Process & Storytelling

One of the cool things about my gallery show in Rome was that the people at the Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica were very interested in showing my artistic process. While preparing for the trip, I hoped this would be the case, so in addition to packing the original finished art from my Rotarian stories, I also grabbed up as much of the layouts and sketches as I could find.

Generally speaking, I consider most of these preliminary sketches as garbage, and more often than not, that's where they end up; in the trash. The funny thing is, that usually it is the first, rough thumbnail sketches that I like the most! They are deliberately drawn on bits of xerox paper or flimsy tracing paper. To me, the fact that they are disposable provides freedom to be creative. I don't...CAN'T get attached to my drawings at this stage, and as a result, these comps often have a liveliness that can be difficult to maintain in the tighter, finished drawings.

The truth is, that the initial solving of the problems of storytelling, page design and layout, are the parts of the process that are most interesting (and fun) for me. They also comes most naturally.

It was a real pleasure to be able to share some of that process during the exhibition, and I realized that I don't often show that kind of work here on my blog! I think that artists are used to only showing completed work for a couple of reasons. First, we are taught to show only our "best" work in our portfolios. Usually that means finished work, since half-finished work doesn't exactly inspire confidence that you can complete jobs! Secondly, we only promote the finished work because because that's the end product; the final version intended for public viewing. The preliminary and exploratory work is just process, usually for the artist's (and client's) eye's only.

But, what if the "process" is some of your best work? Or, at least, some of your favorite work? The work you may be best at?

I am very proud of my work on the Rotarian stories. The Paul Harris biography, in particular. There were many, many challenges, and I think the end product reads and looks awesome. What could be a very dry, boring subject turned out to be emotional, entertaining, thoughtful and visually rich (if I do say so, myself!). It is certainly some of my finest work to-date.

That said, most of the real challenges were solved in the initial thumbnail stage of my process. It was while working on the thumbnails that I submerged myself in all the interesting research, looking for authentic photo reference from the time periods that spanned Mr. Harris's long life. It was in the thumbnail stage that I had to work out the details of the visual storytelling; how to design the page layouts, how to draw the readers' eyes through the story, where to place the copy, et cetera.

I think this part of comic book creation is the most interesting because STORYTELLING is what comics are all about. I know many amazing artists who draw comic books, who are actually lacking in these fundamental skills. Some can draw about a zillion times better than I can, but they treat each comic book frame as a stand-alone illustration. Beautiful illustrations, to be sure, but their focus is to be admired as single images rather than to serve a larger vision--STORY.

I may never be able to craft my illustrations to be as gorgeous and refined as masters like Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth, Robert McGinnis, Leyendecker, Frazetta or Drew Struzan. These true masters of illustration could tell entire stories--epics--with single images. Guys like that provide me with an endless well of inspiration.

I do believe that I am an excellent storyteller, though...

An open question: Does story trump imagery?

For me, the answer is contextual. A single, powerful image can beat almost anything, in most media, for quick impact. But if we're talking about engaging an audience and making connections, whether it's in a comic book, film, or an advertisement, then I put my money on story for a lasting impression and deeper involvement.

What do you think?

And now, here's some of my process! Below are a few pages from my Rotarian story. First, are my comps; those rough thumbnails thAt I enjoy so much. Then you can see the pencil, ink & color stages...those individual steps that many comic book fans may already be familiar with...

This spread is my favorite of the story. I loved drawing Victorian-era Chicago, the people and all the details.

This next spread--like most of my work--is all about using diagonals to draw the reader's eye across the page. Another favorite of mine. The last panel makes me grin...

Next is a favorite of most people familiar with the story--the "map" spread.

This was a fun storytelling device that crammed a lot of information into a small space. Much of the detail was added digitally...

While we're "behind the scenes" here, I'll also share this; I am extremely picky about where the narrative captions, word balloons and other type is placed on my artwork. Very often, these decisions are made by the editorial & production teams, or by the letterer or designer. Luckily, with this story, my editor Deborah Lawrence indulged my nit-picking, citing me as the "expert!" Sometimes my decisions have to do with simple clarity, sometimes they are purely aesthetic, but mostly I'm concerned with the flow of the storytelling, and using shapes in the artwork and the captions themselves to direct the reader's eye. Below are two examples of where I asked for editorial changes to the balloon & caption placements...




Does that just look crazy to you? Anyway, I know what I want!

Lastly, I'll share some of my process for the magazine cover art, including an unused pencil sketch (I don't have my rough comps for this, anymore)...






Well, I hope that was interesting to you! In my next post, I will reflect a little on my experiences in Rome. Maybe I can find some video from when I was interviewed for Italian TV...

Creative Process

Most people, myself included, seem to enjoy a look "behind the scenes" to see the creative process at work. It's why I like listening to the "Director's Commentaries" on DVDs and why, lately, I've been really into the magazines published by TwoMorrows Publishing, like Draw! and Rough Stuff. Actually, some of my favorite blogs are by fellow comic book artists who routinely show off their works in-progress. Today I'll jump on that bandwagon with some work of my own.

One of my more interesting freelance jobs lately has been a monthly, 2-page comic strip for a teen magazine published in Poland, called Fun Club. This morning I just finished my third installment. This is an unusual job because I don't speak (or read) Polish, and the comic will never be in English. The writer sends me a pretty rough script to work from, written in English that's good enough for me to draw from, even if I don't understand all the jokes! The strip is about the wacky adventures of two teenaged girls named Po'Ziomka and Jagoda. This month, they take a trip to Egypt to look for Cleopatra's secret beauty tips (or something). Here's an excerpt from the script, to show you what I receive to work from ("Rys" means "Panel"):

Rys 8
Dark corridor inside the pyramid. The girls are walking with torches in the hands
- It is so dark here!
- Maybe they forgot to pay for the electricity?
Behind the girls the mummy in the bandages is walking slowly. Girls can't see it.
- Next losers! I will scare them to the death!

Rys 9
NAGLE written with huge letter ("nagle" means suddenly). The mummy is jumping on the girls, screaming
- AAAAAAAAAAAA

Rys 10
Girls are wrestling with the mummy. The mummy screams!
- Have mercy! Do not unbind me! I will do anything!
Poziomka:
- So take us to Cleopatra!

Everything I need is pretty much there. More details from the writer is generally preferred, but considering that my collaborators and I are separated by 6000 miles, 9 time zones, and 2 different languages, I think it's amazing that I even have this job to talk about!

Anyhow, from the emailed script & panel descriptions, I first do rough THUMBNAILS of the pages that look like this (click on the images to enlarge):



The Thumbnail is usually my favorite part of the process. I enjoy designing the page and telling the story without concerning myself with the more difficult parts of drawing, such as perspective, proportions & maintaining a style. I enjoy those things as well, but it's different. There's also something about the spontaneity and looseness about the Thumbnail that appeals to me--and that I find difficult to maintain as the process continues...



Above is my LAYOUT for the page. I usually do this step on lightweight tracing paper. It's where I try my first pass at Penciling the page at the size I will draw the final page (usually larger than printed size). Here I work out the basics of the page and how the panels all fit. I use a pencil, and then quickly outline the important parts with a marker. Sometimes this ends up being a patchwork of drawings all taped together. The drawing is pretty rough, and I'm most concerned about blocking in the main shapes & working out the structure of the figures & environments. The perspective is just eye-balled here; I'll tighten it all up in the next step...



Above is my PENCILLED PAGE. This particular page is still somewhat rough. Depending on the project & client, I may do a much cleaner, tighter job. An example of a tighter Pencilled Page is here. Some friends have suggested that I should skip the tracing-paper "Layout" stage, and go directly to this stage, pencilling on the art board. The reasons would be to save time and, perhaps, to maintain some of that lost spontaneity that I have mentioned. However, I find the Layout to be invaluable, because between the Layout & Pencilled Page, I have opportunities to make important changes. After ruling the panel borders, I use a light-box to trace the layout onto the board. As I do this, I tweak the images, moving them around slightly to improve the design & avoid any bad tangents. I'll also use this time to shrink or enlarge panels (or individual elements within), if I feel they need more room to fit copy.

After light-boxing the main elements worked out in the Layout, I go over each drawing, tightening it up. I now pull out my rulers, curves & templates and work out the perspective. In the case of this job, I am also inking & coloring it, so there are certain details I can leave for later.



Above, we have the INKED PAGE. Comic book fans are familiar with this as the next step in the "assembly line," and know that very often, publishers like Marvel & DC will hire a separate artist to "ink" a comic after it has been "pencilled" by one artist. This is usually just a concession to the fast-paced schedules of putting out a monthly comic periodical. Breaking up the art chores makes sense if speed is an important aspect of the production. A happy side-effect is that teaming up different pencillers & inkers like this makes for some interesting variations in style. Artists whose work meshes well together have the potential for forming a great collaboration wherein both artists benefit.

However, that has nothing to do with this page! Just an interesting tangent for the benefit of readers who aren't intimate with the comics biz. In the case of this project, I'm doing everything, including the scanning and some of the work a letterer might do, I you compare the Pencilled Page with the Inked Page, you'll see a big leap. You may also notice some changes, like making the girls' heads bigger in panel 2 (a suggestion from my editor--and a good one). Since I also scanned the page & work in Adobe Photoshop, I could easily put in the signage on the building in the last panel. I also dropped in a "Manga Burst" pattern behind the Mummy in panel 2, and I shrunk the figures a bit in panel 6 to make room for the word balloons. For the "AAAAAA" sound-effect in panel 2, I created the type in Adobe Illustrator and imported in into my page, fitting it behind the Mummy's fist.

Oh, and one thing that you can't see here, but which is important, is that I "paste" my finished inked scan into a Photoshop template which I created, that is sized precisely to that of the printed page, including guide-lines for the bleed, trim & copy-safe areas. This is critical, so that the client won't have trouble with the printing. It's amazing how many artists overlook these details, or simply don't understand them (a rant for another day...!) This is also important for me, as the artist, because I want to be sure none of my work is accidently cropped, and that my bleeds work the way I intend. It's generally a good idea to provide clients with "fool-proof" files.



Last, but not least, I give you the COLORED PAGE, or call it the FINISHED ART, if you prefer. Here is where the drawing comes alive. Because this comic is for a teen magazine aimed at young girls, the client favors bright colors & pastels. In a few places, I've converted the ink lines into color (like the torch flames, shock-lines & some background lines to simulate "atmospheric perspective"). The sky in the final panel is a photo that I fooled around with in Photoshop, using some of their "fine art" filters. Lastly, I created new panel borders (imported from Illustrator) that are thicker, more perfect & white.

Voilà! Now, it's up to the gang in Poland to add the word balloons & make it funny! My job, she is done.

What do you think? I really like working on this magazine. It's exactly the kind of job I'd like to do more of. I enjoy the "cartoony" style and goofy situations. Of the three I've drawn for them, this month's story was my favorite, simply because I like to draw exotic places. I hope Po'Ziomka & Jagoda have some more travel plans in the future!