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The crazy continues after the break.
Showing posts with label Stray Flights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stray Flights. Show all posts
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Stray Flights #1: Desiccate, Page 8
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And we have arrived at the final page! Can you believe it? Now, a good editor would no doubt tell me that this page is unnecessary as well, but here it is nonetheless. I couldn't help myself, I wanted some kind of capping image for the little story, and the Pierre Loti quote just really served to bring home the message of madness inside Paul.
The crazy continues after the break.
The crazy continues after the break.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Stray Flights #1: Desiccate, Page 7
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Shock! Gasp! And Reveal! Turns out things aren't as they seem for ol' Paul. Yes, this is shaping up to be stealth advertising for a filter product that doesn't exist. By the by, can you believe there's only one page of 'Desiccate' left? IN TWO WEEKS there will be a brand new Stray Flight debuting in this spot!
Continued after the break.
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Continued after the break.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Stray Flights #1: Desiccate, Page 6
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There are trees down all around the outside of the house but the threat of the innocuous sounding Hurricane Irene is over. I almost (SERIOUSLY almost) ran my car into a downed tree on the highway last night. Scary stuff. To all of you more closely affected by the Hurricane, here's hoping you're all alright.
BUT, I survived and I'm bringing you, my friends, page 6 of 'Desiccate' wherein our hero is at the edge of a surprise. You can probably guess where this is going from here. I think the textures turned out great on this page. There's not quite enough expression in the protagonist's face there in the last panel, but our sound effect text is willing to shoulder some of the dramatic burden.
You can see I'm still experimenting with 'camera' placement when making graphic novels and stories. There's no real reason to have the first panel pulled back so far. In fact, this page went through a lot of revision in the thumbnail state. I originally had it at six panels, zooming into Peter's face over a much longer period of time, but, we're striving for punchiness here. Three panels seemed to do the trick better and with more kick. Turn the page next Sunday for 'the BIG reveal!' (HINT: Train your sharp eyes on the background of the last panel.)
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Stray Flights #1: Desiccate, Page 5
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Ah, succor at last. Water, safety. Scott's gonna take care of everything. If I may permit myself to be a bit critical of...myself, given the whole scheme of 'Desiccate,' which you will see is only eight pages, this page is almost unnecessary. A good editor would probably come along and tell me to cut it right out to make the tale a spot punchier. And really, I'm inclined to agree, though I'm still partial to the various 'camera' angles showing us a bit more of the gas station. It is COMPLETELY arbitrary that I stuck an angle outside in the second panel though. Experimentation, that's what it's all about!
One thing to point out. The case with the drinks is the first time I ever tried out what are called 'color holds.' A color hold is when the actual inking (the black) is replaced with a color, in this case a sort of blue in an attempt to show bottles behind cool glass. I felt it was reasonably successful for a first go at it. Thoughts?
Oh wait, you know, I just realized, everything behind the gas station windows are holds too. Okay, new game, spot the holds.
Ah, succor at last. Water, safety. Scott's gonna take care of everything. If I may permit myself to be a bit critical of...myself, given the whole scheme of 'Desiccate,' which you will see is only eight pages, this page is almost unnecessary. A good editor would probably come along and tell me to cut it right out to make the tale a spot punchier. And really, I'm inclined to agree, though I'm still partial to the various 'camera' angles showing us a bit more of the gas station. It is COMPLETELY arbitrary that I stuck an angle outside in the second panel though. Experimentation, that's what it's all about!
One thing to point out. The case with the drinks is the first time I ever tried out what are called 'color holds.' A color hold is when the actual inking (the black) is replaced with a color, in this case a sort of blue in an attempt to show bottles behind cool glass. I felt it was reasonably successful for a first go at it. Thoughts?
Oh wait, you know, I just realized, everything behind the gas station windows are holds too. Okay, new game, spot the holds.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Stray Flights #1: Desiccate, Page 4
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EDIT: Okay, this is not a mistake that this page is posted twice. There's a lesson here: See that top page? That is how I've normally been uploading images. The colors are muted and NOT AT ALL as they were in Photochop when I colored the page. The page below is much closer (but not exactly) to the intended colors. See the explosion is much more saturated? All of the pages I've uploaded so far have been washed out and I finally realized the reason why. I was using the Photochop color profile, not the web color profile. Simple fix and now we're facing the right way in the saddle. I pledge to thee that all images henceforth will be uploaded correctly.
Good Morning, good morning. 'Desiccate' page four has arrived and with it, an answer to why our dear wanderer is in the desert in the first place. Something I was really trying to accomplish with the pages in this story was a kind of washed-out, beat up texture pervading everything. I think it was pretty successful, using paint textures applied over the flat coloring of the pages. It's not necessarily a technique I'd use for a larger project but I think it ended up suiting this story nicely and it might turn up in another Stray Flight in the future. Other minor aspects I'm pleased about: the way the background desert falls away, blurred as it is, and the explosion. Funnily enough, when I first colored the explosion in Photochop it looked too realistic, it brought too much attention to itself. I ended up applying a bunch of filters to it to try to knock down the edge and make it more graphic looking.
This brings me to an important point: I wonder what everyone thinks of this. I've noticed along the way, through my perambulations and perusals of comics and graphic novels that often, not always, but often, the more realistic the artwork is, the more staged/stilted it ends up looking, and the more it might take the reader out of the story. Notable exceptions to this are Ex Machina (Vaughn and Harris) and Moonshadow (DeMatteis and Muth), which I ADORE.
I mean, something that looks silly, but I know is relatively popular in other countries are those photo graphic novels, where it's a stack of film stills or photos comprising the story, with word balloons pointing around. Does anyone like those? I just find them to be so lackluster.
Also, please check out Andrew Bosley's Brainstormer, that's where I cooked up the idea for this Stray Flight.
Good Morning, good morning. 'Desiccate' page four has arrived and with it, an answer to why our dear wanderer is in the desert in the first place. Something I was really trying to accomplish with the pages in this story was a kind of washed-out, beat up texture pervading everything. I think it was pretty successful, using paint textures applied over the flat coloring of the pages. It's not necessarily a technique I'd use for a larger project but I think it ended up suiting this story nicely and it might turn up in another Stray Flight in the future. Other minor aspects I'm pleased about: the way the background desert falls away, blurred as it is, and the explosion. Funnily enough, when I first colored the explosion in Photochop it looked too realistic, it brought too much attention to itself. I ended up applying a bunch of filters to it to try to knock down the edge and make it more graphic looking.
This brings me to an important point: I wonder what everyone thinks of this. I've noticed along the way, through my perambulations and perusals of comics and graphic novels that often, not always, but often, the more realistic the artwork is, the more staged/stilted it ends up looking, and the more it might take the reader out of the story. Notable exceptions to this are Ex Machina (Vaughn and Harris) and Moonshadow (DeMatteis and Muth), which I ADORE.
I mean, something that looks silly, but I know is relatively popular in other countries are those photo graphic novels, where it's a stack of film stills or photos comprising the story, with word balloons pointing around. Does anyone like those? I just find them to be so lackluster.
Also, please check out Andrew Bosley's Brainstormer, that's where I cooked up the idea for this Stray Flight.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Stray Flights # 1: Desiccate, Page 3
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Whew! He made it. Our wanderer isn't going to die of dehydration. I had a real issue with figures in this comic. I'm not sure what the problem was but I was trying out something new with shadows, spreading them around a little more. I'm intrigued by this idea of 'spotting blacks.' Using bursts of black in shadow to create an avenue for the eye around the page. It something I'm definitely trying to explore more and I'd like to make an entire graphic novel with thick, pervading blackness throughout. I've got a horror story idea, maybe I'll get to it in like three years.
Something else I found tedious was drawing all the bits and baubles of the gas station. BUT, I've since become more comfortable drawing surroundings and atmospheric accessories. They're really what create the PLACE for your characters to inhabit so it's just as important. Still, I'm impressed when an artist can go a few pages with just white backgrounds, using only the characters to tell the story. Jeff Smith does this all the time in BONE. It's something I think that it's easier to get away with in a black and white comic.
You can visit the Brainstormer HERE, that's where the inspiration for this Stray Flight came from.
Side note: Scotty there was based on Steve Buscemi as a reference. For some reason he just seemed to fit.
Whew! He made it. Our wanderer isn't going to die of dehydration. I had a real issue with figures in this comic. I'm not sure what the problem was but I was trying out something new with shadows, spreading them around a little more. I'm intrigued by this idea of 'spotting blacks.' Using bursts of black in shadow to create an avenue for the eye around the page. It something I'm definitely trying to explore more and I'd like to make an entire graphic novel with thick, pervading blackness throughout. I've got a horror story idea, maybe I'll get to it in like three years.
Something else I found tedious was drawing all the bits and baubles of the gas station. BUT, I've since become more comfortable drawing surroundings and atmospheric accessories. They're really what create the PLACE for your characters to inhabit so it's just as important. Still, I'm impressed when an artist can go a few pages with just white backgrounds, using only the characters to tell the story. Jeff Smith does this all the time in BONE. It's something I think that it's easier to get away with in a black and white comic.
You can visit the Brainstormer HERE, that's where the inspiration for this Stray Flight came from.
Side note: Scotty there was based on Steve Buscemi as a reference. For some reason he just seemed to fit.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Stray Flights # 1: Desiccate, Page 2
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Friends, don't forget to check out Andrew Bosley's Brainstormer (the inspiration for this Stray Flight), he's got some sweet illustrations as well.
Originally I packed this Stray Flight full of word bubbles. This was obviously a mistake. One of the elements I was really trying to go for was the all-encompassing aspect of the desert, and the pervading nature of the sand, sand everywhere. This was cluttered up by too much dialogue and interior monologue coming from our wanderer there.
Also, on a whim, I changed the order of panels on this page. I drew them at first with the close-up reaction shot as panel three but right before I colored it I switched it down to the last panel, realizing it would make for a better composition. I guess we have it so easy now with digital means.
This is such a quandary. While I appreciate the ease with which things are accomplished when using a computer, it also can lead to a lack of accountability. This is why I'm such a fan of traditional media. I was trained as an oil painter after all. I can't tell you how many times I stood in front of an easel wishing I could press 'command-z.' BUT, the struggle to get something right, directly from your own hand, is irreplaceable, and it shows in your work as well. This is not to say beautiful digital work isn't made. There are plenty of effects that just can't really be replicated any other way. But I think it's akin to the use of CGI in film. This is something that by and large many, many people complain about as looking fake (depending on the skill level of the effects magicians, budget, etc). It's simply just overused. I have a great love for 80's films, not just for the nostalgia but often because the application of practical effects had reached a great point at that time before often being supplanted by CGI. Stand Winston! Look at that guy's ability. Pumpkinhead dammit! Have you seen it? A great costume. If Pumpkinhead had been CGI he wouldn't be nearly so memorable, or menacing. Anyway, because of all this I find myself leaning closer and closer to working in traditional media when I begin making my next graphic novel (perhaps ink, watercolor). It's ironic, but I just find that the immediacy of working with my hands so much more refreshing, and funnily enough, quicker.
Originally I packed this Stray Flight full of word bubbles. This was obviously a mistake. One of the elements I was really trying to go for was the all-encompassing aspect of the desert, and the pervading nature of the sand, sand everywhere. This was cluttered up by too much dialogue and interior monologue coming from our wanderer there.
Also, on a whim, I changed the order of panels on this page. I drew them at first with the close-up reaction shot as panel three but right before I colored it I switched it down to the last panel, realizing it would make for a better composition. I guess we have it so easy now with digital means.
This is such a quandary. While I appreciate the ease with which things are accomplished when using a computer, it also can lead to a lack of accountability. This is why I'm such a fan of traditional media. I was trained as an oil painter after all. I can't tell you how many times I stood in front of an easel wishing I could press 'command-z.' BUT, the struggle to get something right, directly from your own hand, is irreplaceable, and it shows in your work as well. This is not to say beautiful digital work isn't made. There are plenty of effects that just can't really be replicated any other way. But I think it's akin to the use of CGI in film. This is something that by and large many, many people complain about as looking fake (depending on the skill level of the effects magicians, budget, etc). It's simply just overused. I have a great love for 80's films, not just for the nostalgia but often because the application of practical effects had reached a great point at that time before often being supplanted by CGI. Stand Winston! Look at that guy's ability. Pumpkinhead dammit! Have you seen it? A great costume. If Pumpkinhead had been CGI he wouldn't be nearly so memorable, or menacing. Anyway, because of all this I find myself leaning closer and closer to working in traditional media when I begin making my next graphic novel (perhaps ink, watercolor). It's ironic, but I just find that the immediacy of working with my hands so much more refreshing, and funnily enough, quicker.
Stray Flights # 1: Desiccate, Page 1
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It's now time to start posting Stray Flights. Here is the first page of the first one, 'Desiccate.' 'Desiccate' is eight pages long and I did a little experimental process with this one to try to achieve something that looked like watercolor, but using a digital means. With Chandra I drew all the line work in pencil and then upped the contrast to make it look like ink. Here I just went straight in with ink to delineate the forms. It's still colored digitally though. After sectioning and coloring the large shapes I applied some watercolor textures over top to get something like a watercolor texture.
I envisioned this Stray Flight like some sort of little Twilight Zone episode. Let me know if it turned out successful or not. One fun thing about the Stray Flights is that it allows me to draw a range of subjects/objects I might not normally tackle, and to experiment with different styles.
This particular Stray Flight was inspired by some random words over at Andrew Bosley's Brainstormer. It's a great fun toy when you're feeling a bit stuck for an idea. The basic idea is that it's a lot of words that spin and output in differently combined ways. Check it out!
It's now time to start posting Stray Flights. Here is the first page of the first one, 'Desiccate.' 'Desiccate' is eight pages long and I did a little experimental process with this one to try to achieve something that looked like watercolor, but using a digital means. With Chandra I drew all the line work in pencil and then upped the contrast to make it look like ink. Here I just went straight in with ink to delineate the forms. It's still colored digitally though. After sectioning and coloring the large shapes I applied some watercolor textures over top to get something like a watercolor texture.
I envisioned this Stray Flight like some sort of little Twilight Zone episode. Let me know if it turned out successful or not. One fun thing about the Stray Flights is that it allows me to draw a range of subjects/objects I might not normally tackle, and to experiment with different styles.
This particular Stray Flight was inspired by some random words over at Andrew Bosley's Brainstormer. It's a great fun toy when you're feeling a bit stuck for an idea. The basic idea is that it's a lot of words that spin and output in differently combined ways. Check it out!
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