Kate Beckinsale

Practicing drawing realistically.

What I really need to do is take a life drawing class. I know it would help me by leaps and bounds.

Anyway, this is another attempt to change and improve my art style.

Another branch on the tree

I think of my journey towards becoming a published graphic novelist as the life of a tree.

This little nut fell off of something and buried itself into my brain, and then one day I looked in the mirror and saw a little tree growing. And since then it has weighed heavily on my mind.

Spending the next years learning how my own process works was frustrating and difficult. I had no one else's standard to look at. I didn't know how people went about drawing graphic novels at all. I started following the blog of a webcomic artist (who is no longer drawing the comic, but is writing it) and she would post shots of her work table. I tried to absorb as much of that as I could. As I absorbed, little branches began to grow.

I tried to come up with original ideas, but they felt super cheesy to me, so I couldn't work on them seriously. I have a lot of "first pages" and can't even remember where that story was going. My first attempt is in a sketch book from 7th grade and it spans 4 pages. It's super cheesy and bad. >_<

When Collide came into my mind and began to wrap its tendrils around my brain and dream tree, I knew something big had come into my life. And it scared me because I wasn't ready! I wasn't good enough at art, and had no idea how to make a GN yet.

So I spent another 4 years writing, rewriting, and completely editing the story. When the story was at a point I could feel satisfied drawing it, I began to working on background stories and developing cultures and histories. Those things changed the story, too.

And now I have finally begun to draw the story. I know how I work. My pattern is set. It'll probably change, but for the better. I also know that this is only the first draft of the story. I want my art to be SO much better and full of finite work. I don't think I want it in super manga style. I love all the comic styles from Marvel to big eyed shojo, so I don't feel biased. I want my comic to be in a detailed, smooth, expressive style.

It's not there yet, but I'll get there. I look at my hands and see the capabilities within the veins and layers of skin and muscle. I'm not afraid anymore.

Now begins the skill honing. The comic will continue and I will begin the intense training of my art. I expect it will lead to swift changes in the comic art, but that's why this is the first draft.

It's not perfect and it will change.

Site changes

I'm planning on tweaking the comic site up. I'm not sure what to do, or when I'll do it. It'll probably be a long process, spread over a few weeks, with changes going up as I finish them. Not so much a big sudden change.

[ ] Design background/color scheme
[ ] Collect sketches and drawings for gallery
[ ] HTML galley
[ ] HTML characters (Add Rhaina and pix)


There are things I want to add when the comic is more popular and I have lots of people to get involved with.

-Chat box
-Polls
-Forum
-Fan stuff (when I get some)

I'm enjoying the hard work this entire project entails, as it keeps me busy on the weekends and between school assignments.

Ever progressive

So, every day I work on pages for the coming updates. As long as I remain ahead, updates could be as many as 2 pages.

Like this:

Monday-2 pages

Friday-1 page

Monday-1 page


And then, if I finish another page before that Friday there, it changes to this!


Monday-2 pages

Friday-2 pages

Monday-1 page


Because then everyone is happy. :D I'll probably make it so I have to be even more ahead, though, so I'm not always pushing against the time. Maybe I'll make it so I have to have at least 4 pages extra done before I change a single update to a double... Yeah.

But I'll try to make my Fridays double updates, and leave Mondays as singles. That's a good idea! #^_^#

Yeep!

I have the domain!! It's there, the first few pages are up.

:D

http://collide.smackjeeves.com/

I'm proud of me!!

ARG!

It's always something, y'know? Always!!!! DX

Those 8 pages I did turn out crappy when I scan them in and try to spiff them up. It's been irking my chain.

On the bright side... I decided to trace over them with ink. It's been looking a lot better. Here's one of the pages, penciled.



It doesn't even look so bad here. But when I start touching it up with lettering and such... Blah. BLAH. I might try a few other things.

Impact in 3... 2... 1...

I'm 8 pages into my GN. 8 detailed, pages. Yesterday I drew three pages in a period of a few hours. How's that for crazy! And today I drew a really detailed, difficult page. Of course, page 9 is going to be INSANELY hard. I'm kind of afraid of it. But I'll start it tonight. Line work first.

So I'm doing the project in pencil. I shade the pages and get the lines I want, and then scan them into the computer for tweaking.

Wow, 8 pages. That feels like so much... And yet, there is SO much left to go. And just in the first chapter alone, there are something like 50+ pages. AHHHH!!!



There's a snapshot of how my bed looks while I work. And some of the work itself, in unfinished form.