All the pieces together...I have been showing the progression of this page over the past few weeks. Here is the finished page. Can't wait to go camping again this summer.
Guilty Faces
Last panel of the page...
The end of the day, just remember to save some hot dogs and marshmallows for mom and dad. Especially if we are getting the tent ready for bed. The best camping spots for us are up towards the bridge in upper Michigan. We went to Porcupine Mountains last year, much farther north. Very beautiful but to many bugs. Camping next to the big lakes, a little away from the larger campers, in a "walk to" spot seems best.
Capturing a few of these moments in sketches, gives me something to look back on. Also good storytelling practice. Even if I embellish a little. A dad can do this....
Bed Time story
The bed time story, late at night after the campfire is dying out. It is always one of the best parts of camping. If you are not to tired out of course. Sometimes it can be a challenge to keep my eyes open. Natalie is always the first to fall, but Ethan, seems to only get more awake. Finally they are all asleep. Everyone but me.....
Notes from the Trail: Food Fight
I need to be sleeping now. I need to be sleeping now! now! Just can't get to sleep. So I got up to work on page 23. A few more left. Had to rewatch Serenity and Firefly while drawing again tonight. The kids and Lorene are sound asleep, I am going to be dragging tomorrow but this was better than just sitting staring at the ceiling. Using larger blacks and going back with a little feathering with black and white pen. OK I am going to try to get some shut eye...
Super Cow Page 24
The point at which every villain must take their own medicine. Just a few more pages to ink, then I need to go back and look at darker blacks. This comic will not be color, just black and white. I will be very happy if I can just finish it to that level. Pages are coming a little faster I just hope my story is making sense. You look at something for so long and it seems logical to you but when someone else sees it, out of context, all bets are off. I have been showing it to the kids and Lorene but not a very wide or critical audience yet. Not looking to win any prizes just hoping it is mildly entertaining.
Page 20 Prep for Kids Read Comics - June
I have to finish this comic for the local 2nd grade class and for the Kids Read Comics convention...
Here is a work in progress on page 20. I am working in Manga Studio going panel by panel. I threw in some of the dialog as placeholders as I refine and edit. If I can finish the art by the end of May I should be in fair shape for revisions. As I go the characters are getting more comfortable to draw. I am finding that the more I relax my sketches the more expressive and dramatic the poses and expressions become. The tighter the drawings the more life seems to drain from them. OK time for bed and getting a little sleep now.
Super Cow Frame 7
Here is our next frame in our Super Cow story. I dropped off the full comic to the second grade class just before Halloween. I left them the challenge of finishing the story on their own. I promised to come back after the new year to see what they come up with. Some started to sketch even before I finished handing out the books to the rest of the class. I would not be surprised if many will lose the book over time but I plan on showing my next pages to them as I go.
Super Cow frame 6
Munch! Munch! The Gopher-bot is out to steal Halloween
League - page 6
Knocking down icicles! ...while the kids cheer me on.
After Dark page 2
Here is the second layout test. Experimenting with layout and detail. Realizing how cropping and details can be much more effective than full view shots..
Here, again, is the original...
After Dark Full Page
I reworked some of the different panels and modified the text a bit....hope it looks better...
This really happened to us this summer while camping...if you ever hear screams in the woods at night it just might be a Red Fox or a Bobcat....but it does sound human....
Letter Box 3
We follow all the clues, but sometimes the boxes have been removed. Maybe gone for good, hard to tell. So we go onto the next one....
Yell in the woods!
All was still when I awoke to a human scream from far off in the woods. I thought someone in the camp was playing around, a stupid joke. But it did not stop. It sounded like it was getting closer....
