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SpringyNinja — Mini Comic Panel 03
Published: 2005-10-07 01:00:42 +0000 UTC; Views: 284; Favourites: 0; Downloads: 14
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Description
I've mentioned briefly working on a collaborative Mini Comic Jam.I don't know what you call the method, but essentially it's a chain letter style of creating. Each person has a week to write and draw the next page in the story, and I had the benefit of sitting right in the middle at page twelve.
The best thing about being in the middle is that I get some history to build on, but at the same time, I still have all the room in the world to go where I want with it. That really played to my sensibilities as a person who likes to write stories rich with continuity, and relative reference.
Until the entire story is finished, I'm not supposed to be dropping any stuff, but I thought one panel minus lettering wouldn't hurt too bad.
Oh! I didn't even think! I'm free to talk about the art itself.
Yeah, there are things I can see now (on a lighter monitor, as always) that I would change.
I ended up making the character on the left a lot thicker than I meant. He kind of has a nice amount of detailing, and then I just get lazy and do a long vertical line straight down, and fill it with greytone.
Overal, especially with the graphic in the background, I was trying to draw attention to the characters, and sort of give the feeling of an old news reel, or newspaper photograph kinda thing. I think it's just working with all the black and white greytones that made me feel like that.
I can't really say anything.
The character on the right is my original contribution to the story, so I guess I could loosely mention a few things about him.
I'll say straight away that he is NOT inspired by Namor.
He's actually inspired by a similar looking character that I liked, but was afraid of, as a young boy, called the Spider. He's a British character that appeared in an anthology re-print comic here called VULCAN. So, I took some loose inspiration from him.
Like Namor, the Spider was a bad guy a lot of the time, but also a good guy when the time was right.
Asthetic similarities are obvious: black hair, widow's peak, pointy ears, exaggerated eyebrows. As I tend to do, I ignored the overly cartoony, and went with non-existant shadowed eyebrows.
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Comments: 28
you know... your art has a little of jae lee's style... who is an artist that I realy like
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Ha! Thanks!
Yeah, I'm a bit of a Jae Lee fan.
LOVED his work on the recent Batman: Jekyll & Hyde mini-series!
When I first started experimenting with the 'technique,' I was thinking of those minimalist Russian style posters that usually have three different colours. You know the ones I mean? I suppose they're vector art.
I started out with red, black and white - and things were probably a little more blocky and refined.
Then it kind of morphed into a more organic, Mike Mignola kinda deal.
I guess it's somewhere between Mignola and Jae Lee -- on a much lower level.
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me too... I love his work
I was actually in a comic book shop yesterday.. and I saw Batman Jekyll and hyde... but it was number 3.. I might buy the trade if they collect that...
I di get the ult fantastic four annual that he drew... I don't know the posters that you mentioned..
you know.. I really like those artists
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Yeah, Jae Lee is great!
I didn't realise he did the UFF annual! I was reasonably interested before, but now I'm even more interested! If I ever get some money, I might have to pick it up!
I didn't really get into it, but I liked some of his stuff on the Inhumans in the regular Marvel Universe.
Jekyll & Hyde is great! Lee only does the first three issues, and they're awesome!
Definitely one that would fit neatly into a trade!
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to darker, more gritty and "realistic" artists.
I still like the super heroey guys, and the cartoony dudes, though.
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you know I was thinking about buying his inhumans and sentry trades...
i like those kind of artists too.. but i dont mind the cartoony superhero guys either
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Yeah, Inhumans never grabbed me, but I wouldn't mind checking out the Sentry stuff. Especially with the new relevence of the character.
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This is nicely done, the backgrounds, shadows & characters mesh together well. There could be more detail on the bodies, but I don't think you need it necessarily. Your style works well as it is.
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Thanks dude!
The guy on the left could DEFINITELY do with more detail, and/or better shape.
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This certainly looks promising! Keep us updated.
HUSH
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Cheers! Will do!
Probably won't be any news for around ten weeks, but here's hoping.
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Bah, I'm patient.
*sits, waits*
HUSH
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liking your style still
i'm telling everybody that you're telling us about it .. .nah sike! fooled ya! (corny, yeah i know, but i try)
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Thanks dude! I still don't have a lot of confidence in it, but I think I'm slowly but surely improving on some things.
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This Mini Comic Jam sounds fun. When can we expect to see it?
I really like this panel, btw. I would have had some criticism, but as usual, you've been far more harsh than I would have been.
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Cheers!
I think they're aiming for somewhere around twenty-two pages, and I was page twelve, so AT LEAST ten more weeks, I'd say.
Although, I did my page in under twenty-four hours, so that time might get scaled down if other people are quicker and super-cool like me!
I don't know if anyone else in the jam has a DA page, but ~chrisfason was page 1.
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Super-cool indeed. 
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Cheers!
We're discussing terms of ownership, but I'm hoping to do my own spin-off story which I'll have a crack at drawing myself. That probably doesn't sound amazing, but I'm not exactly a fan of my art, and had pretty much dismissed the idea of ever drawing anything.
I figure the expectations of a mini-comic are low enough, that I might give it a try.
On my older PC, it's also easier to work with those dimensions than a full size comic.
I'm pretty chuffed by some of the ideas, so I'm thinking about going further, at the very least, with the character I created.
I will almost certainly try to sell it to you when/if it becomes available.
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Well, you're not Michelangelo, but I think your art is solid enough to tell a story. You have every right to be confident, in my opinion.
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Hopefully I'll be able to make something worthwhile.
I've actually starting toying around another idea, that I might pursue instead (or maybe even AS WELL).
Not sure, have to see how it goes. Still a bit shakey as far as the art goes...
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One of my friends writes novels, and he always has at least a dozen ideas on the backburner, hoping that one of them will be successful. Usually, it works. I think it's the best strategy.
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Yeah, I tend to have a lot of things on the go at any given time.
Well, I say that, I used to. Lately I'm suffering from the fact that nothing's actually getting finished.
My main project has been, from initial conceptual stages, in production for two years, and nothing else looks terribly close because finding the right artists who're willing to do the work under the circumstances given, are tough to find.
Which is probably the genesis of this renewed interest in drawing something myself.
When it's just me, at least I know things get done. The biggest problem is just that they won't get done as well as I'd like them to. I rely too heavily on photo reference to have the versatility of a comic artist who has some inherent talent.
So, I'm shuffling all these ideas for those reasons - and then there's just the matter of keeping interest and fresh perspective.
Originally when I started thinking about drawing a full mini comic myself, I was trying to come up with a new original idea that was unlike anything else I've worked on. I generally do urban crimey stories, or super hero stuff... so I was looking for a new perspective. I didn't find it, but I found something I'm happy with.
I don't know what I'm going to do right now.
I've started writing script for this new idea, which is more urban chessboard play -- so I might put the character in the deviation on the back burner for now. I'm not sure.
The new idea is pretty attractive right now, and I'm enthusiastic about it, but forty-eight hours ago I was enthusiastic about the guy with pointy ears... so... I really have no idea.
I definitely just need to start getting some work printed and done. It's too hard to keep the faith without that.
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If you have a look at my gallery, you'll find out that I'm no stranger to trying all kinds of different things. But of course, my perspective is completely different from yours, because I do it all for fun, and I have absolutely no ambition beyond having a good time and sending my deviantART pageviews throught the roof.
You, of course, don't have that luxury. Whether other people like what you do matters a lot, but it doesn't matter so much that you're actually willing to cheapen your art. I'm sure it's a fine line to walk, and I understand why it would be important to find ways to stay alert and keep the faith in your situation. That being said, I'm pretty sure that one or several of your projects will soon find their way into readers hands.
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Ha, I want pageviews too! The sentence I left off the last post was, "I need reassurance and attention, and there are only so many of you guys who actually comment on my drawings..." 
Oh God, meanwhile, here I am bitching about not getting comments when I have 280 Deviations in my watchbox I haven't even looked at yet! Some of them are probably yours too. Ugh, I'm a bad person!
Yeah, I know from mingling amongst other "creators" at the same entry level as me, that I'm a lot less open to compromise than most. A lot of guys will gladly write a super loose script, and just be a yes-man to an artist for the sake of getting it done.
In a way, I'd love to have that luxury, but for me it's about the art of words and presentation. If I could draw it all myself, I would, but I'm just not good enough. When I draw, I have to make concessions for myself that I would DESPISE in a professional artist, if I were collaborating with them.
Mini-comics have an easier, amateur tone, which is why I guess I'm going there.
And what you said, about being sure that something will make it out.
I guess that's part of the frustration. I mean, I've lost a lot of faith in myself in the last few years, but I think I've always known that at the very least I WILL have my name on a printed cover. And I KNOW I have the potential to go where I want to be, because I've always been the guy for this sort of thing. It's just such a motivational disaster these days.
And, over the last few years events have conspired to make me a very anxiety riddled person, which doesn't help at all.
Basically, the universe is conspiring against me!
It's taken away all the energy of supporters, and energy of creative influences (purchases) when I need them the most!
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Heh. Your post actually reminds me of this quote: "You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe."
Look at it this way: the day you get rid of your anxiety is the day you stop caring, so don't look forward to it. Your anxiety should be the force that whips your butt and forces you to do your best! Nobody ever said it was going to be easy. But I bet it's fun, from time to time...
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Wow, that's a nice quote.
Only... I don't deserve any bad things.
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I'm sure you don't!
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