Original DA Upload Date: April 19, 2020
After Albaneigh County opens back up following a disease outbreak, the Oddball Tetrad goes to Wendy’s sister’s spa and salon for much-needed haircuts. Gilda, however, as a lover of all things 80s, loves how big her hair has gotten, and wants to keep it that way.
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A piece referencing the COVID-19 pandemic with Grunvale, was something I debated with myself for a while whether or not I should do. And originally, my plan was, if I was going to do it, it’d have a more serious tone. I thought about depicting Gilda and Wendy consoling each other after xenophobic attacks against them, or Gilda standing up for Randy as Harper blames him for causing diseases. But then I thought about the South Park episode, Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants, and how critically acclaimed it is for addressing the aftermath of 9/11 in a respectful but humorous way. And I decided that, since Grunvale is a series with a humorous tone, that’d be the best way for it to address the pandemic and its effects.
One of the most notable effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had, has been the closure of ‘non-essential’ businesses, or businesses that aren’t responsible for keeping society running. Among those ‘non-essential’ businesses, are hair salons. Which has led to many people wondering what to do about haircuts. Some people have gone the DIY route (with… mixed results), while others have just decided to grow out their hair. The latter of which, as you can see here, the Oddball Tetrad decided to do.
Gilda’s pretty self-explanatory. She’s got a big, 80s-style ‘do going, and she loves it. So let’s just go to the rest.
Apparently, Margo’s hair when grown out, looks like what I can best describe as a mix between Farrah Fawcett, Joe Cocker, and an unholy case of bedhead. Considering her grandfather Angus became famous during the 1970s, I imagine he got a big kick out of seeing her with the hairstyle. Heheh.
Drawing April was my favorite part of this. She usually wears her hair neatly and just past her shoulders, so depicting her with long, messy hair that’s so out-of-character for her, was so much fun. She’s even started growing the Greg Heffley-esque triple hairs that Margo’s usually depicted with. XD
And, of course, there’s Wendy. Because this piece is obviously set after an extended lockdown, I knew I had to depict her, not just with overgrown hair, but with her hair dye fading and revealing her natural blonde. I used a spotty brush and applied it to the ends of her hair, while leaving the rest completely blonde to show that she hasn’t had it dyed since the start of the lockdown. There is still room for improvement on that aspect, but the overgrown hairstyle itself that she has here, reminds me of Fluttershy. Yay!
Finally, I expanded upon my recent decision to use subtitles instead of speech bubbles here, as I promised before, color-coding them to indicate which character is talking. You can figure it out here.
And that’s all for this one. Stay safe, all.
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Grunvale is owned by me. You’re free to draw fanart of it yourself, as long as you credit me.
This artwork was made at 4K resolution, in 2.35:1.
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