Further experimentation with pencil-shaded backgrounds. I actually did the Ford FT-B in the third panel on a separate sheet of paper and scanned it to its own layer, so I could make it stand out a little better against the background. I also just want to thank my readers for leaving comments. Your feedback has…Read more
I wanted to try a different workflow for this comic–one that solved a problem I keep running into. Because I do the figures and the backgrounds at different points in the process, I have a difficult time controlling tangents and the balance of values. So this time, I finished my figures, then pushed down their…Read more
It’s not that Masha likes the way the uniform fits. It’s more about the doors that it can open for her. The question remains–how would Malutki react if he knew how Masha really got that uniform? This is one of those comics that felt like it took forever to complete. If I had to guess,…Read more
Trying a couple new things here. I did the backgrounds in watercolors, and I’m pretty happy with the overall vibe. I created a real design problem though, by having Malutki–whose head and hands are mostly black–framed by a dark tunnel opening. I ended up digitally washing out the darks of the tunnel so that he…Read more
As I continue to experiment in MangaStudio, I’ve collected the following notes: I can’t use the same process as I did in PhotoShop for bolding key words. So as a quick fix, I just did them by hand, as you can see in this comic. Because of the responsiveness of the pen, and the ability…Read more
I tried some brush and ink for the backgrounds of the first three panels. Sepia seemed like a logical choice for a dream/memory sequence. I had some trouble controlling the ink washes and brush strokes, and you can see some mistakes if you look hard enough. But I’m happy with the overall effect. Edit: I…Read more
I wanted to push myself further with the backgrounds on this comic. So, I made the following artwork with Copic markers on bristol board: Then I scanned it. And, as you can see, did a lot of copy-pasting, cloning, and color-tweaking. But I ran into a new problem. See, I usually hash out the details…Read more
I went a very different direction on the backgrounds in this one. I really like the textures Copic markers create, but I can’t control them very well yet. The result of hand-coloring the backgrounds is a kind of whimsical, story-book feel. Not sure if that’s the feel I want.
Phew! It feels like this comic was forever in the making. A busy couple of weeks at work made it difficult to find time for art. But here we go! This comic is kind of a big deal. Rudek and the Bear finally come face to face.
The bears don’t always see eye to eye on business policy. Masha assumes its because her partner still has some communist brainwashing to work through. The cyrillic, by the way, is supposed to say the Belarusian equivalent of “Bam!” Process Experiment: Color Holds For this comic, I knew all the hay would create problems. I…Read more
