FIREBREATHER - FINISHED PAGES

Continuing from my last post...

My next step is to blow up the layouts

to full page size ( in this case 8.75 x 13.5).

I do my Firebreather pages smaller than the

normal 10 x 15 to save time (HA!).

After I blow up my layouts I print them out on 11 x 17 paper.

I then tape the layout to the back of a piece of bristol board

and put it on a lightbox. I then start inking.

I try to draw as much as I can in ink.

As you can see, however by comparing the last two posts,

there are always bits and pieces that need to be changed.

That's when I get out the pencil.

I'd love to say that I never pencil anything and

that I just draw it all in ink, but that's not the case.

I try to pencil as little as possible (mostly it's fixing faces and hands).

The main reason for this is that the more times

I redraw something the more I suck the life out of it.

As i said in a recent post I dream of a day when I'm confident

enough to ink strait from my thumbnails. Or better yet,

draw the whole thing in ink with no under drawing whatsoever.

A cartoonist can dream can't he?

Thanks for looking.

FIREBREATHER - LAYOUTS

Young talent Brian Churilla axed me to post more process stuff.

Since he's almost the only one looking at this blog......sure, why not?

Today I'm posting layouts from the last Issue of Firebreather.

When i draw a funnybook I usually do the entire issue as thumbnails

first (see yesterdays post). I do these 1.37" x 2.25 "and I can fit

an entire issue on a page of 8.5 x 11 paper.

I then blow up my thumbnails to about 3.25" x 5.25"

and redraw them on tracing paper.

These are what I've posted here.

At this point I am changing and fixing the layouts.

I am also spotting blacks as well.

For most artists the next step would be pencils.

I work much tighter than many artists at the layout stage

because I try to do as little pencilling as possible.

At every juncture I am trying to fix and refine the work

to the best of my abilities. Many times I'll get to the finished page

stage and realize that i need to completely change a panel.

My motto is, whatever works, works.

Tomorrow, finished pages.

As always, thanks for looking.

FIREBREATHER - THUMBNAILS

I have nothing to show you from the new Firebreather series yet,

but here's my thumbnails to issue #4 of the last series.

Thanks for looking.

FIREBREATHER.....FINALLY!

I'm finally starting the next Firebreather series.

It will be out in the spring of next year.

Here are some cover roughs for the first issue.

These ideas didn't make the cut.

I'll post the new cover shortly.

Thanks for looking.

NIGHT AND DAY

This is a sketch of a face that I did last week.

I didn't do any under drawing in pencil.

I just started drawing with my Pentel Pocketbrush.

I threw a little photoshop at it after the fact,

but I'm pretty happy with the drawing on it's own.

I dream of getting to the point where I could do a

complete comic like this. Unfortunately most of these sketches

don't come out this well...........ah, someday.

Live it!