Obviously I can't talk about this story. But suffice to say, I think it is a great story. I pretty much get to draw something new every page. This makes it exciting, interesting and fun.
I'm hoping I don't get in trouble posting these. They're just going to be excerpts from the panels. Not even full panels. This preview isn't even half of a panel!
So here's my own coloured style at work. It's a darker, moodier lighting scheme than what Annette uses. I like dark shadows, extreme fill lights and my airbrush tool. I will talk about it a bit more down the track. I'm no where near as technically good as Annette, so I try and do something totally different.
I selected this panel cos I think Hana looks really cool here. As I mentioned, it's not technically perfect, but I really like it.
But right now, I believe I have to back-track down the process and talk about what comes after the layouts.
RESEARCH AND REFERENCE
This process usually takes a night. I like to sit down and research everything I might possibly need about the story immediately. I believe research is an important tool. While I have a pretty good visual memory and mental "library" it's not perfect. People are constantly asking me, "Why can't you draw it from your head?"
My response is, "How many Simpsons episodes have you watched? A lot, right? Well how many spikes make up Bart's hair? Surely you can remember. While you could probably take a good guess, you probably really don't know. That's the sort of details I'm supposed to remember? Impossible!"
And I'm a stickler for details. The little things that make something convincing. I also don't like having to constantly stop my drawing having to research everything along the way. Research usually means either hitting the huge reference library I have or Google.
So for War Buddies here's what I researched:
1. Vietnam:
- Vietnamese peasant clothing
- US army uniforms
- Vietnamese jungle
- Vietnamese peasant huts
- m16s (all sorts of angles)
- mountainous backgrounds
- command tents
- US bases
- US jeeps
2. Likenesses:
- Malcolm McDowell
- Adrian Pasdar (as I said on a previous post, I felt Dallas should look like Nathan, as Peter looks like his mother. I also had to fit into what the previous artist had done).
I'm a big believer that if someone else has done the research, then go with that. So I grabbed Platoon and A Clockwork Orange (for the McDowell reference). To grab the Adrian Pasdar reference I went through my mental library of scenes and grabbed screen caps of images that I knew I would need. I tend to grab a LOT so I don't have to come back to this process, as it's tedious.
NEXT: DRAWING THE PAGE
7 comments:
Oh wow! She looks awesome, just like Stana Katic! The colouring is waaay different and kinda threw me for a loop for a second, but it adds a really great mood to the picture. Can't wait to see the finished product!
Any chance of a preview of your Matt? Really looking forward to your take on him.
-Leshia
So Hana finally pulls a gun on ... Mr. Bennet? (No harm in guessing, right?)
To be honest, I'm not familiar with your coloring style, so I was bit worried when you said Annette wouldn't be coloring the graphic novel. Fears allayed. Man, Jas, it looks great! It's very realistic, but with a dark, almost macabre feel. I'd love it if the whole thing has the same mood. Definitely matches the tone of the show.
Great info R&R. It's quite evident the amount of research you do. I'm only surprised you spend just one night on your research.
Oh, dude, talk about a tease. So who is she pointing the gun at then? You should have gone for a shot when she was looking thoughtful. Now i'm going to spend my time in a futile effort trying to match up people's hands.
It looks gorgeous though, I really can't wait to see it. It's going to be brilliant now we can get the comic fix after the show airs again. My download limit is going to start hating me again...
Leshia: Your wish is my command. Poor matt doesn't get a lot of mileage in this comic. I think he gets one line. =(
Ryan: Keep guessing. You will find out your track record when it goes online. =)
Jennifer: How can you do anything BUT download the printable versions of the comic? The online reader is blasphemy!
Thanks for the kind words guys. I wish I could show you the entire pages. They're so much nicer than just these snippets.
Your colouring style is significantly different than Annette's, Jason. Softer, but with a more intense contrast between darkness and light. Very interesting.
And as for posting teaser pics of a project that hasn't officially been released yet, without getting permission first...well, that's a fine line. Once, a few years back, I did something like that involving the Walt Disney Company. A couple of days later I got a registered letter from Disney's legal team ordering me to delete and destroy the material in question or face a multi-million dollar lawsuit.
My advice? Just be cautious about what you're posting and cover your ass when it comes to getting written permission, OK?
KJC
Jason, you rock! I've said it before, your Hana is so well done. And don't get me wrong, I'm really liking Annette's coloring, but this is really nice. I like the dark mood to it, I think it seems to suit the series in general as opposed to the normally bright colors (Not to say *anything* bad about any of the artists. at all. ever.). This just works :) Keep up the great work! :)
KJC is right, be cautious. But Disney is a lot different than NBC. NBC has all but released every scene of .07%. I agree, err on the side of caution, but I don't think there's anything wrong with the pics that are on this blog.
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