Charon Chapter One

I've spent most of my day today typesetting the first Charon Continuum chapter (Written by Dominic Archer and available to read online for free here) for viewing online and then re-editing it for the Kindle, when it eventually gets published on there.

My poster illustration from the post before is actually being used as the front cover. (Yay!)

I've actually really enjoyed working on the Charon Continuum, but I feel I might have to take a step back for a bit, because I feel like I haven't worked on my own projects in a while, through no fault but my own of course.

So far, in my sketchbooks I have three fully scripted out mini comics to draw up; further journal comics to do; as well as the main Graphic novel I'd like to finish scripting and then actually draw. So, yeah....a lot to be getting on with really.

Page 2 Teaser!

...also known as HALF THE FRIGGING PAGE, because I couldn't pick between which panel to use.

Busy, Busy, BUSY.

Had a bit of free time recently and I managed to get hold of a old Wolverine Graphic Novel by Claremont Miller in the library and decided to redraw Storm from one of the panels. Turned out quite nicely actually. Pretty chuffed with it, although I need to learn how to do backgrounds properly.  Thoughts? Improvements? 

Panels.

Finally thought of an idea for a few panels to go towards a comic/fanzine. I done a quick test of colours/style of colouring on the two panels below.

Newspapers.

I spent today pretty much doing intensely detailed doodling, in order to waste time until my tutorial at 14:15 in the afternoon. Drew two hands on separate paper, using the same graphic style as before but including some more detailed crosshatching; then went on to draw some hands bound together. I left the last illustration in black and white because I think it made a bigger impact as it was instead of adding in the blue/grey colouring.

After finishing these, I decided to shift everything about on my studio wall, I discovered that the separate hands worked really well when combined with the illustration 'Shame.'

After much 'faffing' with my work, I had my one to one with Ian Chamberlain. These are the quick notes I took from that tutorial:

• Domestic Violence? More people can relate and have experienced. Can also use my own experiences with it. 
• Can see my style of work in a Graphic novel/fanzine/printmaking.
• Look into current news rather than vague historical events e.g. Chikatilo.
• Perhaps take current event from newspaper and illustrate. e.g. M5 crash near Taunton. 
• Or look into major historic events and adapt into comic form e.g 300/ From Hell.
• Keep a narrative.

With this tutorial I discovered I was at a bit of a crossroads with my work. I didn't really have a concept, other than keeping a narrative; I didn't really know where to move onto, although through my research I had discovered what I was interested in: control, power, and the edges of morality. 

I will continue with research but perhaps keep too more contemporary and 'conventional' issues rather than serial killers.

Joint.

My last seminar at University on the 28th of October was partly useful, partly confusing.

I was told by my peers that the pencil drawing 'Captive' was too sexual, something I already knew. However, they made some valid evaluations about the small graphic/comic styled illustrations and confirmed what I had thought:

• A narrative/storyline is being read
• Small and frantic- adding to disturbing-more dark imagery.
• Colour adds more humanity- reds really grabs you- evokes danger quality.
• Undergrowth wrapping around victims- disappearing- buried = creepy. 
 

They also gave me some good points and questions to think on:

• Which Side of the line am I looking at?
• Observational or experience.

• Control- not just physical, can be emotional.
• E.g. Domestic violence/abuse

• Juxtapose images- suggest rather than shout. 

• Perhaps look at rope, tape and cable ties- again suggest with images of just rope instead of tied up women etc. 

The last one I wasn't too keen on because it starts to lose a narrative when it is just of rope, however using an image of rope and juxtaposing it with another image appealed, and so I experimented with juxtaposition. 

Rope. Draft. Nov 2011.

Rope. Nov 2011

Shame. Nov 2011

Restrain. Nov 2011.

Sorry about the image quality, the photographs were taken with the camera on my phone.

 In the seminar, they also suggested going back to using pencil instead of brush pens and ink, however I enjoying using them far too much to go completely back to using just pencil.

While I thought of the comments my peers said were great and useful towards the techniques of my work, I didn't recieve anything helpful about the concept or undertone of my work, and so I am starting to feel a little lost about how to move on from the above.

Dead.

After continuing with my sketches about Chikatilo, using ink and my brush pens; I believe a narrative is beginning to arise slowly between and across the images. I am enjoying the graphic feel to the images, I believe the lack of complete graphic detail gives across a detached feel, making the illustration seem more cold and isolated.

The colours I have been using on the illustrations have also helped with the impact and mood given off with each piece. The blue/grey gives off a feeling of death to the bodies, a lack of life; the bright crimson skirt on the women gives the definite connotation of blood, and helps stimulate the feeling of death against the pale white skin.The black and brown ink helps lose the image in page, making the corpses almost disappear into the undergrowth, again bringing across the feelings of loss of life.

I think these images would work well as large litho prints, a small body lost within a large page of undergrowth, giving the feeling of being discarded and forgotten. More to be developed....

Dead. -Click for full image. 

Red Skirt - Click for full image.

New Pens. New Style.

 

Recently, I have purchased a Pentel brush pen and a few other coloured brush pens after reading that Lucy Knisley uses one (I love her artwork in French Milk.)

I found that after my first sketch (above) my style had almost completely changed. I don't believe my style changed wholly because of the pen, but that it helped manifest this change. I think the main contributing factor to this change is Craig Thompson.

A few weeks ago I purchased both Habibi and Blankets by Craig Thompson, I absolutely adore these books, both the artwork and the stories are beautiful. I heartily recommend them to everyone, whatever your interest is in books.

I believe the stories have influenced the way in which I now see narratives and the way my linework has progressed into something more graphic based than the mess it was before.I think I will continue working and developing in this way with brush pens because I enjoy the comic/graphic based element my work has now gained.

New hardback cover to 'Blankets' by Craig Thompson.

Page Extract from 'Habibi' by Craig Thompson.