Well, guys, I did it. I actually beat a deadline.
In fact, I was basically done on Sunday the 20th, and just put in a few tweaks and finishing touches over the following few days. Since then, I've been making decent progress on panel 2. All in all, I'm feeling pretty good.
Panel 2 is a mid-shot of the nobleman and his escort, so I can no longer put off their designs. I'm not going back to getting bogged down in model sheets and concept art, though. I'm just going straight to drawing the characters on the page based on the work I've already done, doing any additional research and designing as I go.
As things stand, I basically have the escort/squire guy figured out. There are some details I still need to tighten up, but it's pretty much just a matter of drawing him now. The nobleman, though, is a work in progress. I more or less have the face figured out, but the costume is still completely up in the air.
I'm also becoming re-acquainted with my inability to draw two eyes the same shape, the same size, and pointed in the same direction. Gotta work on that.
Goal for February 2019: Finish pencils for page 1, panel 2.