Comicing

So I've talked about Mirror World many a time on the blog but I thought I would perhaps explain what am doing now as opposed to the first three pages that I've done. In the next batch of pages I'll post some pictures of the process.

So the first three pages I worked on individually from start to finish. Get scripts for page 1, thumbnail page 1, get approval of thumbnail for page 1, scan page 1, ink page 1, color page 1, shade page 1, word balloon page 1 up, and send page 1 to Connie.

As you can imagine I was freaking sick of page 1 by the time I was through. It is so boring to look at the same page day in an and day out for several hours at a time (especially since I am still figuring my process out, it takes way longer than you would think)

So then Connie got me the scripts for pages 4-7. I tried doing page 4 completely differently but I ended up having to start over to not do it SO differently. But while avoiding the redo of 4 I began 5, 6, and 7. Once 7 was drawn out I went and did page 4 again.

So then I currently had 4 pages that had gotten approved and were drawn out and ready to be inked. Do I just work on page 4 or do cycle through the whole batch?

I chose to cycle. I inked all the pages first, then I colored the backgrounds, then I colored the characters (I broke these into pieces as well: clothes, skin color, eyes, eyebrows, hair, etc...cycling through the pages on each part), then I colored the misc items that got missed. Then I straighten up my layers (I need to start doing that as I go) now I'm working on straightening up my edges of the panels, then shading, then word ballooning, then I'm done. So I'm like 85% f the way done with 4 pages! My goal is to finish the batch by Wednesday. Cycling seems to be the way to go, I feel like it moves faster that way.

The even better part is that Connie already got me the scripts for pages 8, 9, and 10 and I already worked with her on the thumbnail and got those approved. So as soon as I am done with these 4 pages I can work on the next three...and I'll post progress updates with pictures!

Phoenix Comic Con

Apparently Connie got us a booth and they have room so we really have one!

OMG.

So I'm at Booth 747 during the Phoenix Comic Con. We'll have a mini-comic of highlights of Mirror World and some handouts and postcards. I'm making a poster for behind us and I'll have some prints for sale. I'll also be doing some sketching and ATC's so if anyone actually reads this and is in the area during the 26th-29th come on down!

Disasters and Other Good Things

Random sketch from breaking in them markers!

Alright so a few things. If you live anywhere near Scottsdale please go to SMOCA (Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art) and go to the "Wishes" exhibit. It is amazing. The walls have all these holes poked into them and in the holes are ribbons. On the ribbons are someone's wish printed on it. You take a ribbon and you can leave your own wish on a rolled piece of paper there. The ribbon has to be tied around your wrist and knotted three times and you wear it until it falls apart and it should come true for you (if it's your wish or if you're wearing it for someone else). I am currently wearing two ribbons.

"I wish to be recognized as a great artist" and "I wish to be skinny" both are knotted three times and on my left wrist together. Hopefully this will help!

Next I went to Ignite Phoenix last night. It was AMAZING. I loved it. My friend Shauna Stacy did a fantastic job with her speech about Shaun of the Dead. There should be videos posted soon, you should go check them out...especially the 10 year old who did the speech on 3D printers, this kid was epically AWESOME.

This did make me get inspired and I'm thinking of trying out for the next Ignite Phoenix in May. I have a topic in my head and just need to outline it. Maybe...maybe not. We'll see.

Page 3 of Mirror World is almost finished. The inks are done and I am in the middle of coloring. All that is left after that is shading and I'll be adding just a few textures to the mix on this page. It's especially exciting because on this page is our first look into the Villains! OOoooOOoooh. The next 2 pages are in Alice's apartment and I am really super excited about that and can't wait to use some airier colors!

My disaster of an extra bedroom and the closet has been completely tackled. It's done and I'm done and I am so happy. The office furniture has been moved around in the other room and I am actually working in it again and getting things done. It is much more conducive to creativity now.

I lost my phone the other night at the park. It was night and I lost it sometime on a walk I was doing with my Geek Girls. So it was gone gone gone. And I was sad. I started looking at new phones and changed passwords to a bunch of things cause I was logged in to a bunch of stuff and that was all I needed was for someone to start mucking about with things.

BUT

a very nice gentleman named Brandon and his dog found my phone and called my mom. He called Evan and he went and picked up my phone. Brandon didn't even take any money as a thank you. I called him and told him I appreciated his honesty in giving it back. He has restored my faith in humanity a little bit. I'm glad my phone is safe and back with me!

Setbacks

Man...this week SUCKED BALLS.

I really can't think of another way more eloquent way of describing this week other than "sucking" and "balls".

But on the positive notes:

My computer was fixed for free. Apparently last generation MAC Book Pros have a faulty graphics card. I found that out the hard way this past week. But the new card cost nothing.

Except for missing one day of running and one day of gym I stuck to my good eating and am seeing results.

I don't want to keep revisiting it, but I am going to post happy things on my next post!

There is arting going on as well, I am working on my friend's comic which a preview of that will come in the next post and I did a fun trip around the area and that needs to be talked about as well.

I'm having trouble with my creative grab bag series right now. I picked another difficult card (make an animated movie!) and I don't know what to do. I wanted it done by the end of the month, but I'm not sure if I can do it. We'll see

Black Condor Vs. Black Condor Inking Commission

Inking Commission by ~SyntheticPlatypus on deviantART

Pencils: Larry Guidry

Inks: Me!

So I won't lie, it was a bit intimidating inking a piece of art drawn by an already established artist. What happens if I messed it up? Luckily, the whole process went as smooth as butter.

I worked in small increments daily, because inking while fun can be a tedious and tiring procedure. Coupled with my fear of screwing up, little bits seemed the way to go.

I worked where I was comfortable first, namely the people. I used several sizes of Sakura Micron Pens in order to keep the detail and vary the thickness of the lines. I used a large black marker for the big areas of black.

The transparency in the human looking Black Condor was difficult, I didn't want everything to look the same in DC, it had to look like something was in front of it, even though the cape was see-through. Uber thin lines and cross hatching the ink pen for shading became my new friend.

The Helmeted Black Condor was a different kind of challenge. In the practice sketch of the cover that Larry Guidry he very much drew the feathered cape that this Black Condor has. I think he forgot to finish it in the final draft cause I had to. Another terror of messing up, drawing and inking my own stuff on someone else's work. Eeek.

I saved Washington DC for last. Which also took the longest. I don't really ever draw landscapes and what a landscape this was! I filled in the darkest areas at first and then worked with my thin pens to fill in the rest of the detail.

Walah!

Nerd Out

So I had a bit of fun today.

I out nerded a dude that works in a comic book store.

:D BWAAAAA

Yeah so I was perusing in the store and I found two new Neil Gaiman books (children's ones, not even a comic) and one was on a really tall shelf so I had this guy get it down for me. He ended up checking me out at the counter. (not checking me out per se...even though he could have been)

So he told me he was always meaning to read the Sandman series the Gaiman wrote years back and he asked where would be a good place to start with the Gaiman world. I told him that you can't go wrong with Sandman as these themes throughout a lot of his books.

He then asked me if I knew that he had just written a Batman book and I said yes, I know "Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader?" which I own and was fantastic. H told me cool and he asked if I knew about the artist who did the covers to the Sandman series, and I said sure, Dave McKean. Did I know about Arkham Asylum that he did? Oh yes, I say, and I own that as well.

I then told him I owned all of the Sandman, several novels, a few movies based on those, his children's books, an autobiography, and the biography about Douglas Adams he wrote.

The guy behind the counter seemed pretty put out that he couldn't turn me on into any new Gaiman material.

I thought it was hilarious.

Runaways

I am a huge fan of Runaways. No surprise there, it's one of the more popular comic books that have come out within recent years transcending that gender barrier that comics are known to have.

You know that barrier...Boys like Super Heroes, girls like Indie.

And pretty much with the exception of Batman for me (though I do not avidly collect his books) that was me to a T.

Then Runaways happened.

I just reread the first nine trades of that and rekindled my passion for it. Gosh Darn that is a good series.

Runaways Marvel Site Go Here for a quick Synopsis. Though it does not explain the current arc.

I will say that this is a series that there is no character that I don't love. Every single one of these "children" have real personalities...well as real as one can get for having super villain parents and inheritable powers.

I will also say that the pairings of art and story have been topnotch and I was worried about the Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos pairing. I love Terry Moore..I love Humberto Ramos...but Terry Moore had so much on his plate and Humberto Ramos's style is just a little cartoony..I wasn't sure if I could love it. But thankfully I did and the did their story arcs.

According to wiki There are two volumes of books I am missing...so this so needs to be rectified. The book is also on hiatus while they were hammering out some new story lines and getting the writer and artist up.

It's an all female team. This should be interesting to say the least!