This self-commissioned illustration was inspired by an interview in issue 103 of Replika, the LGBTQIA magazine published in Poland. Two men, once a couple, spoke about their past with striking openness — their vulnerabilities, their psychological scars, the painful memories they still carried. What moved me most was an image from their own words: that they had protected each other's emotional wellbeing like two people holding a symbolic umbrella. That metaphor of shelter and care became my illustration — the brick-red umbrella as the one point of warmth against the grey.
Stories like this one are why I draw. If you have one that needs illustrating, get in touch about commissions — or join me free on Patreon, where I'm developing short sci-fi comics with the same heart.
