was bringing about...

Not necessarily accurateaccurate in terms of clothes/whatever; they're trying to restrain Ukraine in the doorway over there, representing the resistance of the Kulaks (wealthy landowners) to Stalin's policy of collectivization. Most of them just got dragged off to gulags or other such unfortunate places despite their efforts. Also I put the Baltic nations in because I needed people to fill up the space, although when I looked it up the Dekulakization started in 1930, in which the Baltics were still independent. Oh well. They still must have felt some pressure, being so close to Russia and all...let's just say in the pic they're just being what they look like; bystanders. Very nervous looking bystanders. (They know they're next, maybe!) Liet is comforting Latvia on the side.

I haven't tried doing an all-pencil drawing in forever, and even before I upped the contrast and levels and photoshop and turned it sepia, it looked pretty cool. Tried using layer masks for the first time, made the lighting even more dramatic than it was. I was at first intending to color or tone it, but I think the lines look fine by themselves Hope you enjoy, comments and crits are very greatly appreciated!

Description
"How does it feel, my boy, to be this powerful?"

An image I've had in my mind for a long time, of Stalin and Ivan, with Ivan being just a tiny bit uneasy at the beginning of the changes his boss was bringing about...

Not necessarily accurateaccurate in terms of clothes/whatever; they're trying to restrain Ukraine in the doorway over there, representing the resistance of the Kulaks (wealthy landowners) to Stalin's policy of collectivization. Most of them just got dragged off to gulags or other such unfortunate places despite their efforts. Also I put the Baltic nations in because I needed people to fill up the space, although when I looked it up the Dekulakization started in 1930, in which the Baltics were still independent. Oh well. They still must have felt some pressure, being so close to Russia and all...let's just say in the pic they're just being what they look like; bystanders. Very nervous looking bystanders. (They know they're next, maybe!) Liet is comforting Latvia on the side.

I haven't tried doing an all-pencil drawing in forever, and even before I upped the contrast and levels and photoshop and turned it sepia, it looked pretty cool. Tried using layer masks for the first time, made the lighting even more dramatic than it was. I was at first intending to color or tone it, but I think the lines look fine by themselves Hope you enjoy, comments and crits are very greatly appreciated!