Sketches vs. Book Ideas vs. The Web and Intellectual Property

I can't help but think of artistic projects in terms of larger, sweeping projects that encompass books or multimedia elements, and thus requiring a web presence.  All I need is a crazy idea in my head and a couple thumbnail sketches, and I am racing to a domain name register website to see if there is an address available for that project (also a Twitter handle).  Electronic distribution is kind of inevitable at this point and electronic and social media advertisement and promotion have already become necessities, but I admit that I am too quick to see a project as a large enterprise instead of diligently focusing on a sketch as simply that, a sketch.

First draft, pencil on watercolor paper.

Take my sketch example.  I tweeted a draft last night (above). The idea in my head was a monster of sorts wearing overalls, kind of like a farmer.  Thus, I thought MONSTER FARM.  What is it?  Maybe a farm, tucked away in big state like Kansas (hmmm, think also of Wizard of Oz) where monsters get relocated so they can be safe from humans and live out a tranquil existence?  I don't know, but I liked the idea, so I sketched it.  To bad the domain monsterfarm.com is already taken.

Where did this idea come from? And where is it going?

The idea for this sketch, the pose of the subject and the use of pencils is definitely influenced by works like Grant Wood's American Gothic (1930).  I like the kind of blank stare straight ahead, which makes me think of the subject not understanding or appreciating the artistic endeavor or perhaps thinking of much more important things (like bringing in the crops and surviving).

At the Art Institute of Chicago

But also the black and white photography of Dorothea Lange.  Again, in the Dust Bowl, there is photography that shows people surviving.

 As well as the interesting Victorian Era photograph monster art of Travis Louie, which is pretty brilliant stuff.  So, again, it's like black and white or sepia toned photography, a period piece, and the integration of monsters.

So, although I would love to buckle down and do a series of "Monster Farm" images, at the same time I have a harder time getting behind such a focus if I do not have a larger project in mind or at my disposal.  Is it too derivative of others' work?  Should I care?  Do I want to do a series of sketches to do as prints or just for my own amusement?

So, I am looking for some input.  Am I too caught up in making even just a minor sketch into a marketable product for the web?  Is this idea worth following up with?  Or should I not care about web presence and marketing and focus on making good, finished sketches?

Most recent scanned version in grayscale and sepia.