The Wrap that Unravels

Hello Readers!

Well. What a journey it has been. I hope you've enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure you won't like the abruptness of this ending, but let me know (I can't imagine you, IG, not voicing your thoughts, good thing too!). 

In my defence, had I put in a bit more background and a panel here and there (which, I could still do, Your Honour) it might make a bit more sense and feel less abrupt. Anyway, here you go.  The final installment of Flight of Fancy.

Page 130

Page 131

You might not care about the artwork and I am delighted you don't stumble on the drawings and they help tell the story seamlessly such that you're in it, not seeing it.  That's great.

But I care about the artwork, which is why I put this thing up here; to (as you requested IG) tell a longer form story, to draw it and talk about the drawings and the process. I've never written or drawn a graphic novel.

That first panel has some of my favorite tricks - drawing cars and people small, as if they are models we're looking down on, but putting Fancy and Amar closer to the camera adds some nice depth and allowed me to put the dialogue in context.  Panels 2 and 3 are nicely drawn, especially the image of Fancy.  If her design wasn't settled before this (2nd last page), it wouldn't ever cement!

And page 131, inside the trailer. I really like these two panels - nice perspective, characters placed well. I had to draw and paste in a few more people into the photo (2nd last panel) which is why the blue lines are a bit of a jumble.

So... about the story and the way I told this ending, I really didn't want the shouting match and forced dialogue between Fancy and Lawrence in which he reveals why he did all this.  I don't believe those shouty shout-fests are realistic. I think they are there for the audience to understand why things were done.  If the storyteller did their job right (which I didn't) and shows a character's experience well enough (I should go back and add more from Lawrence's past), then they should piece together the reasons for the character's actions.

About Lawrence, he doesn't care if people know why he's done what he did, so why would he explain? For some reason he feels justified.  Isn't that how life is... why does anybody do anything, and do we even know why we, ourselves do things?  Not always completely.

Regarding Fancy's line about "a cork board covered in a spider's web of yarn strung between pictures and cryptic messages on post-it notes", I find that (cork board) is a tired image that speaks about someone's convoluted, often crazy plan. If you have to make a plan so convoluted that you can only keep it in your head by making one of these cat's cradle things, how do you put on your pants in the morning, and if the police have to make one up to figure something out, maybe they need to go to the "the simplest explanation is often the correct one". 

Lawrence might want to blow up as many jets as he can and wreck Fancy's life, but he's not crazy.

... and yes, I see as I write this post that Lawrence should not have said he didn't want to hurt Fancy and her mom.  He's obviously got a hate on for Fancy's (dead) father, so why not spread the hate around a bit further!

I did want to work in a thread against the Canadian Government and Canadians in general thinking they are helping when they should probably just stay out, especially in over-seas military conflicts.  I don't know, I'm no politician or global strategist, I just draw stuff.

So... there you go.  Again, I hope you enjoyed the ride. After all said and done I think it worked out pretty well, even though I didn't write out the story before hand. The only thing I wrote was one page of dialogue (about mid way through the story) and the epilogue. It is more fun, and more challenging, not to write it out ahead of time, but I think doing so would have helped the story turn out better, but I felt by doing so, I'd be killing my interest in drawing it - I needed to discover the story as I drew it.

So... what to draw next?!

Down to Earth

 Hello Reader(s)!  Well.  Well, well, well.  

We're in the home stretch and for your patience with my slow posting (and my need to get this thing outta my office!!) here are three whole pages!

Page 127

 

Page 128

Page 129

OK!  

Well!

Page 127 looks good.  I like the high shot as the jet comes in, flying over the wreckage.  The shadows helpled "sell" the idea.  In the next drawing down I wanted to show Fancy leaning forward and to her left so she's look a bit more intense.  I had to draw this panel twice. Jet landing... nice.  Maybe you noticed in the last image on the page the panels are broken apart a bit.  I did that because I needed to show as much of Fancy's arms and hands to make it clear she'd taken her AR goggles off so that meant I had to push that panel vertically.  I hope it doesn't break the reading flow.

I like page 128 a lot. The 2nd panel, where she's sitting down but looking back behind her is a pretty good drawing. I knew I wanted to draw this but it took a few tries. I know I crossed the axis between the first and second panels, but I hoped with the lighting, dialogue and sound FX, the audience (you, IG) would understand time had passed.  

AW... and who's waiting there in the chopper, but her two long lost, presumed dead pals, Marcel and Jake, looking a bit beaten up.  That was a HAAARD drawing to do.  I started by drawing as much of the interior of the helicopter, and the floor, as I could, then I did Marcel and then Jake.  When I finished I realized I had Marcel in the wrong outfit, not the tracksuit he was in a few dozen pages ago, so out came the eraser!

I like how that page ends on those two guys.  It gives the reader a bit of a breather, perhaps feel a grateful relief, as (we later see) Fancy is.

And yes, Page 129, we get Fancy's reaction.  It's subtle, not gushing, because she's not a gusher.  She's been through a lot, but she's still a rock, till, of course, Jake hugs her.  Aww!

And then the rest of that page is just getting to the last panel where we see Lawrence's body.  That was a fairly challenging drawing to do.  I found I had to start with the arm and then draw the body and head last.  I think the limp hand communicates Lawrence is dead.

Well, there we are.  But don't worry.  I think we've got one more installment and the you'll have to find something else to read!  Sigh!  Unless... I come up with something else to post!

Cutting Off

Hello Reader(s), including you, Mr. Ghost!

Hope you are well and enjoying the warm weather. Hope it's not too hot where you are.  But enough of that, right?!  You want the next installment of Fancy.  Well here it is!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 125

Page 126

Not much to say about these pages, all solid drawings, clear action.

And about the action, there's a lot of it on these pages.  I'm pretty pleased with them.  I did plan on having a bit in here where Fancy stomps on one of the pedals and her injury acts up and she nearly crashes, but I couldn't see how or where to put that in so... I cut that part.  That bit might happen in the re-write (WHAT?!  RE-WRITE?!  Does that mean you're going back in and are going to clean it up and fix these things?!  Well, no, I'm just saying that's what should be done in a re-write).

You'll notice the top of Fancy's head is cut off in page 125 in the first panel.  I drew her whole head and did think about adjusting the cropping so she was totally in the frame but it's more dynamic this way.  

For page 126, I was going to flip the horizontal position of those two middle panels so we see her thumb poised above the trigger first and then her angry / determined expression next, but when I tried that I saw the cropping of both of those would need to be adjusted but I also thought it worked better as drawn here.

I like how it looks like she's going to fire a volley at the falling jet, but then BAM (or rather GGRRRSSH) it crashes into the dirt.  OOOOF, and Fancy pulls up just in time. Ooh, this would be a good place for her foot to pain her and she could almost crash and then... hey, maybe I would work that in to the next pages!  HMMMM!!!

Damn You, Lawrence!!

Hi Hi.  

Yes.  Too long since last post.  Yes, I'm supposed to be on vacation and what am I doing not drawing this comic every day and getting it done like I said I would.  Ok, ok.  Complaint noted.  But lookit this... three pages!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 122 

Page 123

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 124 

OK!  Well, I think the action is really good here and quite clear, but looking at it I think I could have made it a bit more obvious that Fancy flew past / through the wreckage on page 23's middle panel.  Even adding a "Whoosh" sound effect would have helped.

The drawings are pretty solid, the weakest being the last on page 123 at the bottom right. 

So, as you may know this thing is taking WAAAAAYYYY too long to draw.  Nearly two years, I think, and as you know, it's twisted and turned in ways I haven't expected, but those turns have made the story more interesting and unexpected (I think).  Yes, it probably needs a re-write and some of those twists unkinked and some others added.  But to my original point, it's taking too long and over the past few weeks I've been quite dis-interested in the story.  But the great thing is, by posting these pages, I'm a bit re-inspired, even if the dialogue and the repeated use of "Damned you, Lawrence" is a bit tired!

Glad you're with me in this journey, and yes, kids... we're almost there!

Turning The Other Way

Hello Readers,

Yes, I missed posting last week.  I'm SAAAAWRY, ok?!  Yes, I'm not crazy busy so what got in my way, right?  Jeez you're tough.  Ok, you're right, I had no good excuse except that sometimes I feel like I have no idea how to finish this story and I'm really doubting myself and how to wrap this up so I guess I've been procrastinating and letting playing with the dog while listening to evening news get in the way of my precious drawing time. 

Maybe these two pages and a bit of extra something will shut you up.  WHAA?!  I didn't say that!  Just look at the pretty pictures, would'ja?

 

Page 120

Page 121

I saw a presentation recently in which someone was talking about the various shots we use in cinematography and I realized I've not been using the close-up enough.  So in the first two panels I did that camera move in so that you, my dear audience, can better see Fancy's expression.  I think by doing so the drama is amped up.

And then the crashes! OOF.  Doing these panels made me realize I don't have very many words for sound effects and probably need to develop more.  Anyway, fun drawings of crunching jets.  It's not clear what crashed in the middle panel, but I hope you inferred that it was two of Lawrence's jets, 'cause it was.

After I finished page 120 and had moved on... or tried to move on, I realized I didn't like the way I ended that page.  Here's what the original panel looked like:

 

 It shows Fancy turning back to see the wreckage and try to determine if anybody made it out alive.  I felt like I've told this story in a too meandering way, not direct enough, and I felt that if I want to end this thing, I gotta step on the gas and get it done, which meant not breaking away from the fight to see if her buddies are ok and then returning to the fight, but instead, push on harder with the fight as we see on page 121!

There she goes, firing off energy bursts but missing.  Nice drawings there, especially the last one on the page.  I drew the smoke trail once but it was a bit too much in profile, and I realized by adding some volume to it I could really add some depth to the shot and suggest that jet is coming close to the camera and high over the others which makes it tons cooler.  Look out, Fancy!

Adding to the Heap

 Hello Readers.

Well, after some quick drawing, I've got two more pages for you, but like Lawrence, you're right on my tail. I gotta speed up my progress on this and bank a few pages!

Ok, less talk (for now)...

 

Page 118

Page 119

Page 118 is ok, but nothing too exciting.  I was going to post just that one page, but I thought you needed more.

But page 119!  WHOA!!! Looks like Marcel and Jake are out, as are two of those little jets, but which side lost 'em?  

When I started on page 119, I had the first panel as you see it, but then I drew a larger one of Dave, but the flow on the page wasn't so good. I thought doing a little insert of him (like you see here) would be better.  It makes the action a bit punchier but also more fluid from panel to panel.

Fun action of the planes all smashing together, and the last panel is pretty cool - these big planes dropping and the suggestion on fire on the screen left jet.  Marcel sounds pretty frantic with this "EJECT, EJECT!", and Jake, ever the cool cucumber just says "Ditto"!

Did I mention page 118 marks the end of another one of these scribblers?  I'm on book 10 now!  Who'da thunk'it!

All Barrels

 Hello Readers!

What a page we have here!  Lots aerial action.  But enough talk, right?!  

Page 117

Well, Fancy suggested she'd bring on the fight, and with her team, such as it is, she does!

This page was kind of hard in that I'm trying to suggest Fancy is flying in the middle position as four other jets barrel roll around her, guns a'blazin', but of course, this being a comic with still images, well, how do you do it?

Draw a bunch of images of the jets in various positions?  That would slow down the action.  Draw one panel with a bit of an arc on the side of the circling jets to suggest they're drifting around... well, that's what I did.  I hope it works.  

 Another challenge with this middle panel was showing the firing projectiles while making any look like they were hitting another, not covering up the jets too much and to show depth throughout. I did a bit of shading to help that.  A bit of photoshop blurring to suggest motion and depth would really help too.

That last panel was drawn smaller but I realized it needed to be bigger to add more impact.  Could probably be bigger yet and closer to the viewer.

What Goes Around

Hello Readers, and in this week's case, active participants!

Here's a couple pages of your beloved "Flight of Fancy"!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Page 115

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 116

I know you don't think I listen or take advice, Mr. IG, but I do!  AHA! 

You suggested we see Lawrence's reaction to Fancy's "Let's see how you like it" line. Yes, I shoulda probably put this page in sooner, especially after Fancy's shouty tyrade on page 109, but... and this page 115 might mean I need to nix some other pages especially because the dialogue is a bit of a repeat from page 109.  Dunno.  Let's see what happens when this story is finished.

Page 115 was a bit of a challenge because  I wanted the characters to look like they're talking to each other even though they are in different jets. I had Fancy's jet turn 180 degrees in the middle right panel so that her jet's screen direction would match that of page 116's, which, incidentally was done before page 115.  It was also kinda hard because I hadn't drawn Lawrence in so long I forgot how he looked!

Fancy's expression on the last panel of 115 is quite nice, and yes, I purposely didn't draw Lawrence's eyes in the middle left panel so to make him look more superior and un-readable.

On page 116, I like the drawing on the top right - it and the bottom panel are nicely drawn, but I especially like how this hearkens back to the start of the story when Fancy was trying to fight some enemy jets and her team didn't know the maneuvers she wanted them to do. Oh, what goes around comes around.

... and thanks for the comments and input.  VERY helpful!

Putting the Team Together

 Hello Fans of Fancy.  

We're getting there (I hope), slowly getting to the end.  Oh boy.  And to get there, I guess you need to see some more pages... Jeez, you are demanding.  Ok, ok...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 113

Page 114

Surprisingly good drawings on these pages.  I like the first one on page 113 where Dave is pushing the AR goggles at one of his "volunteers" and especially the guy's chin down, pinky finger up pose. Very expressive of his "wha?!!" silent reaction.  

It's a darn good thing I did a wider view of those flight simulator chairs and the overall setup, because I knew how it looked so it was easy to draw.  Having said that, when it came to drawing them again on page 114, I wasn't so happy.  "What?!  This again?!" I complained.  "Who wrote this thing?!"

Nice drawings of Lawrence's jets flying, very dynamic and for some reason (maybe the shape of the jets) those panels remind me of "The Rocketeer".

The last two panels on 114 didn't quite work out as dynamically as I'd hoped... I wanted to give a greater sense of the hijacked jets peeling away.  I think I should have made them bigger as if coming closer to the camera.

It's pretty hard to describe dynamic action and camera moves with moving objects (jets) with still drawings.  If you ever figure out how to do that effectively, IG, let me know, ok?!

Snarf!!

On Course?!

Hello long suffering readers who have had to wait SOOO long for a posting and new pages.  Sorry!  This comic is going on WAAAAYYY too long and I've got to wrap it up... this summer! I'll get it done this summer.  No that's not a commitment, it's a plan, a shaky one, but one I hope to follow.

Speaking of plans... well...  I think Fancy's working on one. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 111

 

Page 112

Fortunately all the drawings turned out well... sorry they're a bit smudgy and hard to read in places. 

I drew page 112 a bit differently than you see it here.  I had the middle panel at the bottom.  With this new arrangement, it makes the dogfight action more continuous and dynamic, but the action is harder to interpret.  If I ever draw that middle panel again, I'll have to make it look more like the Lawrence's pursuing jets are dispersed from the trajectory dictated in the first panel.

I love those last two panels - seeing Dave run to this hanger building called "the Tail Spin", then Dave busting in the door calling for pilots.  I like the two guys in the foreground - their designs are fun and the poses are really good.  I realized the bar name "Tail Spin" wasn't great because Fancy referred to the pursuing jets as "tailgaters".  Either I change Fancy's words or rename the bar... Loop de loop?  Friendly Skies?  Barrel Roll?  Great Beyond?  Wing Nut?  Got any ideas, IG?

Twisting & Turning

Good-day Readers!

Slowly, slowly we approach the end... I think I'm getting there, I... I think... I... I hope! 

 

Page 109

Page 110

Like me and this comic, Fancy isn't outta this battle yet, but she's taking it to the aggressor.

Regarding page 9, it's a pretty good page. I think I like the middle left and bottom panels best.  Middle left was hard to draw and the bottom one looks exciting.

And page 10, a fast, direct read of what's going on. Not super great, but good enough.  Drawing this page made it clear just how tricky it is to draw those little jets!  I'm not wild about the spiral con-trails but I couldn't think how to show that action any other way.

But what's this?!

This is how I started page 109. It looks tonnes cooler and more exciting what with her getting hit again. The top right and bottom images are really good. I was going to do another drawing beside the bottom one from about the same angle showing the jet tumbling.

So why didn't I continue? That last panel was pretty tough to do and when I got looking at it and tried to figure out how the next image should be, I thought I had the tumble going in the wrong direction and the first tumbling drawing should be second... or maybe not... I couldn't figure it out. 

Also, I felt I had get on with Fancy's "What the hell are you doing?!" speech, to show how she's taking the bull by the horns now.

And page 110... well, just as I was writing this blog I decided to keep it.  I was going to scrap the page altogether.  Next week you'll see the next page and see how this page 110 could safely be jettisoned without creating a hole.

To be continued!!!

On Course

 Hello Readers,

Well, here we are again with another GREAT page of Flight of Fancy!

 

 

 

 

 

Page 108

That's a pretty tall order to say this is a GREAT page, but I think it's pretty all right!

I really like that Fancy actually flies the little jet through a barn and it is especially funny that Dave is giving her warnings just as we see the next obstacle. Really nice drawings in those first 4 panels.  They're action-packed and pretty clear.  The jet looks good throughout and the environment is also well drawn.  Maybe you noticed the tractor on the previous page?  When I got to this page, I wondered/lamented not putting it on the other side of the barn.  I didn't want to draw it again, so that's why we only see half of it.  

The bottom left panel is pretty good - it's hard to suggest Fancy is talking to someone who's not beside her, while still actively flying the jet, and also a challenge to draw her from a slightly different angle each time to make it not repetitive.  

I really like that last drawing of Dave at the laptop in Lawrence's hanger where the AR station was set up.  It's a good drawing and puts him back (visually) into the story. This development that he's networked into the other jets, well... I'm not entirely sure what all the implications are of that and what he can and can't do with that connection, but, well... let's find out together as the adventure continues in... "Flight of Fancy"!  Cue end credits!

Down, Down, Down

 Hello Hello!  

Ok, yes, posting on the right day, but, sadly, just one drawing today, but I think it's a good one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 107

So what makes this a good one?  A few things... that first panel with Fancy's jet careening toward the landscape is dynamic and the trailing jets help show where her jet has come from, and the number of pursing jets is pretty threatening.

The panel of inside the cockpit has a really nice drawing of Fancy.  She looks cartoony, but I think I like this design the best.  It suits the story style.

And that last panel... WHAAAA?!  She's heading for a barn?  OH NO!!!

I also like the dialogue.  Fancy sounds calm, in the first panel.  Then talking to Dave brings him back into the picture (even though we don't see him here), which is important because we need to keep all the players still in the audience's mind.  And then the fact that he warns her about the barn before we, the audience see it is fun and startling. 

Things I could have fixed/improved on?  I think the first panel should have a bit of a dutch tilt, but I was having enough trouble drawing the landscape in perspective amid the lines printed on the paper! And the angle on the last panel is bit high. Might look better if the camera angle were lower and we could see more into the barn, to better suggest Fancy's trajectory.

Anyway, hope you like it.

Going Down

Hello All!  That is... everyone who isn't trying to get me to post non-Flight-of-Fancy comments here!

And yes, I'm probably getting those messages because I haven't posted in a week nor looked at my email to see who else posted comments, like you, IG!  Thanks for the encouragement and ongoing enthusiasm for this silly project!

So, to reward your patience, here are two pages!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 105

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 106

"WHAT?!" I can hear you saying..."I had to wait two weeks for that and it took 10 seconds to read?!"

Ok, fair point. Let's talk about this.

Good drawings, right?!  Character designs are consistent.  Good movement across the pages and through the panels. Dynamic camera angles, check check check.

Yes, you're right, IG, I also think I forgot to put in a 3rd (conventional) jet in the top right panel of page 105. Easily fixed, but I figured I'd leave it for now. I like the "quiet" middle panel there.  It adds space and a bit of a pause and works well with the last panel there on 105, which again, slows the action a bit and adds a bit of anticipation, like "why's it so quiet in here" before... BOOOM!  Page 106!

Or should I say "KiiSH".  Yeah, I didn't know what sound effect to use there and I think I've over-used "BOOM".  But I like this page, it's right back into the action.  I like how the enemy missiles make a different sound (FFFSSSSS sounds very futuristic, doesn't it?!).

That first panel should probably be flipped horizontally to preserve the flow, but... as you can see in this quick bodge...

... the missiles need to be on the left side of the panel so they get seen and read before seeing the jet get hit.

And the "Going down" panel is really cool.  Good trail of smoke that suggests how Fancy's little jet is tumbling down toward... farm fields?! Hope she can get outta this mess.

Going to War

 Hello Readers,

Here's another installment.  Gotta say, what with the current news, I question creating a story like this... I mean, war isn't supposed to be fun.  But, I'm in it this far, let's try to finish this up, right?

And then I'll go on to another one of my stories... and yes, it has war and conflict in it too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 104

Pretty solid drawings throughout. 

The middle left panel is fun in that we can get a good idea of the comparative size of the jets - Fancy's is SOOO small!  I was juggling the placement of panels but needed to pay more attention to the dialogue.  I think it should read something like "That jet is so small it's amazing we even tagged you."

The middle right panel is quite nicely drawn.  It was kinda hard to draw to show her reaching up to touch the canopy.  I don't really like drawings with extreme foreshortening, so I didn't want to draw her hand close to the camera and the rest of her body back from it.  I think the one I drew works well... believe it or not I tried a bunch of  hand poses, but this one was most readable while keeping the bullet hole/burn visible.

Ohh, and that stern face in the last panel... looks like Fancy's has taken the gloves off.  Look out, Lawrence!  I wonder how it will end.  If you know, IG, please tell me!

Coming Around

 Hello Readers!

Well, I was trying to slow down posting pages, but these two really had to go together to keep the continuity.  Here they are, I hope you like them.

Page 102

 

 

 

 

 

Page 103

I really like that top panel on 102, seeing so many planes lifting off and scattering at once.  That sure would be something to see.  The next two panels were a bit of a challenge because I wanted really fast action, like BAM BAM BAM.  

As I mentioned at the start, I posted these two pages to keep continuity, and it is from the action on 102 to 103 and Jake's comment "We blew right past 'em", that needed to be kept together to help explain what happened.  

And the fast action continues, and I think it's pretty fun action too.  

The drawings throughout are good.  I still need to revise the design of Lawrence's little jets - they don't look good in a number of angles, not iconic or recognizable enough.  Also they don't look tough enough.

Maybe you noticed I've Fancy's AR goggles are transparent here.  I realized the audience needed to see her eyes, so in this page and the following ones we see her eyes.  I'll have to come up with some tech-y like stuff around the edges of the frames, like circuitry or chips or something.

And looking at page 103, I crossed the axis between the close shot of Fancy and her jet getting tagged.  Looks like I need to flip those first 4 panels all horizontally. 

Lifting Off

Hello Long Suffering (and still Faithful) Readers!

Here's page 101, relatively hot off the pencil!

 

Page 101

I recall you (I.Ghost) have commented that you go through these pages too fast.  Well there is lostsa writing on this page, so that might slow you down a bit.

As mentioned previously, these past few pages have been rather hard, and looking at this one, I think I know more why that is so.  There's a few different threads and groups of characters and action all coming together here and it was a challenge to juggle them and present each bit in an understandable, logical way.

I like the establishing shot at the top left, to bring us back to Fancy, and then Fancy in that little jet talking to Dave (sorry about his "Checking" comment being so hard to see (and easy fix in cleanup... not that doesn't mean I've decided to clean this thing up).  

I like those next two panels - establishing shot of the control tower and then the traffic controller.  The text / dialogue isn't entirely clear about who's coming, but I hope if you read these pages in close succession you'd know who is being referred to (it's Lawrence and his armada of course!!!)

The last panel was a tough one to figure out how to draw.  A down shot of the planes taking off (as you see here) works well, but I think it is too small.  The panel needs more vertical space and with that I would have been able to draw some of the airplanes nosing up more, to better suggest they are taking off.

A Bit At A Time

 Hello Readers,

Just one page today, cause I don't want you catching up on me too fast, but also, let's savour this a bit, smell the roses, take our time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Page 100 

Here's that van again.  I decided since I put so much work and effort into showing the side of it a few pages ago but didn't use that view, that I'd use that view here.

I really like that middle panel.  Jake's design looks like it has solidified, and just in time, the story's almost done!  And Marcel looks great there too.  Yep, we've got 'em figured out, and what it is it...only page 100.

PAGE 100!!!!

WOW!  How'd we get here?!  a little bit at a time I guess.  I didn't think this story was such a big idea and it isn't but it has obviously taken a while to tell, and I'm still telling it as you can see by the (oh so subtle) suggestion in the last panel that there might be trouble for Fancy in the near future! 

STAY TUNED, dear... Ah, you've come along this far, it's probably safe to assume you're in to the bitter end!

Putting It Together

Hello Readers!

Trucking a-long here, not fast, but making progress... I think!  It's risky giving you two pages because you're creeping up on what I've done (or not done) most recently!  Gasp! Gotta keep drawing, gotta keep drawing - Isn't that what Dory said?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 98

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 99 

Ok, so some well drawn pages here.  No complaints.  Good looking characters, good looking backgrounds / environments.  The text is a bit hard to see, but... small potatoes.

Maybe you noticed the pages are cut strangely and perhaps the order of the panels (page 99) is a bit odd... well, ok.  You got me!

I don't know why but these last few pages have been a real challenge.. It's like I lost direction.  Not sure what to do next, what to tell, what needs to be told and in what order.  So the content you see above was spread across three pages and needed to be put together. Now that I look at it, it looks cohesive, but if you jumped into the story right here you might wonder what's so important about the darned airport?!  

Ah, and I know you LOOOOVE to get extra material so...

As you can see I drew all of Marcel sitting on the sofa.  This was a pretty tough drawing.  Initially he was in a more modern chair, not this sofa, but the chair looked too simple, too insubstantial, so I made it a sofa.

Why is this at all important?  

Well, I had a teacher that said when animating, don't just draw what will be seen on screen, if you can, draw the feet even if they are out of the frame, draw the whole pose because it'll make the part the audience sees look better.

I took that advice and look and... it worked!  The drawing looks great, even if I had to crop it.

All Over the Place

 Hiya Readers!

Two pages here as well as some behind the scenes/dropped artwork.  Hope you like 'em!

 

 

 

Page 96

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 97

Ok, so I'm not so keen on Jake in the first panels of page 96.  He looks waaaay too cartoony, right down to that goofy grin.  The action is good, but not sure the panel lines help describe what's happening.  I was trying to draw multiple "shots" within one background.

Those last two panels are good.  I like how there's the sense he might make it to the jet but... NO!!!  Now that I look at it I wonder if I should have had the fuel truck blow up too, but that would really mess up the panels, let alone Jake and we need him for the next page!!

Page 97 worked out quite well.  Good drawings even if the woman (Fran?! - did I ever name that character?!) doesn't look rattled or concerned enough.  The drawing of the van and the guys running to it is great and the last panel looking in the windshield looks good, even if it was a bit of a bodge job.

How much of a bodge? Not much, but take a look at these pages:

I wasn't too sure about this page which is why I stopped working on it... I thought we needed a shot of Jake before he started running to hook up better with the previous page.  The drawings of Jake look a lot better.

And on this page you'll notice I drew the shot of the van twice.  I nixed the side shot Amar helping Jake into the van because I didn't think it looked nearly dynamic enough.

So?  Whacha think?  Or are you still just scanning the story and not really paying too much attention to the A-MAAAZING artwork?!