Sunnyville Episode 6, page 7-8 pencils

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Max West

Picking up from where we left off last time, the Sunnyville Junior Theater Club is busy selecting a play that they can do for the town’s birthday this year.

Episode 6, page 7 pencils

If you remember the last pages, Rusty came across the script for the play “Grease”.

Unfortunately, Rusty confuses that play with the story of the 300 Spartans who fought the Persians at Thermopylae.  The joke here is that he confuses “Grease” with the country of Greece and its rich history – especially alluding to the film and graphic novel of 300.

As I explained in the previous post, Grease was my first choice when I conceived the story.  The problem was that it’s a copyrighted work and so I couldn’t use it without either severely butchering it or any sort of infringement.  Konrad Von Straussen was going to play Danny Zucco (his comment in the bottom panel alludes to this) with Rei Tanuki as Sandy, his sister Rose as Rizzo, along with Sam, Margaret, and Magnolia as the Pink Ladies.  Oh, what might have been.   Continue reading →

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Where to Buy Sunnyville Stories Volume 1

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Max West

I’ve had a busy morning today.  Sunnyville Stories Volume 1 has been made available to some more sources.  The added venues of availability should make this independent comics series more visible to readers.

First, if anyone has an IPad, Sunnyville Stories episode 2 through 5 are available over at Lush Comics.  Just get the app from the site and you can purchase downloadable copies of the Sunnyville comics to your tablet.

Copies of Sunnyville Stories Volume 1 as well as the individual issues are available through the mail order company, M&T Comics and Cards.  This is a New Jersey-based mail-order house operated by two very nice people, Mike and Lia.  I’m unable to link to the site here because they stock adult material.  You should be able to find them though through a search engine query.

Two more copies of Sunnyville volume 1 were dropped off earlier at the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe.  Located at 126 Crosby Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York, this bookstore stocks all sorts of books and is open Monday through Friday 10am to 9pm as well as Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5pm.  All profits from here go to help charity so if you buy my comics here, you’re also helping out the needy.

A single copy is also available at Desert Island in Brooklyn, New York.  This store is located at 540 Metropolitan Avenue in the neighborhood of Williamsburg and is open seven days a week.  They have one copy at present but if it sells within 30 days, I will be able to provide them with more.

Should you not be able to get copies through these retailers, you can always buy Sunnyville Stories Volume 1 as well as the other individual episodes through Indy Planet.

So help out the cause of independent comics and pick up your copy of my work today.

 

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Sunnyville Stories Episode 6, pages 5-6 pencils

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Max West

My preparations for the Small Press Expo have been made and I’m very much looking forward to that.  Plus I’ve scanned more pencilled pages of Sunnyville Stories episode 6.  So let’s take a look at what I’ve got.

Episode 6, page 5 pencils

I introduce the Escavatores by name in a clever way. When they ask Ms. Mason a question, I have the teacher refer them to by name. Quite a simple way to get their names across to the readers, don’t you think?

It seems Ms. Mason is honestly unsure what play the Sunnyville Junior Theater Club.  So what does she do?

Episode 6, page 6 pencils.

She gets the whole of the Sunnyville Junior Theater Club to look through the scripts!

It looks like Rusty found an interesting play.  Yet, he has gotten the 1971 musical “Grease” confused with the graphic novel and movie 300.  I might add that Grease has some significance here.  When I first thought of this episode, I was going to have the theater club perform Grease.  For obvious reasons (mainly due to copyright), that was not workable for my comics.  This page however is meant as a shout to that idea.

The reaction to Rusty’s confusion however will have to wait until the next blog post.

That’s all for now.  Subscribe via RSS feed or through email if you haven’t already.  You can also follow the sync on Newsgrape.  Be sure to stop by Indy Planet to buy your copy of my first book, Sunnyville Stories Volume 1, as well as my other comics.  As always, your feedback is appreciated.  What’s your opinion?  We’d like to know.

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Sunnyville Episode 6, page 3-4 pencils

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Max West

I’ve got some more pencils up this week from episode 6.  If you remember last time, Rusty, Sam, and Margaret arrived a bit late to school.  But not for class…it was for a very important meeting.  Let’s have a look, shall we?

Episode 6, page 3 pencils
This is the first bleed I’ve used since episode 1 (it was used for the very first opening shot of the series).  This is a considerable crowd shot that we have here.  We’ve got the Eftirmatur brothers, Alex and Magnolia Talbot, and both Von Straussen kids.  This page also establishes that they are part of an extracurricular activity, the Sunnyville Junior Theater Club.

Again, for Sunnyville Stories episode 6, I’m drawing upon my own personal experiences.  I was active during freshman year of high school in a theater class.  We produced a play of “Alice in Wonderland” in which I played a dual role: an executioner and the Cheshire Cat.  I also tried to get into an after-school theater club that same year but had to drop it due to overload.   Continue reading →

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Sunnyville Episode 6, pages 1-2 pencils

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Max West

Sunnyville Stories Episode 6 “Squeeze Play” is in production and in fact, I’ve got some rough pencilled pages to show you today.

Episode 6 page 1 pencils

As the story opens up, Rusty, Sam and Margaret Macgregor are headed to their local school.   Continue reading →

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Sunnyville Stories Volume 2

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Max West
Sunnyville Stories Volume 2 Mockup Cover

Sunnyville Stories Volume 2 Mockup Cover

 

Just on the heels of my first trade paperback being released, I want to announce that there will be a second trade paperback underway too. This book should be available sometime in 2014 or in 2015. Continue reading →

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Sunnyville Stories Volume 1, Second Press Release

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Max West

For immediate release

For further info, contact Max West, info@sunnyvillestories.com

SMALL PRESS GRAPHIC NOVEL GOES BIG
Contemporary creator releases first comics trade paperback

Comics creator Max West announced his imaginative comics anthology, Sunnyville
Stories Volume 1, is now available for sale to the general public.

Sunnyville Stories is a creator-owned comics series in the vanguard of alternative comics.

It tells the saga of a charming village called Sunnyville, inhabited by anthropomorphic animals dressed in old-fashioned clothing. The series itself revolves around two energetic teenage cats, Rusty Duncan and Samantha “Sam” Macgregor, who have all sorts of adventures.

This 128-page trade paperback collects the first three episodes of Max West’s cutting-edge series. These spectacular stories have the two protagonists meet the likable
townspeople of Sunnyville, compete in a hard-hitting pinball contest, and confront local bandits.

“My goal in creating these comics is not to offer a better mousetrap, but a different
mousetrap,” maverick creator Max West explains, “My work involves an enriched world, electrifying characters, and robust stories. Unlike mainstream superhero comics, Sunnyville doesn’t involve rebooting of continuities, renumbering of entire series, or the constant death and resurrection of characters.”

Max West holds a creative writing degree from Baruch College and has also trained at the prestigious School of Visual Arts in New York City, receiving an education from top talent in the field of comics.

Sunnyville Stories Volume 1 retails for US$8.99 and is available from Indyplanet.com.

For more information, please visit the official Sunnyville Stories weblog for weekly
updates by the creator at http://www.sunnyvillestories.com

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How to Ink with a Brush, Part 2

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Max West

Over a year ago, I did a blog post explaining how to ink with a brush.  That blog post pulled in a lot of traffic (nearly 500 views via StumbleUpon!) and has been put on social media many times.  Yet there were a few who told me that it needed something.  It talked quite a bit about the basics of selecting a brush and maintaining it, but it didn’t talk much about actually using a brush for inking comics.  In this follow-up to that post, I plan to discuss the topic as best as I can.

Once more, I reiterate that the pen is my tool of choice for inking comics.  Inking with a brush isn’t easy.  If you’re willing to put some time into it, brushes can be a more versatile tool for making lines.  Before you go any further, please go back and read the first blog post on brush inking (the link is above).  That will tell you what you will need and how to choose a brush.

Brush inking setup

The photo here shows my usual brush inking setup.  You’ll need your brush (duh!), a bottle of ink, and a water container.  Anything will do to hold water.  Some use old glass jars, mugs, or plastic cups.  The container in the picture is a Holbein collapsible water container, made by the Japanese company of the same name.  As for your ink bottle, I suggest putting it in some type of tray or cup as shown in the picture.  You’ll need something to wipe your brush off, both in-between inking and when you’re done.  I use paper towels myself.   Continue reading →

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Belly Dancing Sam

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Max West

Today I thought I’d share a few pages from my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.  I do various drawings in those – namely of the Sunnyville characters.  In fact, the drawings you saw in the last blog post were mostly taken from my watercolor book.

For those of you who have read Sunnyville Stories episode 5, Sam tells Rusty that she’s a trained belly dancer.  Samantha Macgregor has been doing belly dance ever since she was a little girl.  It was her cousin, Rachel, who taught her.  (Rachel won’t be introduced until episode eleven so we won’t be seeing her for awhile.)  Well, how about those drawings?   Continue reading →

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Putting Your Foot In It

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Max West

And now we come to the final of the four pieces that I’m displaying in the Anthrocon 2012 art show.

Putting Your Foot In It

Putting Your Foot In It, pen-and-ink on 11x14 in. bristol

I did this with my usual tools: sable brush, pen with a Speedball 513 nib, and India ink. Those are my tools of choice. You have to be comfortable with whatever it is you’re using and I’ve always felt that I produce my best work when I use those tools.

This piece is simple yet effective. Again, this image represents the relationship between Rusty Duncan and Samantha Macgregor. Continue reading →

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