Evening everybody! Just a quick post before I turn in for the night with a little glimpse of work on "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." and an observation that gave me a bit of a chuckle.
I've been working my way through "thumbnailing" the remaining pages of issue #1. Thumbnailing is the process wherein a comic artist plans out the layouts and storytelling before getting into the real drawing and draftsmanship on each page. The name is derived from the small thumbnail sized sketches that the ideation process normally begins with. I put it in quotes for myself, because in recent times I've moved over to a bit more "high tech" method which involves me blocking out scenes utilizing 3D models. For a little more in depth look at this practice, here's a great article by comic artist Tom Foster where he fully details his process of using 3D reference tools. I keep it fairly simple, not going quite as in depth as Tom Foster's examples, and still leave a lot of decisions to be made during the drawing process, but this really helps me achieve a better and more consistent result with proportions and perspective, and helps me visualize angles and scenes I might not have conceived in my "mind's eye" alone.
Anyway... tonight's scene involves one of our main characters, Dave, buckling down to get some paperwork done... of course pulling up some good music (and therefore pausing intermittently to rock out) to help him achieve the herculean task in front of him!
With these early character sequences I'm doing my best to foreshadow things to come, and show some key personality traits right from the outset. If you've seen some prior concept art of Dave you may have noticed him toting around a rather bizarre little record player. It's some sweet vintage gear that just happens to be magical, and will help Dave out of a lot of situations much more intense than an overwhelming stack of paperwork! While Dave might not get his hands on that little beauty for a while yet, this sequence foreshadows that unique relationship to come and demonstrates Dave's love of and connection to music.
Here's a look at the full page layout so far. I still have a few small tweaks to make but it's just about ready to serve as a great template for the finished illustration. All of this work is done in the Clip Studio Paint software, which I run on an iPad Pro.
What struck me as funny, is that as I was planning out this layout... I was basically acting it out as well! When I sat down to start working I pulled up a video on YouTube by the mix artist/DJ known as Pogo which I hadn't watched yet. I've enjoyed Pogo's work for years and it's a good thing I was just playing around with 3D models and not trying to draw with any type of finesse or I'd have been screwed, as I was getting caught up in his catchy beats and found myself bouncing around a bit too much! So there I was, at my desk, involuntarily mirroring the action of the page I'm working on!
If you want to bop along, check out Pogo! I'm sure it's not for everyone but he weaves intriguing and infectious mixes of sound, most often derived from some great geeky pop culture, such as the viral Upular which created much of his early following. Some of his wholly original tunes are my favorite though, such as Gardyn and Kenya Chords. Tonight's toe tapping listening was actually a recorded live stream, where Pogo mixes his mixes together... so that's just a whole 'nother chaotic level of awesomeness if you like his work... but can probably be better appreciated if you've heard the original compositions.
Alright, I'd best be off to sleep. I hope this gave you another little glimpse behind the scenes and a couple great links to read up on creating comics, or rock out to some catchy tunes. Possibly both at the same time!
-Bryan "the Imp" Imhoff
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