Open the ink gates - Part II

Time to show some grit

May 20, 2023

Hello from Castrum Lusitania, my fortress in northern Portugal. Welcome to another edition of our weekly newsletter.

As you can guess from the title, this week was pretty much a continuation of last week’s effort. And spoilers for the future, you’re gonna get a Part III. So let’s jump straight into it.

It’s all about inking

This week’s work was as straightforward as it gets. All there was to do is ink, ink, ink and then ink some more. It’s a lot of fun and one of my favorite parts, as with all the parts locked in place (through thumbnails and pencils) it’s time to render it and flesh it out to the best of your ability, creating what the comic is going to actually look like.

If you remember, I’m currently doing a large chunk of Phenomena Book 2 - 44 pages. It’s the final stretch and I decided to tackle it all at once. Progress has been good but slightly slower than usual as the last scenes have dozens and dozens of characters in many panels. Nonetheless 13 out of 44 pages are inked, scanned and properly sized, ready for grey tones. I’m now doing a pass on the following 17 pages, drawing thick lines mostly but already adding lots of details.

This is because the old nib got too old (meaning it draws too thick) but the new one is still too new (meaning it draws to thin). I can draw the thick lines with the new nib but I’m taking advantage of its thin capabilities as well to add a lot of details on this pass already. Some figures are already fully drawn, as you can see on this partial view of a massive spread:

Bring The Grit

I mentioned grit in the subtitle of this newsletter for a simple reason. When tackling a large chunk of work, it can get discouraging. You work, work and work but progress seems slow.

Don’t let it get you down. Just do it. Keep doing the thing, keep moving forward, progress will be inevitable and results will appear. Trust the process.

You can do small tricks like finishing some pages to give you a better sense of momentum. Or ink each page from beginning to end. For me, I like big passes. For example, doing thick lines on 17 pages, then everything with a ruler, then all details and in the end (it’s always the last thing for me), I draw all the panel borders. It gives me great satisfaction drawing the borders last and seeing everything suddenly fall into place.

Whatever your method is: keep plowing through. Every tunnel has an end.

Bits And Pieces

This Thursday there was also a production meeting for Phenomena. It’s a needed thing to have this every once in a while for the various steps (covers, designs, trim sizes, different editions) and the team from Abrams is stellar and very helpful.

The last couple of weeks also saw some major advancements in what the post-Phenomena future will bring. My plan is to finish the trilogy until the end of the year, and start something fresh and new right after it. Several options were on the table but a path is emerging. A very exciting path.