Font Overhaul Finished

December 14, 2011

This really should have been finished last week but as usual I was far too optimistic about my schedule.  Anyhow, I’ve applied the new font to all my old pages while taking greater consideration of the medium’s rules in this area; it’s certainly subtler this way and presents more variation thanks to the increased emphasis on bold/italic type:

I’ve updated everything on The Duck and ComicFury accordingly and have temporarily replaced the pages under my ‘Read it!’ page. Still, what I really need to be doing is getting onto ComicPress and setting up a more accessible archive there. It remains to be seen how well that will go as I’ve never used the site before but I’ll definitely give it a try before the end of the week.

2 Comments | Production | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Ozy

Page 15

December 12, 2011

I’m a little short on time here so I’m afraid this will have to be more succinct than usual.

The linework/ink for this page was applied digitally working over my pencil sketch as a basis, which was in turn based upon a photo I took of myself for reference (naturally with gender adjusted accordingly). I typically favour hand drawing my pages with only colour, text and arrangement being done in photo-paint afterwards but in this case I’m actually glad I deviated; I ended up redrawing Scratch’s pose repeatedly before getting it to a satisfactory standard. I’m not sure the perspective is implemented as effectively as it could have been, but the pose at least seems striking and believable.

Though I don’t tend to trust my own opinion it at least feels like one of the better pages I’ve made. Having a single larger panel allowed me to be a little more indulgent than usual, focusing on getting one image right rather than rushing through several – I doubt I’ll be doing many pages like this but it shows that with more time and care I can do better…

Leave a Comment » | Production | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Ozy

Page 14

December 5, 2011

As of now with this page I’ll be making updates on Mondays  or not at all. Ideally that will mean weekly updates though the main reason is to lock down a consistent release day which people can check in on – if I don’t have a page ready at the start of the week I’ll at least upload concept work to keep things rolling.

On the page itself; I’ve been straining the tension for a while here since – as I explained last time – the dramatic pause seemed right. Things get quite kinetic a few scenes on and the pace picks up considerably, so with that in mind a slightly slower (albeit tense) moment struck me as a suitable cushion to stop the follow-up feeling rushed. Quite obviously the next page is the “it’s behind you!” moment to break the aforementioned tension, something I considered having in the last panel of this one but seemed cramped and ineffective. Moving it a page ahead of the vocal shock may test reader patience a bit (sorry!) but it also makes the most of the intense atmosphere and should provide a stronger payoff.

Additionally, our mysterious stalker here is really the central protagonist. Curt serves as something of a sub-protagonist with his own important role in the plot but the real heart of the story lies with Scratch. Excluding the opening page this is her introduction not to mention the first meeting between these two characters. I won’t be making a habit of stretching thirty seconds over four pages – or I’ll be grey before I’m done – but with the rest of the graphic being fixed upon these two a little indulgence may be for the better.

Art wise I’ve tried to support the atmosphere with more close-ups than usual, plus the requisite noir shadowing. I did do more with colours here as the overpowering greens were in danger of becoming monotonous; note the slightly blue hue on Scratch’s prosthetics and the cyan highlights from the light source.  Essentially, I’m still experimenting a bit to find a mix I’m happy with, but hopefully it’s going in the right direction.

You may also have noted that I’ve used the new font here which appears to be a considerably improvement over the old one, it may be a little understated but I’ll take that over the EVERYONE’S SHOUTING look I had before. What I’ll be doing now is going back over the earlier pages and replacing the lettering accordingly, once that’s done I can reupload and should be set to startup a new archive on ComicPress!

It may take a couple of days but with that sorted out I should be all systems go again, stay tuned…

2 Comments | Production | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ozy

Page 13 + More Life Drawing!

November 20, 2011

This page pretty much continues in the stylised vein the last one did, so much of the composition and its colour choices are for the same reasons. However, as usual there are a few noteworthy additions and decisions.

The pace has slowed dramatically and what I’m covering here in three to four pages arguably could have been summarised in one, but still I feel it’s worth taking a pause here. The focus of this scene is upon two things: Curt’s rising fear of cyborgs and Scratch’s imposing, steely demeanour, both of which will be of increasing importance to the central theme of the narrative as it progresses. While previously there was a lot of information imparted through dialogue, here I want the visuals and mood to do all the talking for a moment.

Considering the technique itself; while I normally pencil and ink all my linework by hand I do clean it up digitally after scanning and occasionally correct mistakes, with the first panel here I tried something a little different as an experiment. Having penciled the panel in rough I scanned it in and worked over it in Photo-Paint, beginning with a purely black overlay set to 50% transparency and cutting out the highlighted areas. This wouldn’t have worked were it a well-lit scene featuring cross hatching rather than heavy shadow, but in this case the results weren’t half bad inadvertently having a slightly Geoff Grandfield quality. I’m not changing over to an entirely digital production process anytime soon, but I may well dabble in future.

My favourite panel is probably the fifth taken from POV, mainly for its simplicity. Being almost symmetrical with the shadowing connecting into a surreal whole it has a sort ink blotch feel slightly reminiscent of a Rorschach test card. There’s something surreal and unsettling about it which taps into exactly the kind of mood I want.  The weakest panel meanwhile is easily the last one. The way the light splashes across Curt’s chest turned out okay but the hands just look too small, even after I reworked them.

…And on the subject of weak anatomy, a spot of good news is that I’ve gotten back into life drawing this week!

Despite having the same model as last year the new classes are run quite differently; favouring a series of short three-minute poses alongside a longer one (above – I won’t post the quickies since they’d burn your eyes). Fast drawing is not one of my strengths, but for this very reason perhaps being forced to do so will prove good practice in the long run.

Regardless, it’s another step in the right direction to refine my technique and help reduce my anatomical embarrassments.

2 Comments | Production | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ozy

Page 12

November 13, 2011

With this page I tried to take some risks with the style and use of colour to match rising tension with appropriately intense visuals, something which bizarrely may have reduced production time on paper and digitally. I would probably of had this one out in three to four days if I’d worked straight, but prep for the symposium and my computer’s current helpful habit of locking up every few minutes (thank you again repair centre) held it back a bit.

I’ve tried to make a stronger connection to my noir influences here by using heavy shadowing in place of crosshatching; hence why drawing took less time thanks to details being obscured. It’s primarily a stylistic development but to keep it credible I’ve had it brought in with a scene change to somewhere which would assumedly be darker instead of the washed out spaceport lobby. It’s also worth noting that by blanking out the features of the entering figure (Scratch) we get a sense of Curt’s situation within the cubicle – being unable to determine their identity, enhancing the sense of an unknown menace.

Special mention should also be made of the colours. Thus far I’ve predominantly stuck to browns/oranges complimenting greys/blues in an effort to manifest the clash between organic and artificial at the heart of the story. What I can’t help but think though is that Curt forms a sort of anomaly in the scenario, being completely human and unfamiliar with the station and its occupant cyborgs.

When choosing colours for my character designs I decided on the green colour scheme for Curt to emphasise his personality and flaws. So it is that here I’ve drenched the toilets in overpowering shades of green in an attempt to subconsciously extend Curt’s character to the environment and atmosphere; emphasising his phobia’s, sickness and generally cowardly nature without having to unload a ton of exposition on the reader. In the same way the blast of blue light which accompanies Scratch’s entrance contrastingly emphasises her cold personality and firm manner, while also enhancing the sense of her bursting in on Curt’s life as the blues run over the greens.

I’ll tentatively say that I’m happy with this one as it seems to deliver the sort of striking impression I’d envisioned in the script. I worry that the flow of the panels could be clearer perhaps, while it’s let down by some of my usual wonky anatomy but otherwise it turned out much better than I frankly expected it to.

2 Comments | Production | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Ozy

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »