We're finally getting into the meat of the story and if you've been following the progress so far you already know this but the big reveal starts right here. Oh sure, there was a pretty obvious hint that this was coming on page two, but just in case you missed that obvious dangler in the centre of the page, . . . you know, the one with the bright red shirt, . . . buckle up, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
I'm actually a little farther along than this image reveals but I thought it would be best to start with the rough layout and pencils rather than an image with a lot of color and inking already done. This scene is our big splash page. It's where we not only reveal the main thrust of the story and the reason why somebody woke the Sheriff up so damn early, but we also reveal the title of the story and the credits. Those credits are important, really important. Why? Because that's me and my good friend Wayne and we deserve all the credit we can get (we usually just seem to get the blame).
I've always been big on credits. I'm the guy that sits in the theatre long after the movie is over to read every last line of the credits. I'm the guy that Marvel started filming all those epilogue scenes for at the end of their movies (I'm sure of it). I keep wondering why my name is never in those credits and then I remember I don't work on movies, . . . yet. I've always felt that each and every one of those people was important to getting the final product in front of the public and the only time anyone is ever going to know they exist (other than their friends and families who probably don't sit through the credits) is by watching those credits, so I watch them. Once this project is published my name will be right there in glorious process ink for all to see, right alongside Wayne's (who is already a well establish and award winning author entirely without my help). But enough about us, let's move on.
The scene below is fairly obvious and doesn't really need a lot of explanation . . . just an old guy hanging in the garage. Not a scene anyone wants to come home to, let alone wake up to when you find your significant other is not where they're supposed to be at three o'clock in the morning. If you were paying attention on page two there's more going on here than meets the eye, not the least of which is all that clutter along the back shelves. Remember my complaint about writers just having to say things like "the shelves were cluttered with tools and boxes" to set a scene in a novel? Yeah, well the artist has to actually stuff those shelves with something, and it better be period appropriate. I think our next project should take place in the open sea and involve a lot of water.
I think i've managed to portray the hanging correctly, even though I wasn't able to find anyone willing to model the scene for me. Not even that nice waitress we were discussing back in our January 21st post. Pretty sure she's not following the blog, but if she is "Hi there, glad to have you along for the ride." Based on the notes you can make out in this image there will once again be a few little lighting effects that I'll need to work out, but these should be a lot easier than before since I've already figured out a system that works . . . at least for me. If somebody out there wants to discuss a better way, feel free to speak up. I'm always open to new ideas, that's how I found myself doing this.
I'm actually a little farther along than this image reveals but I thought it would be best to start with the rough layout and pencils rather than an image with a lot of color and inking already done. This scene is our big splash page. It's where we not only reveal the main thrust of the story and the reason why somebody woke the Sheriff up so damn early, but we also reveal the title of the story and the credits. Those credits are important, really important. Why? Because that's me and my good friend Wayne and we deserve all the credit we can get (we usually just seem to get the blame).
I've always been big on credits. I'm the guy that sits in the theatre long after the movie is over to read every last line of the credits. I'm the guy that Marvel started filming all those epilogue scenes for at the end of their movies (I'm sure of it). I keep wondering why my name is never in those credits and then I remember I don't work on movies, . . . yet. I've always felt that each and every one of those people was important to getting the final product in front of the public and the only time anyone is ever going to know they exist (other than their friends and families who probably don't sit through the credits) is by watching those credits, so I watch them. Once this project is published my name will be right there in glorious process ink for all to see, right alongside Wayne's (who is already a well establish and award winning author entirely without my help). But enough about us, let's move on.
The scene below is fairly obvious and doesn't really need a lot of explanation . . . just an old guy hanging in the garage. Not a scene anyone wants to come home to, let alone wake up to when you find your significant other is not where they're supposed to be at three o'clock in the morning. If you were paying attention on page two there's more going on here than meets the eye, not the least of which is all that clutter along the back shelves. Remember my complaint about writers just having to say things like "the shelves were cluttered with tools and boxes" to set a scene in a novel? Yeah, well the artist has to actually stuff those shelves with something, and it better be period appropriate. I think our next project should take place in the open sea and involve a lot of water.
I think i've managed to portray the hanging correctly, even though I wasn't able to find anyone willing to model the scene for me. Not even that nice waitress we were discussing back in our January 21st post. Pretty sure she's not following the blog, but if she is "Hi there, glad to have you along for the ride." Based on the notes you can make out in this image there will once again be a few little lighting effects that I'll need to work out, but these should be a lot easier than before since I've already figured out a system that works . . . at least for me. If somebody out there wants to discuss a better way, feel free to speak up. I'm always open to new ideas, that's how I found myself doing this.
From here on in I'm going to have to do a little more research to make sure that the products on the shelf are at least somewhat accurate for the time this story takes place. You'll also want to be on the lookout for any red herrings I leave lying about as well as an assortment of easter eggs that you'll discover throughout the story. Some of these will be obvious, while others will likely be more obscure and the only people who'll figure it out are those friends and family who are close to Wayne and I. The title alone is a bit of a red herring, but I'll leave that one for you to discover on your own as the story unfolds.
Anyway, while Wayne is off enjoying a much needed vacation in the Mexican sun and shirking his writing duties, I shall persevere in the cold Canadian winter (it's currently -22°C and feels like -30°C) and continue to ink and color these first ten pages. It'll probably take longer than the time he's away but every page has to start somewhere. Don't feel too sorry for me, we're planning our own family vacation in the Mexican sun a few weeks from now if the stars all align correctly, where I can relax and draw out the next dozen pages or so while sitting on the beach with a nice cold one, or three.
Hmm, speaking of a cold one, I wonder what's in the ice box.
Anyway, while Wayne is off enjoying a much needed vacation in the Mexican sun and shirking his writing duties, I shall persevere in the cold Canadian winter (it's currently -22°C and feels like -30°C) and continue to ink and color these first ten pages. It'll probably take longer than the time he's away but every page has to start somewhere. Don't feel too sorry for me, we're planning our own family vacation in the Mexican sun a few weeks from now if the stars all align correctly, where I can relax and draw out the next dozen pages or so while sitting on the beach with a nice cold one, or three.
Hmm, speaking of a cold one, I wonder what's in the ice box.