April 8th, 2005 -- Roughing It

I'm still experimenting with the style. Actually, this is two experiments-- the new character design, and drawing with a big, fat marker. I've tried drawing this way before, and I'm still driven to use it now and then.

I was asked if drawing this way is easier-- it is, and it isn't. The actual pencil sketches have pretty fine detail that I went back over a couple times. But even if I'm really careful with the marker, I still end up covering most of the detail-- and really, that's what I'm going for. See, I draw the strip at 7"x9" at 300dpi, then shrink it down to 72 dpi, and then shrink it further so the whole image fits in a space only 400 pixels wide. That's maaaaany steps down in terms of resolution. Using the marker to do the inking before I scan the original image really brings out the fundamental shapes of objects in the panel, and shows me how much space they're taking up.

So, it's easier because once I scan it in, there's no touch-up/editing/PhotoShopping to be done (aside from adding the text). But, it's harder, because it highlights the weak points in my design abilities, and I have to work harder to correct those next time.

2008-04-23

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