Sunday, December 30, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Ho Ho Ho
Only 7 sleeps 'til Chrimbo, yeeeehah!
The kids are excited as only kids can be. I'm actually pretty into it this year, having completed my shopping a couple of weeks ago, and with our cupboards/ fridge now stocked with booze and nibbles etc, in readiness. We even saw Joe Pascuale in Panto at the weekend. Very funny. My youngest gave the game away as to my main pressie from the Missus...So don't tell kids secrets, it never pays :) Anyway, as it transpires I'm 100% set for some quality PS3 gaming come Christmas Day night, once the kids are all tucked up. 'Uncharted: Drakes Fortune'...can't wait :)
Oh yes -- comics! Martin and I are 5 pages away from our first joint venture being completed. That's 'Jack in the Box', a 20 page first issue. The onus is on me -- I'm going as fast as I can, but dat Buxton, he just too prolific. He's cranking out 2nd and 3rd issues of all our characters, and my Intuous pen can't go fast enough. So once I've drawn page 20, a couple of inside pages, and a cover, we're off to Redlin, our local printers.
I recently bought a load of 'Essential Marvel' type graphic novels, the Captain Britain series. I was inspired to do this after Martin kindly gave me an Essential Hulk collection from the late 60's/ early 70's, featuring loads of art by Herb Trimpe. Unbeknownst to me (until I read this) this guy was one of my main influences. I previously credited Kirby as being the one, but nope, Trimpe was really the one who shaped my early years, having drawn the amazing issue where Hulk fights Submariner under the sea, and (back to the point) the original Captain Britain comic strips. These were first published in October 1976, and my mum bought them for me every week, for a couple of years...I don't think I missed an issue. When my Amazon delivery arrived, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it all still was...Trimpe is the master of the dynamic pose (after Kirby of course) and is a consummate story teller.
What lead me to mention all this is that these guys (Trimpe/ Kirby/ Buscema etc) were all so damned prolific. They had to churn out 30 pages a month, albeit in pencil form. Well, halve that (by adding inks) and that's still almost double my output which currently stands at 8 pages per month (pencilled/ inked/ lettered). I know I've webdesign and family commitments, but still, I seriously need to look at a way to increase my work speed. I've got a few ideas as to how to do it, based on looking at a Richard Corben graphic novel drawn in inks and grey wash. If I can back off on the detail, use blacks more strikingly, and add some solidity via washes...well, that's probably going to be my approach for Crowman, Martin and I's next project.
Then after that...'The Hack', a story that will draw on all my drawing skills, and one that I really can't wait to get started on!
The kids are excited as only kids can be. I'm actually pretty into it this year, having completed my shopping a couple of weeks ago, and with our cupboards/ fridge now stocked with booze and nibbles etc, in readiness. We even saw Joe Pascuale in Panto at the weekend. Very funny. My youngest gave the game away as to my main pressie from the Missus...So don't tell kids secrets, it never pays :) Anyway, as it transpires I'm 100% set for some quality PS3 gaming come Christmas Day night, once the kids are all tucked up. 'Uncharted: Drakes Fortune'...can't wait :)
Oh yes -- comics! Martin and I are 5 pages away from our first joint venture being completed. That's 'Jack in the Box', a 20 page first issue. The onus is on me -- I'm going as fast as I can, but dat Buxton, he just too prolific. He's cranking out 2nd and 3rd issues of all our characters, and my Intuous pen can't go fast enough. So once I've drawn page 20, a couple of inside pages, and a cover, we're off to Redlin, our local printers.
I recently bought a load of 'Essential Marvel' type graphic novels, the Captain Britain series. I was inspired to do this after Martin kindly gave me an Essential Hulk collection from the late 60's/ early 70's, featuring loads of art by Herb Trimpe. Unbeknownst to me (until I read this) this guy was one of my main influences. I previously credited Kirby as being the one, but nope, Trimpe was really the one who shaped my early years, having drawn the amazing issue where Hulk fights Submariner under the sea, and (back to the point) the original Captain Britain comic strips. These were first published in October 1976, and my mum bought them for me every week, for a couple of years...I don't think I missed an issue. When my Amazon delivery arrived, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it all still was...Trimpe is the master of the dynamic pose (after Kirby of course) and is a consummate story teller.
What lead me to mention all this is that these guys (Trimpe/ Kirby/ Buscema etc) were all so damned prolific. They had to churn out 30 pages a month, albeit in pencil form. Well, halve that (by adding inks) and that's still almost double my output which currently stands at 8 pages per month (pencilled/ inked/ lettered). I know I've webdesign and family commitments, but still, I seriously need to look at a way to increase my work speed. I've got a few ideas as to how to do it, based on looking at a Richard Corben graphic novel drawn in inks and grey wash. If I can back off on the detail, use blacks more strikingly, and add some solidity via washes...well, that's probably going to be my approach for Crowman, Martin and I's next project.
Then after that...'The Hack', a story that will draw on all my drawing skills, and one that I really can't wait to get started on!
posted by Tony at
6:28 PM
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