The first task assigned to us, was to create a comic book based around a famous nursary rhyme, and illustrate the scenario that may happen in it; into a short comic strip.
I was partnered with my classmate who is studying graphic design; Laura Kellet. We discussed various ideas and researched to learn about the story of 'the gunpowder plot', and would communicate and transfer our ideas to each other until we were satisfied with our work. As I showed Laura some of my comics, and vice versa. We made sure to keep bulletpoints on what to use as a frame of reference from comics such as "Venom", "Scott Pilgrim", "Snot Girl", "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure", "The Crow", among other works.
Laura primarily handled the graphical elements and colour work, as I used my knowledge of storyboarding from previous animation and comic book work, and planned out the lineart and art style.
I was partnered with my classmate who is studying graphic design; Laura Kellet. We discussed various ideas and researched to learn about the story of 'the gunpowder plot', and would communicate and transfer our ideas to each other until we were satisfied with our work. As I showed Laura some of my comics, and vice versa. We made sure to keep bulletpoints on what to use as a frame of reference from comics such as "Venom", "Scott Pilgrim", "Snot Girl", "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure", "The Crow", among other works.
Laura primarily handled the graphical elements and colour work, as I used my knowledge of storyboarding from previous animation and comic book work, and planned out the lineart and art style.
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Visual References:
"Remember, remember, the fifth of november."
We finished with a style that takes a charcoal texture style. And with the help of Clip Studio Paint's brush selection. I decided on using the rough pencil brush provided by the software. The actual drawings are indicitive of action comic books from illustrators such as James O'Barr, Hirohiko Araki, Yuji Ueukawa, and Todd Macfarlane. This style was chosen to encapsulate the gritty nature of the gunpowder plot, and to coincide with the 15th century environment that the event took place in. Similar to that of a 90s comic book.
Storyboard/Sketchbook Development:
When developing the sketches and storyboard itself. I had tried to make use of a lot of angles and perspective work to give it a feeling of superiority and inferiority.
For example; a crane shot would show you a point of view from the roaring flames of the bonfire, projecting onto the small child below. And showing how his humorous inspiration gave him an evil emotion when he see's the gunpowder plot play out through the fire.
As for the design of the small child, we wanted to create a gender-ambigious appearance, as it meant the reader could relate to, and insert themselves into them as an avatar, as the reader is also as unaware of the story, just as the child is. The other characters based on the historical figures like Guy Fawkes, the guards, etc. Were given my own art style's redesign treatment. I tried to keep as close to the original depictions that I could, and I believe that to be mostly the case in the final result.
The Final Result
The final result shows a comic book that has been printed in the industry standard of 6-5/8 inches wide by 10-1/4 inches high, and is compact into the book's respective pages. It was a great beginning to this year, and a good way to develop bonds and friendships with the other classmates that I would be coming in to see regularly.