Sunnyville Episode 4 pages 11-12 pencils

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Max West

Sunnyville Stories episode 4 is being processed by the nice people over at Ka-Blam – I hope to have it go on sale soon as I check the proof I get mailed.  So while we’re waiting for that announcement, let’s check out some more of the rough pencils for that comic.

Episode 4 page 11 pencilsPreviously, we met Sam’s older brother, Rolf, for the first time.  He’s come to visit his family…only to stumble onto trouble.  It seems that Mr. Jakes, the local badger, that runs the repair shop has fallen behind on his work.

This scene with Rusty holding Sam’s baby sister Ana was a charming scene.  We’re about to see that Rusty is very good with children.  That was based on one of my own personal experiences.  There’ve been times that I’ve babysat or I’ve held children.  I have been told that I’d make a great father.  Hmm…maybe Rusty might make a good father someday himself.   Continue reading →

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How to Make Comics: My Process and Further Reading

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Max West

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I’ve come to the very end of my tutorial on how to make comics.  My blog posts were meant to give a basic idea of how to make your own comic.  My way is not the only way – many out there find a groove that works for them and stick to that.  Others may prefer something more exact or something more simplified.  The best thing I can recommend is to investigate the process, see how it’s done, and develop your own methods of making comics.  There’s some good resources I’ll clue you in on…but I’ll get to that in a bit.  Right now, I’ll give all you loyal readers out there an inside look at how I work.

1. First thing’s first: I need an idea.  I’ll start by trying to think of some of my personal experiences.  I’ll also scour some of my inspirational scrapbooks (more on this in a future post).  Sometimes, I watch episodes of the anime Maple Town (the inspiration for Sunnyville Stories) or I’ll watch other stuff like cartoons of the 1980s, movies, TV shows, etc.  I might surf the web, read through a book, or go for a walk.  These will usually put an idea in my head.

Story Treatment2.  Once I have a solid idea down (i.e. Rusty is forced to go to a dance or Sam destroys her mom’s favorite flowerpot), I’ll then write a story treatment.  The treatment is nothing fancy.  I’ll just write by hand two to three pages of what basically happens – how the story starts, the conflict, the reversal of fortune and recognitions of said reversal.  I avoid any specific lines or cute little jokes.  The purpose of the treatment is to establish a framework for the story that I can build upon.  It might take a few tries to do this as I have had to throw out the original story treatment for the sixth episode of Sunnyville (not scheduled for release until 2012).  Once I’m satisfied with the treatment, I’ll move onto the next step.  Continue reading →

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Sunnyville Stories Episode 4, page 9-10 pencils

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Max West

Before I kick this post off, I’d just like to announce that the fourth episode of Sunnyville Stories has been finished.  Yes, the inking has been COMPLETED!  All that’s left is the cover and digital formatting for the printers.  I’m aiming for a release sometime around Memorial Day weekend.  But I digress.

When we last left Samantha and Margaret Macgregor, they were coming home from the repair shop.  Those of you who have not read the last pencilled pages…shame on you.  Go back and read them right now.  I’ll wait.

Episode 4 pages 9 pencilsThey notice a 1973 Pontiac Trans-Am parked outside.  That car happens to belong to none other than their big brother, Rolf.

This marks the debut of Rolf Macgregor in the Sunnyville canon.  Those of you with sharp memories may recall that he was mentioned in the first episode, but did not actually appear.  This page marks his very first appearance.  It also marks the debut of one of Rusty’s alternate wardrobes – his Swiss style outfit.  This was a nod to one of my artistic influences, Richard Scarry.  Rolf deeply cares for his sisters – after all, he is a big brother and was responsible for watching them.  Sadly he doesn’t get to see them much anymore since he lives on his own in Solton.

Continue reading →

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Sunnyville Stories Episode 4, page 7-8 pencils

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Max West

Hello, everyone.  It’s Max West here, live from I-Con over in Stony Brook, New York.  I’m here giving panel talks and meeting people.  However, I still have time to go over this week’s pages to the fourth episode of Sunnyville Stories, titled “Don’t Answer Me”.  At the time of this writing, the episode is nearly finished.  I just have to format the pages and do a cover.  But I digress.

Page 7 PencilsSome of you may remember on the previous pages that Samantha Macgregor and her big sister, Margaret, went to the local repair shop.  Their toaster oven was broken and they hoped Mr. Jakes could fix it – it would take him though over a month since he was backlogged with work.  Now we are going to find out why – this page should hint that something is definitely wrong.

I had to darken the pages to allow the pencils to show up well enough – pencils do not reproduce well and this demonstrates the necessity for inking your comics. Continue reading →

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How to Ink with a Brush

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Max West

When it comes to inking, I’m a lover of the pen.  I use dip pens and technical pens chiefly in my work.  The pen is easier to use and can be a quicker route to a paying livelihood.  However, if you feel bold and you really want more expressive lines, there is a tool that you can use for that.  That tool is…the brush!

There are many a gifted user of the brush when it comes to comics.  Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes and the immortal Walt Kelly of Pogo produced beautifully rendered lines in their comics using brushes.  Jeff Smith, Daniel Clowes, and Jack Kirby are even more examples of those who use brushes in their work.  Take a look at their comics to see what I’m talking about.

Inking brushes

Inking brushes

Check your local art supply stores for brushes.  Your choice should be a watercolor brush which is small enough to fit in your hand.  Stay away from any brushes labeled for use with oils or acrylics – those often have long handles.  The best kinds of brushes are sable brushes, made with the hairs from the Kolinsky sable.  Unfortunately these can be pricey.  Brushes like these will often start at US$20 and go up.  One of the top choices of comics professionals are the Winsor Newton Series 7 sable brushes.  Others like the brands Raphael or Rekab.  Synthetic brushes can be a good choice too and for those of you on a budget, the Winsor Netwon Sceptre Gold II series is a solid inking tool. Continue reading →

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MoCCA Festival 2011

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Max West

On Sunday, April 10, 2011, I headed over to the annual festival of the Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art.  Held in Manhattan at the 69th Regiment Armory (right across the street from my alma mater of Baruch College), it’s an annual event gathering some of the brightest and best people in the field of independent and small press comics.  To be honest, I was amazed at the diversity of content there.  I always thought that alternative comics were counterculture, protest, and shock value.  There was all that – but there was also cutesy material, excellent stories, and even a smattering of manga and superhero influenced work.

MoCCA Fest

MoCCA Fest poster

I met a lot of neat people at this event and even attended a super duper panel about comics and graphic design.  So who exactly did I meet?  Well, I did meet the lovely Jodi Tong, a talented and very beautiful young woman with superb skills.  Also there was Nathan Schreiber (winner of the Xeric grant) and Chris Sinderson (he snapped a photo of me in my captain’s hat).  I also got to meet Morgan Pielli who is also in my LinkedIn network.

One of the more interesting finds was a webcomic called the Fuzzy Five which was tied into a neat line of stuffed animals known as the Squishables.

Their site has more of these neat plushes so go on over and check them out.  I did purchase some work from exemplary marketers who were present.  The first one was from a table occupied by a straightforward name – 3 Guys Making Comics.  I got a title from them called “How to Survive Working in Retail #1”.  It is very well written and definitely shows off fantastic line art.  Check out their page for more information as well as to browse through their gallery.

Another piece that I bought was from a gentlemen named David Blummenstein, who hails from Australia.  He had come here to MoCCA to sell his work and managed to sell me one of his books.  How could I say no?  I got a Swedish fish out of it – oh yeah, the work is really entertaining too.  This little book contains various strips involving a energetic yet EXTREMELY inept producer named Bret Braddock who works in television and the new staff toiling for him, Sally.  Given some of the stuff I’ve heard from those who worked in television, guys like Braddock do exist.  Anyway, check out David’s work.  The strips are worth reading.

All in all, I had a very good time.  The MoCCA festival is one of the quintessential comic conventions to visit that covers the small press scene.  Make sure you check it out next year.  Your humble writer, Max West, just might have a table there next year to sell the Sunnyville comics.  On that note, please enjoy this short little video I took while on the con floor.  It ought to give you  a good idea of what the event was like.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry4GsGPRJZw[/youtube]

If anyone else attended MoCCA Fest, please drop me a line here.

 

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Sunnyville Stories Episode 4, page 5-6 pencils

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Max West

I’ve got more pencilled pages for the fourth episode of Sunnyville to share with all of you this week.  Just as a reminder, I will be appearing at I-Con on the weekend of April 15th-17th.  I’ll have a schedule up later of my panels.  That said, let’s continue with our story from last week.  You  might remember that Sam and Margaret Macgregor came into the town’s repair shop to get their toaster oven fixed.  Yet, it seems that Mr. Jakes is seriously backlogged on his work.

Episode 4 page 5 pencils

Mr. Jakes has lived his entire life in Sunnyville.  So logic dictates that he’d know the local residents inside and out.  It’s implied that he hasn’t seen either one of the Macgregor girls for quite awhile.  Notice how he refers to the girls as “little” – being an old man with a long memory, he probably still thinks of them as little girls rather than grown women.

What can I say?  It’s just another touch that adds class to my comic as well as an aura of believability – it’s like Sunnyville is a real town inhabited by real residents and not simply ink on paper.

By the way, I might add that the coffee grinder and the antique record player in the upper right panel were both drawn from reference.  Those who might remember my pencilling comics tutorial should remember that it’s good to research EVERYTHING even if you think you know how to draw it. Continue reading →

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How to Make Comics: Inking Your Comics

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Max West

And now, it’s time for probably the most important part of how to make comics – the big step that will make your work visible to readers.  You’ve drawn your work in pencils and you’ve done your lettering.  You think you’re all finished now?  Well, you’d better think again! You need to draw your comics again – only this time you’ll be doing it in ink.

In comics lingo, this stage is called inking and a number of creators out there actually enjoy it.  Some of you may be reading my posts where I share the pencilled pages of the fourth episode of Sunnyville Stories.  You may notice that pencils do not reproduce well.  This calls for a medium that does reproduce well.  Ink has always been able to reproduce well so that’s what you’ll be using.  Hmm…I’ll bet some of you are wondering if you have to use ink.

You don’t necessarily have to use ink.  There are those out there who use collage to make comics.  Some use stencils and/or scratchboard like Peter Kuper.  And then, there are those of you who use the computer to create all of your comics.  (On another note, I won’t be talking much about use of computers in my tutorials.  But in a later post, I’ll clue you in on some good resources if you want to know more.)  However, for the purposes of this tutorial, we’ll presume that you are using the traditional inking methods.

Ink and Pen CleanerLet’s start with the materials you’ll need.  You’ll need ink of course.  I recommend checking your local art supply store.  Failing that, check office supply stores or stationery stores.  If that’s a no go, you’ve got the Internet.  Anyway, you need ink and it has to be black ink.  It’ll need to be waterproof and give a rich even black on the page.  In that photo there, you’ll see that I use Speedball Super Black india ink.  Many of my comics are inked with that.  On the far right, you’ll see a bottle of pen cleaner.  You’ll need those for your pens and maybe your brushes (more on that in a moment).  Continue reading →

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Sunnyville Stories Episode 4, page 3-4 pencils

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Max West

I’m continuing to work on the fourth episode of Sunnyville Stories, titled “Don’t Answer Me”.  As I ink the piece, I’ll share a few more of the pencilled pages and give you some more insights into my working process.  You might remember from last time, Samantha Macgregor and her sister, Margaret, were on their way to the local fix-it shop.  But they had encountered local sheriff, Officer Carl, who had quite an emergency.

Episode 4 page 3 pencilsWe can see inside of the local repair shop.  The shop is owned by an elderly badger named Mr. Jakes (we’ll meet him in a bit) and his chief job is to fix the town’s appliances like televisions, radios, microwaves, toasters, coffee makers, record players, and so on.

Normally, he’s quite an industrious worker – but the girls notice that something is definitely wrong.  There’s appliances everywhere waiting to be fixed.  Some of those devices you see there were sketched from memory while others were drawn from photo reference.  Anyway, here we see Mr. Jakes make his first appearance in the universe of Sunnyville.  Being an elderly character who was good with machines, I actually based his physical appearance in part on the character of Doc, the crotchety old inventor from the 1980s Jim Henson TV show “Fraggle Rock”.

Episode 4 page 4 pencilsOfficer Carl’s big emergency was his broken TV…and apparently, it’s very important to him that he watch Gumby.  In fact, if anyone was reading the third episode of the series, you might remember Officer Carl was watching Gumby when we first introduced him.  I have to love the reactions that Sam and Margaret are having to the sheriff’s revelation.  Usually they’d be cracking up at something that Rusty says or does.

Again, I have to apologize for the look of these pencilled pages.  Anyone who’s been checking out my tutorials on making comics should know that pencils don’t reproduce well and why inking is a necessary part of making comics as it allows the images to be better viewed and comprehended by the reader.  After all, comics is a visual medium.

Next week, I’ll be putting up some more pencilled pages.  Does anyone out there draw comics too?  What are your pencilled pages like?  Any of your comments or input would be greatly appreciated.

Subscribe to the RSS feed or through email already and don’t forget to stop by the store to grab Sunnyville comics…oh yes!  As an added bonus, I’ll even share a new video I’ve posted up on YouTube.  It’s the third trailer intended to promote my work complete with music.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKNOSriCEzE[/youtube]

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How to Make Comics: Lettering Comics

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Max West

Welcome back, friends…I would call all of you ladies and gentlemen, but you know what you are.  Anyway, I have today a very important step in making comics.  That part is affectionately known as “lettering”.  Granted, there are comics out there that don’t use words of any kind like dialog or sound effects.  An example of this would be the woodcut illustrated novels of Lynd Ward, such as Gods’ Man of 1929.  In fact, there’s no law that says you HAVE to use words to make comics.  But for the purpose of this tutorial, we’re going to assume that your characters speak, there are sound effects, and so on.  So what are we to do?

The focus of this post will be on hand lettering.  Some out there prefer to use freehand lettering, employing no guidelines whatsoever.  But if you want good results, I strongly suggest you make use of a handy tool called the Ames Lettering Guide.

Ames Lettering Guide

Ames Lettering Guide

The Ames lettering guide is an affordable tool that should run between US$2-5 and is readily available wherever art supplies and drafting tools are sold.  This little thing is what many of those who letter by hand use for their work.  I’ll show you how to use it in just a minute.  You’ll need some other tools as well.  Luckily, you’ll probably already have some of these amongst your pencilling and inking equipment.

Continue reading →

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