#comic layout

This layout was a homework assignment for my comic class. The script comes from Sunset Boulevard! I don't think i'll ever take this to finish but I wanted to share.

I’ve now added another layer behind the crystals to make the walls in the back darker and I think it’s a really noticeable improvement, it looks way less flat now and adds some real depth to it.

Today I started working on completing the second panel for my comic page, by colouring in the back of the tunnel, I wanted to use a mixture of nice blues and greens since the only thing i didn't like about the page so far was that the close up panel for Damion was a little lacking of colour and detail, so after I finish the second panel I'll aim to change the background for the third panel. Next I started to colour in the tunnel which I had traced from my previous page outline but after completing the tracing I thought it looked a little uneven so I got rid of it and put in a circle tool then added the extra bricks on the right. After that I coloured the tunnel in along with the water which I did by adding a separate layer and lowering the opacity then adding the splashing at the bottom. I think everything is really coming together nicely.

Today I also finished the first panel of the page, I used the last two attempts to trace the outline, this time I didn’t use black as the outline, for the backgrounds throughout the page I used colours that match whatever the outline is for, so for the cliff wall I used a dark grey that goes nicely with the highlights and shading of the wall, I’m taking inspiration from Studio Ghibli films which only have a black outline on the characters to bring your attention to them. I also added some water next to the rocks by Damion’s feet since the second panel has water flowing from the tunnel, so I thought it would be a nice detail if there was a small stream it, for some more continuity. For the shadows and highlights on the cliff wall I simply just went around making jagged shapes, also I’ve added some detail to the plants and moss around the panel by simply just doing the same thing, adding some small highlights to the area closest to the lantern and adding shadows to the parts behind those.

Today I started on the outlines of the first two panels on my comic book page. I traced the images from the last two attempts and my ink sketches, but this time I didn’t use black for the outline, instead going for a studio Ghibli style where only the characters have black outlines and the backgrounds are all coloured. I used a dark grey for the mountain cliff side where my character Damion is facing and a variation of greens for the leaves and moss. I was then going to get the rest of the outlines done but I thought it would be a good idea to get the colours figured out before I got too far in and changed my mind about them, so I went for rather paled versions of the greens and I think it turned out quite nice.

Today I’ve started to colour in my character in my comic book page, starting with his greenish brown coat and then started working out what his hair and skin colours would look like, once I finished colouring him in, I moved on to fixing the background for the bottom panel, I didn’t like how the shadows of the crystals looked on the cave walls, so I turned off the layer of the grey background and turned the opacity for the dark blue shadows down, then I made a new layer and turned that opacity down too, once I finished adding in all the walls shading and highlights I put the grey layer back on and then added some details to the rocks underneath the crystals.

Also today I fixed the rocks underneath the crystals, and added another highlight to the crystals, this time it’s just a thin white line, just for some extra definition, also since I’ve added the glow from the lantern. Also I added a separate layer and turned down the opacity and added a shade of dark blue to the cave ceiling, so that it looks a bit more separate from the rest of the page, since everything was looking a bit clumped together, I’ll probably end up doing the same thing with the cave wall only a bit darker, when I re-do the crystal shadows. Next I started adding the outlines for Damion in the other three panels, staring with the close up, I also added the lantern to the second panel since in my sketches, he was resting his hand against the tunnel wall, but that didn’t make sense since he’s holding it in the first and last panel, then I added the glow from the lanterns, then I started colouring his face in, I ended up giving him purple under his eyes since he’s been on an expedition and would be tired, I still haven’t added his scar since I’m not sure what colour I want it to be. Then I added the brick background in the close up panel, but I still haven’t added the shadow.

Today I picked back up by colouring the plants at the bottom with a nice combinations of shades of green, Since my page is looking a bit cartoon-y I went for a bright green for the left and middle plants and a bit more of a darker green for the right, and I think they match the crystals pretty nicely. Next I moved onto colouring the rocks underneath the crystals, I started off by tracing the small squiggles from my sketch with a pinky grey, but I ended up really not liking this, after filling in the white with a shade of grey, but I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do, so I left it until I knew what I would do, for the time being, I started working on the cave walls, I added a dark blue as a shadow for the crystals and then just added the same shades of blue from the ceiling to show the glowing, but after finishing the page; I’ve decided that ill go back and get rid of the shadow, and add in some more glowing, then add a separate layer, and turn down the opacity so it goes over the wall like an actual shadow.