This Saturday, on May 2nd, Benita and I will be appearing at Comics 2 Games in Florence, Kentucky, from 12:00 to 5:00. We are bringing free stuff, as well as of our graphic novel “Johnny Saturn: Synns of the Father” for sale. If you are in the region, drop by and say hi!
Hi, Folks!
Thanks to everyone, and I do mean everyone, who bought graphic novels from us this week–We’re delighted! We’ve still got enough copies to fill existing orders, and most of them will be going out in the mail tomorrow. The way things are going, I foresee making future Fridays our packaging day, and Saturdays our mailing day. In any case, we’ll be ordering another batch of graphic novels, and we should have those late next week, I believe.
As far as the folio sized, regular comics go, we still have copies of all the issues except the black&white preview issue. These are first come, first served, and we don’t intend to do second printings on them. Get them while the getting is good!
Calanders and sketchbooks are sold out. The response has been a steady demand for them at shows and appearances, but they are gone now. I haven’t made a personal sketchbook since 2006, but I just don’t foresee the time to make a new one for a while.
Scott.
Hi, Friends!
Can you believe it’s already Wednesday? Where the heck did the week go! Sheesh.
We got in a fresh new shipment of our trade-paperback, “Johnny Saturn: Synns of the Father,” today. We are expecting our shipment of Johnny Saturn no. 9 any day now, but very likely this week. This gives me a warm heart.
Yesterday, I helped Benita run a fabric and dye seminar at the Huddleston House, a historic inn built along the old National Road (US 40) in the 1840’s. I wasn’t involved in any of the teaching aspects of the day, but I got to help keep the fires going, and I drew some pictures for kids. I also snuck into the nearby barn and did a quick sketch of an original, un-restored Conestoga wagon. I expected such wagons to be somewhat crude: I should have known better. These boat-shaped wagons were built along exacting lines, with hundreds of specialized wood and iron parts. The men who built this thing would be building high performance cars if they had been born in our time. If you want to see pictures of Benita and me in action, and read a report on the day, please go here.
As an artist, I’ve noticed that I have gradually changed all my standard tools this year. I’ve gone from drawing with 2H leads to 3B leads, and I’ve switched from Hunt Crowquills and G Pens to Windsor & Newton Series 7 no. 1 brushes. I also bought a small cabinet, which I subdivided into long six compartments per drawer, and into this I put all my markers. “Hi, everyone, my name is Scott Story, and I’m a marker addict.” I have an obsession with tools that make black marks on paper, I guess.
You’ve by now probably noticed the knife that plays such a big role in the current Johnny Saturn storyline. It’s based on a real knife, one I found in stack of old car parts in our garage when I was about ten years old. I had always imagined it to be a World War II GI’s knife, but I’ve been cleaning and sharpening it, and I found an inscription on the pommel that says “Ontario NY, 1-1969.” This knife is still in very sturdy condition, and the pommel is solid, unlike the modern survival knives that hide a compartment full of miniature implements.
Scott.
Hi, Folks!
Benita and I will be appearing at Wizard World Chicago, August 6th to the 9th, in Artists Alley at booth 4604. We’re no long against the back wall, but near the front of Artist’s Alley, so keep an eye out for us. Johnny Saturn no. 1 through 9 will be available, as well as the “Johnny Saturn: Synns Of The Father” trade paperback. If you’ve never met Benita and me, now is your chance to drop by and gab with us–we’re not shy!
Hi, Folks!
“Johnny Saturn” 1 through 9, plus the “Johnny Saturn Pinup Gallery,” all are now available as downloadable PDF’s at Drive Thru Comics. Better yet, all these downloads are .99 cents each!
I’m also rebuilding our in-site store, making hard-copies available of “Johnny Saturn” 1 through 9, the “Johnny Saturn Pinup Gallery,” and “Johnny Saturn: Synns of the Father.” By the time you read this, the store should be completely updated.
Thanks! Scott
Hi, Folks:
In accord with the week, when so many people are looking back on 2009 and making plans for 2010, I decided to make a short list of what I’ve learned about cartooning this year. The learning never really stops, but these are the highlights:
1) The web, with its short and wide screen ratio, affects comic composition. Simply put, tall panels, especially those that extend below the “fold” don’t work well. If the reader has to scroll down, and then scroll back up to read the episode, it’s confusing and diminishes the reading experience. For the web, wide panels stacked atop each other work the best, producing what in print comic is called the “widescreen” format.
2) When possible, every episode should end with a cliffhanger. If you can’t swing a real cliffhanger, then end the episode on a question. You can’t always do this, but it’s a goal.
3) Drawing armatures or stick figures is not a crutch. For years I thought the old stick figure drawing technique as seen in “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” was for beginners, that it was better to practice a sort of life-drawing from your mind’s eye. Now I know that it saves time and makes composition easier.
4) Contours are way more important than interior details. Indeed, if you are drawing small, or simply want to tell a story, contours are enough. Having said that, I love detail, so I still do a considerable amount of interior rendering.
5) Colors should compliment inks, not compete with them. For a long time I painstakingly painted every panel in Photoshop; indeed, if you turned the line art off, the colors were almost finished paintings in their own rights. Now, however, I think a simple gradient that doesn’t compete with the line art is better and perhaps more elegant. Really, I think a digital painting underneath a fully rendered line drawing is overkill, muddies up the picture, etc.
6) Nowadays, when I ink, I make a point of closing off all my lines. This makes it much easier to flat the page in Photoshop.
7) When it comes time to print your comic, all the full bleeds and black or colored borders are a pain in the butt. It’s much easier to format your comics if you don’t do those things. It made “Johnny Saturn: Synns of the Father” a real challenge. That’s why I pulled back on those tricks.
I want to learn at least this much again in 2010!
Scott.
