Inks Everywhere
I’ve completed the first-pass inks on Pioneers#4.
That’s significant! Completion of the first pass means a) Episode #4 now exists as complete ‘thing’ for the first time (albeit still in several components) and b) the scary transition from script to sequential story was actually possible and has actually worked! It’s a good feeling - I can see the whole story now - like a play being rehearsed for the first time - it’s rough, but REAL! It’s also another milestone en route to the book seeing the light of day - but one that still leaves plenty of scope for the book to improve. All in all it’s a pretty good place to be. I am happy!
Next Phase: The Revision Marathon
I don’t draw super detailed pencils, just page layouts really (script > layouts > inks) so my inks are quite ‘free’ in the first-pass. That leads to serendipitous tweaks - changing panels and layouts on the fly if I spot better pacing, emotion or composition. It also means occasional HUGE deviations from the script! My second- pass reconciles these changes - keeping the best happy accidents but ensuring everything is joined up, making sense and completes the first major quality checklist - every page, every panel - including:
Does the panel match or meet the needs of the script, should I adjust the script to fit the art or does the art need knocking back to the script.
Do I still have the correct characters in the panel, do expressions still match intent!
Is the first speaker still on the left (I always forget that - LOL maybe thats why I give my characters symmetrical faces - the times I’ve had to reverse the panel - honestly, a character with an eyepatch would add about a month per book)!
Are continuity and props intact—does someone drift off-screen or switch places between frames, or has a weapon changed hands (or turned from a ‘gun to nunchaku’- I kid you not, this happens - particularly from one page to the next as I only have one page visible at a time when I’m drawing).
Backgrounds - my first pass backgrounds are wildly inconsistent (I get over-excited by the next panel), now is the time to equalise the level of detail I’m aiming for.
This second-pass usually takes me a couple of weeks (more if everything crashes and I need a mulligan on a page or scene). It also means a lot of detailed adjustment, erasing and refining until I’m happy. I don’t find it tedious, it is a little neurotic, but it’s absolutely essential. It’s also an “anchor moment” when the looseness becomes disciplined, the visuals get more precise and the storytelling becomes much tighter. I get MUCH more excited about the book when second pass is complete - it’s the first time I start getting excited and looking forward to sharing it with others. Does it show?
Colour me Falk!
My typical next step would be to hand the ‘twice fried’ pages over to specialists for colouring and lettering - and while all that is happening I’d dive into the myriad tasks that culminate in a finished book and a kickstarter campaign (I’ll share my Trello task board for that sometime). If I really got a wiggle on - there’s every possibility of a Kickstarter for issue#4 before Christmas - but a couple of things are giving me pause.
A Strategic Decision.
I’m feeling the energy for creative work - perhaps more than I would for administration and marketing - which exacts a different toll. And that presents an alternate possibility - instead of launching / fulfilling issue#4 straight away, why not go straight into script, layouts and inks for Issue#5?
There are a LOT of considerations in this decision. Momentum, Timing, Energy - not to mention Falk & Clay’s availability! I’ll work through all this while I’m making my second pass and make the best decision I can - for myself - and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that that decision works for more of you guys than not! I have to give myself that right now. I’ll thank you upfront for bearing with me - and can, as ever, only promise that the resulting book(s) will be the absolute best that I can make them.
Guest Cover by Dennis Menheere
Talking of making episode #4 AMAZING - I’m really excited to finally share the episode #4 GUEST COVER by Ringo Award Nominated artist Dennis Menheere (“Etheres”; “Little Nightmares” & “The Undoing Well”). I met Dennis a year or so ago and was thrilled when he agreed to create a Pioneers cover. He’s been a real gentleman in his understanding of my situation and sharing his ethereal interpretation of Lilu & Beagan is one of the greatest joys of re-opening this channel. The image below is the 0.9 version - I’ll be a tease and share the final version when the campaign launches. If you want to see more of Dennis’ work in the meantime please check out this painterly virtuoso at https://dennismenheere.com/
Covers, Covers, Covers
So, while I’m here, here’s my current thinking on issue #4 covers.
Main / Standard Cover (“You and me Both”). I’m arting this one myself. Lines are complete and I’m really liking it. Like Lilu it’s cool and languid, but I’m hoping you’ll also get an “oh shit” moment from it - if you look at it at a certain angle!
Variant #2 / Homage. I’ve painted what I call an ‘homage’ cover for each issue so far (Issue#2 was inspired by Bela Lugosi’s “Dracula”, #3 by Gustav Klimt’s “The Lovers” (Klimt is one of the few artists that Stephanie & I both adored). For issue#4 I’m turning to my music collection for inspiration with a take on an iconic album cover. As with all the ‘homage’ set, it’s not just about what looks cool, it’s also something personal, a way of getting a little bit of ‘me’ into (onto) the actual pages of my series. It’s one of my favourite ideas (my own little Hitchcock moment).
Variant #3 / Guest Cover — see Dennis!
Variant #4 / Blank A blank / logo only cover (for collectability).
Variant #5 / Sketch A personal hand drawn sketch on the blank. I’m thrilled at how popular these have become - I really enjoy doing them. If backers want an absolute one off - this is the cover they go for. It’s a real honour to be part of someone’s original art collection.
Stick or Twist! The final dilemma: The Lenticular cover I made for Issue#3 (with the incredibly talented folks at Lensky Imaging) was AMAZING! For Issue #4 should I go with another Lenticular or should I try something different - a metal or holofoil cover perhaps? OR would it be better to create a separate ‘add-on’ set of lenticulars, metals or holofoils covering the WHOLE SERIES? Or perhaps hold back and do this as a separate reprint campaign? I don’t really know the best answer to this one as I’m not a not a collector myself (says the man who bought four copies of Frankie Goes to Hollywoods “Two Tribes” for the different covers), but I’d really love to know what you’d most like to see. Lots of campaigns offering huge numbers of covers these days and it makes me a little uncomfortable - the balance between offering something great and taking advantage seems quite thin. So if you have an opinion on this I’d love to hear it and will definitely factor it into my future cover strategy.
Before I close, please forgive me for not talking much about personal stuff this time out. I love talking about Stephanie, but September included what would have been both our 26th wedding anniversary and her Birthday. Each was the first of those we’ve had to face without her here (I bought her flowers). The days feel a bit heavy and the fun memories just a bit too far away right now - so instead of bringing us both down - I’d rather finish by wishing Happy Birthday the myriad of those close to me who’ve had their birthdays in September and thank them all for the happy diversions these have given me. A cascade of reminders that life continues - I am a very fortunate Gaga!
That will do for today I think. Thank you for reading, waiting and supporting. Your presence makes these days and decisions lighter. I’ll share more progress soon — more inks, maybe covers and a campaign image, or early pages of #5. Until then, I’ll leave you in my happy place - sitting quietly with a stack of Pioneers revisions late into another evening, feeling the quiet hum of possibility — this could be one of my best pages yet.
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