TDM Page 2

Ta dah! Page 2. Anyone can make a nice page 1, (well, anyone with talent and time), but now we’ll start to get a better idea of how things will be proceeding for the long haul. I think the answer is “well.”

I think this a nice follow up, establishing a definite tone, pace and setting. I think it continues to show some nice storytelling and attention to detail.

It’s not as technically complex as page 1, but it took almost as long to make and was more complex than I thought it would be. I still have some streamlining and refining to do when it comes to producing this new style.

I really like Black Snow’s intro, and like to think of fans who will be experiencing him for the first time here.

Mild spoiler here, so skip to the next paragraph if you want to avoid. I’ll wait. Wimps gone? Ok. That’s Mary Summerhall who walked in, and I spent some time on her redesign at Alex’s behest. He was not a fan of the original look (she was my thinly veiled “tribute” to April O’Neil from the 1980s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon). He never felt she was attractive enough, and requested I make her look more like a certain actress whom he is attracted too. Kind of weird, eh? Guess who… You won’t get it, she isn’t that famous. Anyway, I like the way she turned out. Alex also always felt we really dropped the ball with her and her role in the comic books, so you can expect to see that corrected her.

It’s been quite awhile since I drew eyeballs. I rarely draw them in Famous, usually just using circles and eye slits. I mostly stopped attempting them around issue 5. Eyes can be really tricky. I’m still perfecting how I’ll do them in this style, but I think they look pretty good here. It’s a markedly different look for Black Snow. I think he looks like more of a “normal” man now, instead of a fantastical character. I think it also makes him more expressive (and possibly more crazy). I love his annoyed look up at the intruder, then sad look down at the broken bottle.

You’ve probably picked up on this already, but lighting and shading are going to play a much more important role in my new style. I’ve already received many compliments on my new “coloring.” I’m going for that dramatic, seedy, noir look. BTW, this is probably the most classic noir intro possible.

And on another note, this book’s cover and first two pages have really began to blur the line for me as to what is actually drawing. It is a weird thing, as I get deeper into the digital age of art making, and something I will continue to explore.