Practice Needed…

January 26, 2012

Returning to life drawing today I have to say my output was distinctly poor; I found myself lagging behind on the quicker poses with very few approaching anything near finished, the one above being the nearest to something complete. Ack.

On the bright side though I’m sure this is good for developing my technique, I feel like a lost touch with observational drawing over Christmas (among other things) so now’s the chance to take it up as regular practice again. Like the class tutor Melodie explained, it’s more important to identify and try to correct mistakes than to make pretty pictures.

I’m getting things wrong, but at least they’re wrong in a productive way…

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Page 17

January 24, 2012

Given my subject genre and influences, the appearance of gruesome murder was somewhat overdue…

It’s not Monday but at least I got another page done within the space of a week (as opposed to a month). This one’s a simpler affair than the last with the focus shifted to our mystery cyborg (Baby Face) and the unfortunate fate of the vigilant luggage attendant. At this point the former is a character who hasn’t really come to light thematically, so I did the same literally in an attempt to obscure but still partially reveal his bizarre features – that way most of the tension is maintained while steadily feeding reader interest as I build to the more dramatic scenes ahead.

The final panel is a little too barren for my liking maybe but the play of shocking red off cool blues provokes an effective mood. I’ve also got mixed feelings about using such a heavy-handed sound effect, though in the absence of an actual reveal of the MO it seemed necessary; ideally it works in a sort of Frank Miller way.

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SOPA & PIPA

January 20, 2012

Typically I’ve tried to keep everything on this blog work related, but for once I felt an exception was in order:

As much as I enjoy fictional dystopias in cyberpunk writing, comics and film, I’d rather we didn’t see a real one come to pass in the next few years. The internet may have become an enormous conduit for piracy, trolling and general ignorance but it’s also allowed an enormous hive of creativity to develop that’s thankfully not monopolized just by the corporate fat cats, something we can kiss goodbye if bills like these go through.

Seriously, tell everyone you know about it. Don’t let these idiots disguise digital fascism behind four innocuous letters.

EDIT: Truly delicious irony, I had to reupload the link because the original video was taken down for copyright infringement -_-

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London Expo?

January 18, 2012

Today we had our briefing for the final module of the MA, specifically covering the finalised piece we’ll deliver and the build up to it. There weren’t many surprises – mainly just a few dates to add to the calendar –  however I will be required to redefine my project proposal in light of the numerous developments and alterations made. More than anything though, this firmly signifies the final stretch of the course and the need to really push myself as I approach the end.

Yesterday, coincidentally but somewhat providently I applied to book a table at London’s forthcoming MCM Expo in May (thanks for the headsup  Ushio!). I’ve been recommended by several people and sources to get my work out there in a physical form and become more involved with the community, so this is my chance. I’d actually intended to go have a look around back in 2010 though ultimately couldn’t –  thankyou extortionate rail fares – this time I’m planning ahead not just to be prepared but also to set myself an enticing goal to work towards.

As I’ve previously explained, I doubt I’ll be able to complete the entire planned graphic within the MA but I still want to have at least a first chapter/issue as a prototype, professionally printed and presented. This extends to my planned table at the Expo; the first chapter/third of the plot hopefully has enough standalone merit to engage readers and make it worth picking up, so I absolutely MUST have that much done by the start of May.

Nothing’s definite just yet but it could be a genuinely exciting prospect and one which would encourage me to put my back into the next few months of work :)

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Page 16

January 17, 2012

It’s not even Monday but this page has been delayed so long waiting another week to update was out of the question. Perhaps it was a matter of not enough time put aside each week but I suspect I spent too long tinkering with puny details which ultimately don’t have much effect on the overall piece. I can’t promise I’ll meet weekly updates in future but I’ll be sure not to let my schedule slip this horrendously again.

Long wait aside, the page itself is pretty good by my standards, I tried some more adventurous stuff with the shadows/lighting and for the most part its been a success. The noir influence comes through pretty strong with this one – because of the fedora perhaps? – along with stylistic flourishes of a distinctly Risso and Miller nature. Introducing a key villain ‘Baby Face‘ here I wanted the luggage warehouse to reflect the character being introduced. The first panel features a lot of imposing machinery as an acknowledgement of his extreme cyborg enhancements, while the clutter dotted around perhaps hints at the deranged personality, additionally falling in line with the cyberpunk tendency for turbulent chaos concealed beneath ordered surfaces.

The cold colour scheme was intended to evoke a suitable cold mood while emphasising Baby Face’s complete lack of compassion for others, but looking now may have been a bit heavy. That said, I have a strong visual contrast in mind for the next page which should spice things up a little ;)

EDIT (20/1/2012):  I’ve tweaked the second panel’s colour and linework in response to some criticism on ComicFury to prevent it from being confusing. Hopefully an improvement!

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