There's a lot going on with Ghiroy these days, mostly in my head and in notes I'm taking. While all that work on Delve Deep didn't lead to a comic, it wasn't a waste of time. It showed me the kinds of things I needed to do to get where I need to go. Having seen Scott McLeod, an old friend, speak recently, some gears started turning that haven't in awhile. I think I was going about Delve the wrong way; I was trying to use existing structure to dictate the story I was going to tell. Instead of having a story -I- wanted to tell, I was trying to construct one based on a formula. While that works for Hollywood, it doesn't work for me.
Out of nowhere, better ideas started to tumble out for Ghiroy. In a matter of a couple of days, I had a structure for the overall story, questions which popped up were just as quickly and logically answered. I have what I hope is my Pamina. I've been looking for so long. Ghiroy is meant to be a love letter to RP gaming, especially the world I've been able to play in for the last 30 years. There have been other inspirations, too. A book I got a few months ago about the work Maurice Noble did on the Warner Brothers cartoons has me thinking more seriously about the whole comic and my approach to it. This is what led me to the image above. There's a lot of talk about color there, both for backgrounds and characters. I realized that I'd chosen colors based on preconceived notions and not on what would work FOR those characters. So I've made some readjustments for the general coloration of the three majors. Mikilo, for example had his skin tone darkened which brings out his eyes which also more clearly focuses attention on his face. Also, because the character is meant to be an elf, and very long lived, I didn't want him to be wearing bright colors as washed out colors had more a suggestion of a slow burn. Ghiroy, on the other hand, is done in much warmer colors. He burns bright and hot. Short temper, intense. Francesca, too had most of her clothing toned down, but I left her with brighter lips and eyes that pop to suggest that while she, too is generally on the level, when she explodes, it's in little, intense moments. That's how her magic works as well. So basically, I've been trying to think a lot more about WHY I'm doing what I'm doing. Art is all about choices. To me, art that's less successful is art that has been made without making enough actual choices or decisions.
If the comic goes where I want it to, it's likely to be big. Perhaps as much as 4-500 pages. This will mean years. This is a good thing. I've really wanted a big project and this one is starting to flow just like the old ones. I'm hoping that, as I learn things from various sources, I'll get better and be able to produce the kind of comic that I'll not only be proud of, but one that others might be interested as well. So art might be less frequent for awhile, at least that which I post online. This one has to have at least an outline, a color script and breakdowns. Can't do it in the old style of just -doing- it. Here's hoping.
4 comments:
500 pages! My goodness I don't think I would've long enough complete one that long! y pal Ralph is about ⅔ done with his Gone With the Wind sequel graphic novel he has been doing for ten years now more or less. He draws it all on paper, then ink and cleans up on paper and makes a copy which he then hand paints in watercolours and then he make copies that fit into the frames and then hand letters it all. He is 80 years old but I do wish he would learn how to use a computer! On the other hand he says this project is keeping alive since his husband died a few years ago.
Sounds like your friend knows what he's doing; keeping busy is a sure way to live!
besides you, he is the only other artist I know these days and I've known him almost as long as I've known you. He has won awards and has some of his posters form the 60s in the Museum of Fine Arts. And he's been poor all his life so that didn't mean much in terms of selling's stuff. He and iI were talking about the fact that all other work we do... be it retail or paid art gigs is simply to service out own personal work which is what we think of as our "real" work. He has been very excited that I am getting paid for doing animation lately but also understands how doing work for someone else is not really that satisfying when you have your won stuff to work on... waiting...
Yah, we're all in the same boat there. Day jobs to pay for our 'second job.' Makes me wonder about the people that just chucked it all early on and never went the day job route. I've never been either financially stable enough to do that or confident enough that I could live on nothing.
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