Character Sketches

Still working on the script, about 3/4ths of the rough draft I THINK is done...meanwhile....I slapped together some character sketches of the two main protagonists, Keegan and Matt Barton. These are fairly rough, I'll probably tighten them up and add color to them later.




There's one more major character I need to concept+a few minor details maybe....then again, yes, yes, I know I'm supposed to be concentrating on the script more than the visual side, but I AM an illustrator after all....I can't help myself sometimes. =)

Read On....

Final Project Synopsis- "Rebel Forces"- Chapter 1

I had been stuck for awhile on what exactly I wanted to do my final project on, but, after alot of consideration, and a lot of unnecessary brain wracking on something "new" and "exciting"...I came to realize something important. New ideas are cool, but I guess I also need to do something that comes naturally to me, what I will feel comfortable, even perhaps happy to work on.
What I'm going to use for my final project is the beginning chapter of a webcomic I've been trying to get off the ground for a few years now. Hopefully I can use my class time to develop it some more, and I would be happy that I'm working on something that I truely see as my own "personal work" instead of "another assignment". That's good, right?

(well, so long as said idea isn't killed to pieces, but over the years I've also come to realize that you can't please everybody....lol)

Here's a rough synopsis. Some of the panel-by-panel script is done too, but I think I will wait until I reformat the script into Celtix from its original (and unorganized) TextEdit file to post, along with I need to do some character sketches.

http://webspace.ringling.edu/~maahorse/RFCH1syn.rtf

Later!

Read On....

Character Relationship Development

So, my group had decided for last week's assignment to slightly modify the "relationship" piece we were supposed to write. We broadened the parameters to not just writing about "romantic" relationships, but the story we wrote could also just be a general character relationship.

So, I decided to write a little (but fairly important) discussion between two of my characters, Alex, AKA "Zero", and Ryusho, AKA "Rogue". These characters are from a universe I'm currently attempting to develop into a webcomic. I actually briefly outlined some more of their background in the "Story Wheel" post a few posts back. Same characters. Different situation after the events of the story wheel layout, and now shows how each character uses dialogue? Maybe? >_>

Download the PDF HERE kthxbai.

Read On....

Slice of Life- "The Cookies"

It took me awhile to think of something I really wanted to make into a Slice of Life comic- I guess I'm not too interested in the mundane when it comes to comics.

(Or perhaps, rather, I haven't been having enough time in that "real world" to find interesting conversations...I'm one of those people who NEVER go off campus due to lack of reliable transportation).

Anyways. I also used this to try out Celtix finally- it's a fairly interesting program when my brain doesn't feel like typing out "Panel 1" "Page 2" and all the necessary formatting, but I'm not sure I'm going to be a total convert quite yet? We'll see.

Download the PDF file HERE.

Read On....

A Family Comic....What?

Hrrm, I know I'm missing the Dream Comic and the Slice of Life Comic- I've been having technical difficulties in various ways but they'll be up soon. Anyways...this week's assignment I managed to get something out, although I will fully admit that my family has very little in the way of anything I'd really want to memorably tell...and what I could think of wasn't very un-mundane. Oh well.

Page 1

Panel 1

Me sitting in a nondescript room (perhaps even a blank panel with just a desk and a chair, I don't know), leaning back, staring at the ceiling, balancing a pencil on my nose (yes, I can do that in real life!)

Narrative Box: There aren't many "Family" stories that I can think of. My family is split, divided, for reasons that I have never quite been totally in control of.

Panel 2

I lean over to write/draw something...

Narrative box: I suppose right about now, I can only think of one sorta fuzzy time, long long ago....

Panel 3

A shot of a New England style neighborhood, afternoonish. The houses Victorian/older in style. It's fall, so most of the leaves have fallen off the trees you can see.

Narrative Box: I was 10 years old. My family had a rare gathering where most of my family lived in New England, because my grandmother had died. I had to be there, of all places, on Halloween.

Panel 4

Two children, a girl and a boy, sillohetted by a bright/dirty window, were talking to each other. One of them is my cousin, the other is me.

Cousin: So what do you want to be for Halloween tonight?

Page 2

Panel 1

Inside, we're sitting in some sort of random kitchen. I look confused, a little bit non-interested at what my cousin had just said.

Me: I don't know....I haven't really thought about it.

Panel 2

Some cute looking picture of me dressed up in a Boston Bruins jersey (erm, here I would obviously provide me or an artist with the exact reference, but essentially it's black w/ gold and white trim and has their "B" logo in the middle of the shirt...) , with black pants, and a hockey stick and helmet that were too big for me.

Box: Last year I was a Boston Bruins player!

Panel 3

Another cute looking picture of me dressed up in a nice shirt, slacks, a top hat, and I have a wand with me.

Box: The year before that I was a magician with one of those trick wands!

Panel 4

Back to "reality". I sigh.

Me: But you know, I'm here....

Me: I don't have any of those things with me...

Panel 5

My cousin talks to me some more, although what he looks like isn't totally important. He kinda looked like me, just well, with short hair. It should be noted that we look exactly the same age.

Cousin: It's okay, we'll think of something.

Cousin: How about a Ghost?

Panel 6:

Me: That's so over done....

Cousin: Yeah...I guess.....

Page 3

Panel 1

The both of us thinking.

Narrative Box: I remember it taking us awhile, but then my cousin finally made the suggestion....

Panel 2

My cousin looks eager to suggest something. I just look more confused.

Cousin: How about a computer?

Panel 3

My cousin is dragging us off panel (someplace else in this non-descript house)

Me: How the are we going to do that?
Cousin (Off Panel): You'll see.

Panel 4

A illustration of a box with arm holes cut out of it, and a "screen" (a square) drawn in front of it like a messy marker kid's job...

Box: So, so, apparently, a "computer" comprised of a big TV box with holes cut for my arms and head! And a screen drawn on the front of it in marker!

Panel 5

An illustration of a piece of cardboard with a mouse and a keyboard on it attached to the larger box with string....again kinda looking like a messy kid's job....


Box: And the "keyboard" and "mouse" were also cardboard, attached with string to the box! (or it could have been duct tape...)

Panel 6

Me, dressed in this overly large box/keyboard thing, with a halloween bag.

Me: Oh boy....


Page 4

Panel 1

Me, sitting in a car. There are other various kids talking to my cousin in this car but I was looking out a window....

Box: I don't remember much about who I went with for Halloween that night, I was with my cousin's family on his mother's side I think. There were alot of them.

Panel 2

Kids coming out what was actually a mini van. I'm getting ready to get out.

Box: I guess I had fun that night, but I REALLY remember one overwhelming aspect of that night....

Panel 3

Me, in this huge box "computer" costume, got stuck in the door of this van.

Box: I kept on getting stuck on things!

Panel 4

Me getting stuck in somebody's porch steps (one of those steps that have wooden poles+bannisters inbetween the steps)

Box: Stuck in porches.

Panel 5

Me getting stuck in a random house doorway exiting somebody's house.

Box: Stuck in doorways!

Panel 6

Me getting stuck in the car doorway again but I'm trying to get inside the car this time.

Box: And every time we kept on getting in and out of the car I'd get stuck in some way!

Page 5

Panel 1

Back in the modern age, I pause, biting my eraser, intensely reading over what I had just written/drawn on the random piece of paper at a random desk in a random room.

Panel 2

Same shot, only this time my eyebrow is raised and I look confused as to what I just wrote.

Panel 3

Same shot. One of my hands is covering my paper, I'm looking off in another direction, sighing and looking a little, well, forelorn at what I had just written.

Box: I wish there was more to my tale, but frankly, alot of what I remember about "family" is all very awkward. I'd like to think I've lived a quiet life?

Panel 4

An exaggerated cute looking version of modern me, at the desk from a side angle on the left side of this panel, looking like I'm doing something over the paper.

SFX: *screech screech screech!*

Random Voice: Don't erase that!

Words on lower right: End.

Read On....

Story Wheel Workings

1: Ryusho Takayama is a Special Forces ranked soldier from Japan, working in a top secret black ops unit in a futuristic counterpart of our world. He's part of a team which includes him, his younger brother Kamiya, his brother in arms Alexander McNeill (Green Beret USA), and Nathanial Anderson (British SAS). 

2: They're preparing to air drop into a conflicted part of the world- someplace in the Balkans is all they know- late at night, not knowing what to expect. As it always goes, but yet with each new conflict comes a new set of challenges, this they know.  

3: They drop into the area- silently, without much of a flourish. Their adventures always start quietly.

4: Meeting up with each other after dropping in, they begin to travel. They dropped in with only their weapons, gear, and a set of coordinates they're supposed to meet up with the other parts of their unit at- which is a good set of klicks away across steep mountains. For many this would be a problem. But not the men of this highly trained unit. They travel-  Ryusho talks with his brother about this and that, chit chat and talk. 

5: They meet up with the rest of their unit which has gathered here over several hours. These people are from all walks of life, all highly trained. Some members of the unit report finding weird traces of the enemy they're supposed to be engaging sooner or later...but  who or what? They're still in the dark here.

6: They hardly have time to think more, because they are suddenly ambushed, from above, from below....by the strangest of enemies. Demons. Or demonic like creatures. Monsters. Ryusho and the unit fight. But his unit- cannot fight such a force by themselves. They have never seen this sort of thing before. He watches his brother killed...so is Nathanial- Alex isn't faring much better than him...but he cannot help...his world quickly falls to darkness. 

7: He returns to the light in another place...a military hospital, far , far away from the battlefields. Germany, to be exact. 

8: He does not remember much of what happened, but apparently he has been out for two weeks. Most of his unit is dead. His friend Alex survived, although he is just as injured as he is. So did one other member of his unit. But his brother...well...he's gone. Monsters, took away his brother, and he was helpless to do anything. He wants nothing like that to happen to anybody ever again. He doesn't know how he'll do it...but...he will make sure those demons of his...will die sooner or later. 

Read On....

The Battle of the Ape and the Crab

Crab Battle? CRAB BATTLE? (post follows). 

The Battle of the Ape and the Crab

Adapted from the Japanese fairy tale

 

Page: 1 

Panel 1

An old man in traditional “Japanese” clothing (red, kinda “crab” ish looking in color/pattern/design?) is sitting on a rock , someplace outdoors, green and wet, on a bright sunny day. He is sitting with what appears to be his lunch….a rice cake.

Narrative Box: Once upon a time, long ago, there lived a “crabby” old man who lived in a marsh.

Dialogue (Off Panel): Hey, mister!

 

Panel 2

An over-the-shoulder view from the old man’s perspective (his back is to us and perhaps in silhouette.). There is a young man in front of him a short distance away. He has brown, short cut hair, bright, dark eyes, and a sort of playful look to his face. His clothing (also “Japanese”) in general should also reflect a somewhat “cool” yet “playful” side to him?

Old man (crab): Yes?

Young man (ape): Sir, please, will you trade me this seed for your rice cake?

Panel 3

CU of Crab. He appears to be thinking, stroking his chin with a spindly, wrinkled old hand of his.

Crab: Why should I?

Ape: Because I haven’t had anything to eat for a while.

 

Panel 4

A silhouetted shot of both Ape and Crab. Ape appears, although while not bowing, his posture suggests he is trying to show some degree of respect+humility towards the old man.

Ape: Please, mister, I beg of you!

Crab: Well…alright.

Panel 5

CU of Ape. He seems rather pleased with himself, grinning ear to ear rather cheekily, turning away from the old man. (who we can see over his shoulder although he is not very important in this panel).

Ape: Wow, that was WAY too easy! Heh!

Page 2

Panel 1

A wide shot of the old man walking into his garden from the back of his house, which is a little sparse, but what he does have is green and growing just fine…

Narrative box: When the crab got home, he planted the seed in his garden.

Panel 2

That old looking hand of Crab planting the seed in the ground.

Panel 3

The old man sitting on one side of the panel (perhaps on his porch or on yet another rock/stump), smoking a pipe (A Japanese pipe- called a “kiseru”), watching his garden. There is a little sproutling there.

N. Box: Time slipped by….

Panel 4

Same angle. The only difference is now there is a seedling tree in place of  the sprout. Maybe also vary the season/time of day/weather to show the passing of time.

Panel 5

 Same shot+ vary the season/time of day/weather again. The seedling has grown off panel into a great tree.

NB: And the seed grew into a big tree.

 

Page 3

Panel 1

Top down shot. The old man is looking up at his tree with great delight, at also the ripe looking orange fruit (technically, FYI- Persimmons) hanging from its branches.  The young man (Ape) is also in this shot, looking upwards with great surprise as well.

Ape (Thought Balloon): Wow, that’s a lot of fruit!

Panel 2 

CU on Ape. He appears to be thinking, looking off to the side.

Ape: Hmmmm…..

Panel 3

Full body shots of both Ape and Crab. Ape is talking to the old man, negotiating with him, while Crab looks at least receptive of what Ape has to say.

Ape: Sir, let me pick your fruit for you.

Crab: Well, I was going to do it, young man….

Ape: A man of your humble age shouldn’t be climbing trees!

Panel 4

Another shot of Ape/Crab.

Crab: Well….I suppose you may be right….

Ape: So, yes?

Crab: Okay.

Panel 5

Crab watches as Ape “anticipates his jump”

Panel 6

Same shot. Crab is there, but Ape is gone, leaving only leaves to flutter down behind him.

Page 4

Panel 1

Ape, now deep in the tree, reaches for one of the many numerous fruit.

Ape: Oh, this is great!

Panel 2

Ape eats a fruit.

Panel 3

Ape starts to quickly pick the others.

Panel 4

Back down on the ground, the Crab looks up (at the tree, which is off panel)

Crab: How goes it up there?

Panel 5

The crab gets hit in the head with a fruit.

Panel 6

A fruit…which is overripe and rotten.

 

Page 6

Panel 1

The old man continues to get pelted with over-ripe fruit.

Ape: Sure, sure! Eat up! There are some great fruit up here!

Panel 2

The barrage of fruit stops.

Panel 3

Top down view. Ape from his viewpoint in the tree, his pockets full of fruit, looks down at the old man down on the ground.

Crab: Are you done yet?

Panel 4

CU on Ape’s head/face. He’s still staring at the Crab (off screen), and looks a little confused.

Crab (Off-panel): Can you come down here please? Head first? I’d like to talk to you.

Panel 5

A look up the tree at Ape (who is wayyyy up in the tree)

Ape: Well…okay, sure!

Panel 6

Same angle. Ape starts to climb down the tree.

Page 7

Panel 1

CU of Ape’s pocket, where fruit is beginning to move.

Panel 2

CU of Ape’s face. He notices something.

Panel 3

Fruit starts to fall out of Ape’s pocket, and there’s nothing he can do except look in surprise.

Panel 4

Over the shoulder view from Ape (in silhouette) to the ground. The fruit falls to the ground, where the Crab is scrambling around to pick it up.

Panel 5

The old man, his hands full of fruit, runs off….

Panel 6

And jumps down into a hole.

Page 8

Panel 1

Ape, confused, and a bit angry, watches from up in the tree.

Ape (Thought Balloon): Well, fine then! He wants to make trouble of this, then…

Panel 2

Ape jumps further into the tree branches. We cannot see him, it is implied by rustling leaves.

Ape (Thought Balloon): I’ll show him!

Panel 3

A shot of this hole.

Panel 4

Same shot of the hole. It’s getting darker.

Panel 5

Same shot of the hole. It’s dark now.

Panel 6

Same shot, only this time, we see the old man pulling himself (with his fruit) out of the hole.

Crab: I’m getting too old for this….but…

Panel 7

Over the shoulder view. The old man is brushing himself off. There is a dark ominous figure above and behind him (Ape, technically)

Crab: At least I have my fruit.

Page 9

Panel 1

A dramatic shot of the Ape decking the Crab in the face with his foot, falling to the ground. Fruit flies everywhere. Speed lines. And so forth.

Panel 2

The old man is down on the ground, and Ape is foreground in the shot, his back to us. He continues to kick the old man.

Ape: That’ll teach you to play tricks!

Panel 3

Crab is a heap on the ground. Ape is walking away.

Panel 4

A shot from over the shoulder of two other blacked out figures at the scene of Ape walking away from the Crab. One is large, the other is lanky.

Lanky Guy: Now that just wasn’t fair, was it?

Large Guy: Hrmm. No.

Page 10

Panel 1

Narrative Box: Having fully drubbed up the poor Crab, Ape decided to go home….

A wide shot of a dimly lit, Japanese style house. Ape can be seen in silhouette from behind one of the sliding doors.

Panel 2

Ape slides open one of the doors.

Ape (thought): Man, that was too easy again!

Panel 3

Ape crouches down in front of a hearth, his back to the camera.

Panel 4

He starts to light it…but notice in the ashes, at least the reader can notice…there’s an egg there.

Panel 5

The egg bursts.

Panel 6

Hitting Ape in the face. He reacts in pain.

Page 11

Panel 1

Ape is howling in pain, confused, holding his head in his hands that has just gotten spattered with hot egg.

Panel 2

Ape gets decked in said face by a punch.

Off panel dialogue: Trick’s on you, bud!

Panel 3

Ape lands on the ground.

Panel 4

Ape looks up, frightened. Dark shadows are well…overshadowing him.

Panel 5

Over the shoulder shot from Ape. There are the two guys we had seen earlier, looking down at Ape, angry. One large, one lanky, both tough looking and looking rather angry and ready to beat Ape up.

Narrative Box: Needless to say, what goes around, comes around.

Panel 6

A dark panel.

Dialogue (no balloon, only italic white text scattered about the panel): Ow!

I’m sorry!

You’d better be sorry, beating up on an old man like that!

Narrative Text: Don’t beat up or trick your elders. Respect them and everyone will look fairly upon you. 

Read On....