Creating a Graphic Novel : Art – Food – Photography

Remember Troy Parke will be in Emerald City Comicon on April 3 and April 4.

There are various flavours of milkshakes ranging from the immortal trinity of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry to more exotic like banana, mint and black cherry. I’m actually very boring when it comes to flavours and usually stick with good ‘ole chocolate. This milkshake was from the northern beaches of Sydney.

Previous featured artist Frankie Washington completed a few sketch cards showcased below. The Death sketchcard was done by Crystal Washington in her own unique style. Crystal also works with digital photography and artwork. She’s also a psychic reader and paranormal investigator.

The sketchcards are being donated to raise funds for The American Cancer Society. There will be a public exhibition of the sketchcards at Comics 2 Games, 8470 US 42, Florence Kentucky on April 4 2009. Be sure to drop by if you’re in the area!

For more information :
http://www.comicsforcures.com

For more information on Crystal :
http://www.crystaltarot.webs.com

Brazilian Luis XII was originally featured in 2008 with his work on DC Trinity. Currently living in Fortaleza in the state of Ceara where he’s close to artists like Ed Benes, Al Rio and Jean Sinclair. In 1998 a meeting with Al Rio help start his interest in comics and illustration. His work on Mary Marvel and Ghost are shown below. Check out his website Skrash Drawings for more of his work or to contact him directly.

Mary Marvel :

Ghost :

Every Friday will be Puny Parker Friday.
Check back once a week for a new strip!
Click here for next week’s Puny Parker . . .

Brazilian graphic designer Vitor Cafaggi has been creating comic strips called Puny Parker which chronicles the life of young Peter Parker. It’s the most amazing strip I’ve seen in a while. Vitor has also been nice enough to chat to me about his work.

So tell me about yourself.

I like all kinds of comics, drawing, movies, music and love soccer. I don’t like video games very much though. I create drawings for advertising campaigns and I also teach kids art.

Any comic aspirations?

I’ve always dreamed of working with comic books, so recently I started to write and draw my own graphic novel (you’ll hear about it soon, I hope) in my spare time.

Tell me about “Puny Parker”.
What was the inspiration?

I’ve been collecting Spider-Man comics since I was seven. At the same age I used to watch Peanuts cartoons every day. I always thought there were many similarities between Peter Parker and Charlie Brown . .

I love Snoopy and Charlie Brown too!
So was that how it started?

Yup, I think that’s where Puny Parker was born. He was there, on my mind, since I was a kid! I try to figure out what kind of different situations Peter Parker had to face during his childhood to become the man that we all know. I don’t know exactly when, but about a year ago, the ideas for the comics started to take shape. I sketched the main characters and drew the first Puny Parker adventure. A couple of months later, I decided to make these comics on a weekly basis. And here we are, there’s forty of them now!

I love the art! It really suits the material.
Is this your usual style?

Actually, I don´t know how to describe it.. Puny Parker isn’t even my usual art style! I imagine every Puny Parker comic as a short animation, with simple camera angles and simple character designs. Visually speaking, I think that Puny Parker is strongly influenced by Bill Waterson’s Calvin and Hobbes. As for the storytelling, my biggest influence would be Jeff Smith’s Bone.

Thank you so much for your time. All the best with your graphic novel!

Link to : Puny Parker Blog

A very Malaysian snack of a cup of hot tea with condensed milk (mmm sweet) and two curry puffs! Unfortunately these curry puffs were filled with potatoes only. Would have tasted better with a little bit of chicken in them. The cups are also pretty distinctively Malaysian, the type you’ll find in your regular kopi tiam (coffee shop).

Interested in becoming a featured artist?
Click for submissions

There’s a reason why Noelle Dreves is known as the Brisbane Catwoman. This costume is more of the comic book inspired version. Love the goggles and the claws in this version. Be sure to check out her previous Catwoman (Batman Returns) COSPLAY.

Sydney (Australia) based Linda Gock is a pharmacist by day and artist by night. She’s using Summer Fairy as her showcase piece.

Please tell me a little more about your showcase piece. How did you create it?

I wanted to capture the freedom we feel in the warmer months where we are free to enjoy the warm embrace of nature. I start off with a pencil sketch and refine it until I know exactly where I want the lines to be. I then go over them with a very fine felt-tipped pen (ink is not often kind to left-handers) and build up outlines where necessary. After erasing the rough pencil shading I add a subtle graphite shading then add colour.

Preliminary inked :

Completed Coloured :

So how did get started? Did you do any courses or any formal training?

As a student in my earlier days I would never have a book in front of me without it having a scrap of paper hidden in the pages on which to draw. I have no formal training, which I believe allows me to be freer in my expression. It is sometimes a little frustrating, but as they say, experience is the best teacher. I hope to do some anatomy classes and definitely work more on perspective in the future, and also learn to use references more. However I still do enjoy starting with a blank sheet and seeing where the pencil takes itself.

How would your describe your work? Is there a style to your works?

I am attracted to the beauty of rainbows in nature and pretty, shiny things. I think this is reflected in my artwork, even in an unconscious manner. My style has been described as whimsical and fancy-free, which I quite like, as for many people art is a catalyst to escape the constraints of reality. Although I admire realism I think a touch of sketchiness really brings out the fact that the artist is not copying reality but creating their own. The most important thing however, is that when dealing with human-like subjects they must be treated with respect. The female form is beautiful and has always been popular for many artists but prone to abuse. I try to show the inner strength and power of the subject, not just the attractiveness on the outside.

Usually my drawings are not planned. I start with a head and let my intuition take me where it seems right. I find this way they turn out more balanced, and more dynamic compared to a planned work. However this is not always possible with commissions, in which case I usually need several sketches for poses and costume requirements.

What would you consider your influences?

Art nouveau and the works of Mucha influence me greatly. I love his style and the elegance of his art. I also love artists that have their own distinct style yet merge it into reality like putting on a new pair of glasses. Artists I admire include Andy Park, Jessica Oyhenart, Chris Bachalo, Michelle Hoefener and Tim Shumate. I also think my brief stint belly dancing has helped keep the flow in my art and making costumes for dance really inspire some of my later works. However most of my works are still fantasy-based, as I cut my teeth as an artist on Elfwood (www.elfwood.com) 10 years ago and have been learning with and from artists on that site ever since.

Great to see you can draw inspiration from almost any source. Thanks for your time and I hope you continue your works and your belly dancing!

See more of Linda’s work at :

• http://meisarn.deviantart.com
• http://www.elfwood.com/nda

NEGA (Neuro Evolution Gear Advancement) Fighters is a creation by Tate and Josephine Bunce with previously featured artist Gregory Woronchak illustrating the series. It’s superhero fare with a team of colourful heroes defending a city against colourful villains.

This post will showcase some scenes from Issues #05.

A strange threat appears – Issue #05

How was the concept behind the comic developed?

The recipients of the NEGA program receive powers and abilities via the modern miracle of cybernetic enhancements. Hypersonic Man is the team leader, Hyper Battle Girl is his second in command, and the third member of the team is Gun Lancer, a highly intelligent urban ninja. Their support team consists of Dr. Roy Brunswick, a pioneer of NEGA technology, and his assistant engineer, Dr. Jeri Gale. Together, they help the citizens of the east coast city of Newtopia against super criminals, invading aliens, rampaging robots, extra-dimensional beings, and any other threats that may come their way.

NEGA Fighters first began in 2002 as a mesh between my passion for comics and video games. Over the years the concept has been adjusted, tweaked, expanded, and finally formed into what it is today. Believe it or not I spent three years crafting the plots, individual episodes, and designing the world of the NEGA Fighters. That in itself was too much fun! Fortunately, writing comics is like writing poetry: anything goes. This project is a labor of love, no doubt about it.

Death – Issue #05

What would you consider the biggest appeal?

I wanted the book to be similar in style and flavor to the comics that I used to read in the 70’s and mid 80’s. In those days comics were fun to read. It was always a pleasure to get absorbed into an intriguing storyline that was laced with cool characters. Ever since the late 80’s the majority of super hero comics are too angst driven and depressing. I didn’t want to take that approach with the NEGA Fighters. Drama is good, tragedy is a certainty, but it doesn’t become the main focus of the story.

Breaking Free – Issue #05

What’s the initial storyline?

When we first meet our heroes they head out on their first mission and from there the roller coaster ride begins. The tale of the NEGA Fighters was designed to have a beginning, middle, and end all tied together by an over arching storyline. I personally wanted the NEGA Fighters to be a story of substance that had something to say. It is a classic tale of good versus evil and personal perseverance.

What was the creative process like?

As far as the art style goes, I design the characters, draw them, and send them to Greg along with the script. Greg illustrates them in the book in his unique artistic manner. During the scripting process, I include direction details to give certain scenes more impact. Scenes rich in action or drama usually get the most attention.

Thanks for your time and opportunity to preview your work.

For more information check out :
http://www.negafighters.com

I received a parcel in the mail today from previous featured artist Troy Parke as a thanks for putting up his interview and works. It was the original March of Dimes sketch of Emma Frost and some fantastic sketch cards. I’ll be getting it framed and placed on my wall when I get the chance. A very big “Thank You” from me!

Parcel in mail :

Close up of the Emma Frost :

Following on from narratives in comics comes an important topic, the plot. This is what moves the characters in the story along and is the basis of most literary work.

plot (noun)
1. Also called storyline. the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, such as a play, novel, or short story.

Ideas?
I can’t really help you out here. There’s various schools of thought; writing from imagination to writing what you know. This one really comes down to you but most importantly if you have a story (or idea), write it down! It might seem like a silly idea now, but well crafted it could be fantastic! Pride of Baghdad was developed by the author from an article he read about lions escaping an Iraqi zoo during the American offensive. Ideas can come from anywhere!

Where do you start?
Before crafting any plot you have to know how it ends. The infamous Spiderman Clone Saga was a case of very bad plotting. The initial hook was great with twists and turns but without an ending the story kept dragging on and ended up a very bloated mess. By developing the ending first, it’s easier to fit the pieces to create a plot that’s well paced with a definitive conclusion.

So without a doubt the ending is the first thing you do. There’s no point in writing a murder thriller without you as the author knowing “Who did it?” and it’s not something that develops as you write, you have to plan for it before you start your first chapter!

Plots in comics?
Comics are episodic in nature so it’s a different structure to novel. Have a primary plot (e.g. the bad guy that robs the bank today) and a secondary subplot that gets slowly developed across various issues (e.g. the guy in the shadows who seems to be mysteriously planning something major). While the primary plot provides the instant gratification, the secondary plot is the hook that establishes some continuity and brings the reader back in.

I find it more closely related to television series. Using the TV Series X-Files as an example, each episode could be classed as a “Monster of the week” or “Conspiracy“. What does that mean? Well . . if you are not familiar with the series, the two main characters (Mulder and Scully) are FBI agents investigating supernatural phenomenon. There were a couple of episodes where Mulder and Scully checked out something weird (e.g. vampires / flesh eating monsters) commonly termed the “Monster of the week” however a few minutes of each show hints at some government conspiracy with the occasional episode dedicated to developing this subplot.

Where did X-Files go wrong? They dragged the subplot out way too long without any conclusions. As per the point “Where do you start?”, it didn’t seem like there was a clear end in sight. You can always introduce a new subplot but not ending a subplot properly can leave readers feeling very cheated especially if they have invested the time to see what happens.

Homework
I will be revisiting this plot topic in a future post but hopefully these should provide a couple of points on how to get started. Now . . more homework! Sticking to the Spider-man theme, find a copy of Masterworks Vol 1 which chronicles the first 10 issues of Amazing Spider-man written by Stan Lee. See the original master at work. Sure there was the villain that had to be defeated (primary plot) but you bought the next issue to see if Peter Parker would tell Betty Brant how he felt. Also what secret was Betty hiding? (secondary subplot)