Page 1 finished

Here, finally, is the finished version of page 1 (colours by Eliot Southwell):

Thoughts welcome! More on process and background over at Patreon.com/woodpig

Patreon

In a further attempt to get some funding to complete the comic, I've opened a Patreon account. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's a crowdfunding website that allows supporters to back individuals rather than projects. So, rather than (say) support a comic, you give a certain amount per month in order to support the comic maker, and whatever else he or she may be doing.

For me, this is great, because it frees me up to do whatever I want - and I've got a fairly diverse range of interests/skills (illustration, comics, cartoons, fiction, non-fiction, etc). This means that if I can get enough people who are willing to pledge a small monthly amount, then I can use that to develop projects that wouldn't take place otherwise (like this one).

However, there are some consequences for this blog. Since some of the rewards for Patreon supporters will be to get a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the comic, then that won't be material I will be sharing here. I'll still post things from time to time, but my main energies will be on developing content that will keep Patreon supporters happy.

I'll also use Patreon to share stuff I don't share here - some of my writing (short stories and longer works), board and card game designs, and other comics. So, if any or all of these interest you, then please head over there and take a look: http://www.patreon.com/woodpig

More page 1 colour updates

Here's 2/3rds of the first page in its latest stage of colouring (colouring is slow work - apparently...):

Highlights still to add on these and the remaining two panels, but I think we're getting there in terms of the look and feel of the comic. So, hopefully things will be quicker from here on. :)

Page 1 colour test

Here's our first attempt at colouring LiaDR (the first panel of page 1) - 'our' being Southwell Jnr with me criticising and nit-picking:

As you can see, quite a muted colour scheme. Some highlights and shadow issues to work out, I think, but Southwell Jnr has done a nice job so far. Now the question is, what should I pay him? I'm assuming he will no longer accept payment in Pokemon cards...

Flatter and colourist rates, anyone?

Will post more of this page soon.

Edit:

Here's a tweaked version:

Freud vs Nietzsche in the gallery - finished!

Here's the third page from the comic book sample (actually the first page from chapter 4 - Freud and Nietzsche):

Quite fun researching all the art - which are all based on actual paintings (pretty much). Prizes for guessing them all... [Editor's note: there are no prizes]

Chapter 4 Page 1 - wip

Here's a sample from further on (top panel of what will be a two panel page). I wanted something different for the sample material for the book proposal, so here's the young Freud in a sort of waking dream where he discusses his ideas with Nietzsche. The idea is that as they walk through the gallery, each illustrates his point by pointing at a painting/sculpture/etc.

By the way, in case you don't believe me, here's the young Freud (with his missus):

Page 2 and the Science of Speech Balloons

Here is Page 2 of LiaDR, complete with text balloons, and just awaiting colouring:

I'm still not completely sure about the format of the balloons or the font - rounded rectangles appealed to me slightly more than the more common elliptic balloons, and I put everything in standard case font (lower and upper case) before I realised that most comics favour capitals. Anyway, it's all still open to revision at this stage. One downside with rectangular balloons is that you get some wastage in the corners when the text is centred (covering more art than it should). A compromise might be to do 'stepped' balloons (overlapping rounded rectangles for each line?) - which I may try at some later point.

While I'm on the topic, here's what I've learned about speech balloons:

• You shouldn't draw them at the same time as the line art. In other words, draw all your art then add the speech balloons later (digitally). This allows you to do things like change font, alter text, reposition stuff - in short, it just gives you more flexibility. The only reason not to do this would be to save on drawing the areas that would be behind the balloons - and we're not that lazy, are we? :)
• There's a rhythm to where they should appear, and how much text there should be. They are as much a part of the composition as the art. Obviously, it's not always easy to serve both masters (text and art), but ideally they should complement one another. This said, I'm worrying a little that there's too much text on this page - especially panel 5.
• It is governed by complex conventions. Have a look at this lettering guide on Blambot. I realise that not all these conventions are strict - I've already broken some - but conventions also provide a common language that is important if you want people to understand you. So, much learning to be done still.

For anyone interested, my method for producing the word balloons was to use Photoshop's rounded rectangle tool, then to make paths with the pen tool to join balloons and make tails. Then it can all be turned into a selection and filled with white and the edge stroked with black. The rounded rectangles are also good in that they automatically wrap text.

Anyway, comments welcome. You may notice I got a bit carried away with the cigar smoke in panel 2. :)

Blurb and page 1

Two posts on the same day - please don't expect this to continue at this pace...

Some more info on the story (something like this will probably be the blurb, should things ever get as far as publication land):

It is 1939. Sigmund Freud, the brilliant and controversial founder of psychoanalysis, spends his last days in Hampstead, London. Having fled Nazi persecution in his native Austria, as the very unconscious forces he sought to tame threaten to tear the world apart, Freud is now dying, the cancer of the jaw that he has fought for the last 16 years having finally taken hold. But his quiet exile is interrupted by the visit of a young academic, Oxford philosopher H. H. Price, keen to discuss his theories, and - for the purposes of illustration - to persuade the professor to undertake one last analysis. Flattered, Freud grudgingly accepts this distraction from his days of boredom and pain, but it quickly becomes apparent that all is not what it seems. Price is no fawning acolyte and is unwilling to play the docile patient, instead resisting Freud’s interpretations, questioning his theories, even challenging his attitudes and past actions. Having spent his life seeking to bring light into the darkened room of the unconscious mind, the great man now finds himself on the couch, forced to perform one final analysis - of himself.

 And here is page number 1 (colour still to be added):