In the next image you can see that I've started to fill the shelves in the garage with products and equipment. You know, the usual stuff you would have seen on the shelves in an old guys garage back in the 70s, not the mass produced and orderly shelving we see nowadays. None of these are actual reproductions of existing products, they're more reminiscent of the original products than anything else, but if there are any product suppliers who would like to help sponsor this project and make their way into the pages of the graphic novel I'm sure we can work something out.
There are a lot of little details on this page that I'm proud of as well as a few that are more pertinent to the story, such as who our old dangler is. As the local pharmacist I was thinking he'd be pretty fastidious which explains that clean garage floor, and yet by the look of those shelves he wasn't a fanatic about it. I love the way the old push mower turned out and the little details like the hose on the wall or the calendar above the freezer.
The red glow along the bottom of the page comes from the police flashers, which also explains the red highlights on the pharmacist and the slightly pink glow to the freezer. Still not sure about the way I'm portraying the headlights but if I spend all my time researching every little detail we'll never get this done. As for the shadows on the wall, they're all his . . . just caught from different light sources (most notably the headlights and flashers from the police car).
If you were to zoom in on the back shelves you'd notice a few little easter eggs I'd placed among the products. These are things that even Wayne may have trouble finding but they keep the project interesting as I try to squeeze in little things here and there. Did anyone check out the upcoming movies playing at the cinema on page two. You really should, those were fun films. Let me know what you find and I'll tell you if you're right.
Another key point to this page, aside from identifying our hanged man and the title of our story, is the important part that tells you who is behind this project. That would be my good friend and award winning author Wayne Arthurson, and little old me the award phobic artist. It's not really that I wouldn't like an award, but many awards are based on you paying an entry fee in order to qualify and I really don't see that as an award . . . more like prepaid sponsorship. I've also set this page up to allow for the usual copyright, editorial, printing and other information that normally falls at the bottom of a title page. This is the stuff that gets added in later before you go to press but I figured I'd better plan for it now.
As happy as I am with the way page three has turned out, there's still something bothering me about the overall image. I had to step away from this for a few days to let it sink in and then it dawned on me . . . I was missing something. First off I was missing the fact that, even though I had left space at the bottom for additional information, once that was put in there I wouldn't have my red glow from the flashers . . . so I had to go in and adjust for that.
The other thing that was bothering me were the shadows. It wasn't that they weren't right, I was pretty sure that part was fine, but they just weren't foreboding enough for the splash page. So . . . back to the drawing board. In the image below you can see the finished page, without the indicia which has yet to be determined. I could always put something in there to take its place but I've decided to just leave the space blank for now.
Do you think the additional shadow helps the overall page? I certainly do, but feel free to give me feedback if you have any as I always enjoy constructive criticism. If youthink something looks "off" you may be right but if you don't tell me about I'll never know. Next up, page four for inking and colouring, while I finish up the pencils on pages eight through ten. Be back soon.