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JonathanWyke — Doc Destiny Origins P01 REDUX
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Published: 2010-11-13 19:57:30 +0000 UTC; Views: 2135; Favourites: 39; Downloads: 34
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Description
A couple of years ago, when I started drawing properly again, I decided to play around with a comic strip. I did this for a couple of reasons. I'd always liked the format - I grew up with it really - and I figured doing 6 or 7 pics per page would be good practice.Recently I've been unhappy with the work I've been doing, and felt I was getting nowhere. In an attempt to counter this, and to hopefully see the progression I've been making I decided to go back and fully re-draw the first page of the strip I started on.
I've kept the basic scene, but changed the figure's pose and position - the lead character was always supposed to be more an observer than an active participant. I've also not coloured it. This is partly as I feel more comfortable at the moment with this rather stark style, and partly as I didn't have the time to colour it immediately. If anyone wants to have a crack at colouring it, please feel free, it's downloadable at full size here.
The original page is here --
Obviously, the whole point of this process is to chart progress - or lack thereof, so comments and criticism will be greatly appreciated!
Pencil / Illustrator / (Mouse only)
Art / Story is ©2010 Jonathan Wyke
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Comments: 43
This caught my eye. It's done so wonderfully! It looks great in full view - as you read down the words it somehow matches the scene. This looks better than the original - in terms of detail and composition. Whilst this does look good in black and white I do believe that colours could still enhance the scene - like red for the flaming sky or something to make it more dramatic, or blue for a dark sky and a dark scene or something. But then again I'm not entirely sure what kind of story your telling - Whether your kind of commenting on the morbid parts of modern society or going for a more fantastic fantasy kind of story. In the first pic the cloak does make the figure more sinister whereas this one he looks like a Normal guy, perhaps even smiling. You can take this any way you like, it depends really on what you're aiming for. Overall this is a wonderful piece of work that made me want to click to fullview it and write this comment, so I hope none of what I've said is remotely offensive and can be of use to you. Feel free to disregard whatever I've said.
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I guess everything is already said about this work...
I like the combination of brushstrokes, black areas and negative space...simply good.
I'm also reworking older pieces from time to time.
As long as you see a process you are alive
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Thanks very much! I've found the excersise really useful - both for checking technique and for boosting self-confidence
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My one note would be to stagger the word balloons - stair stepping downwards, so that it doesn't meld into the background too much:
________
________
____
_____
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That's a bloody brillinat suggestion, and one I'm ashamed not to have considered myself, thanks!
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Love the light-blown over exposed look of the architecture. Gorgeous lines/intricacies.
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Thanks very much, I really appreciate the compliment
The pencils took so much longer than the inks that it almost seemed wrong to edit them all out.
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I like the stark blacks, but it makes that fire escape area on the right really, really busy to my eye with all the small blocks of value. Right now it's distracting me somewhat from the overall composition - maybe simplify that section a bit? The other areas look awesome, though!
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I suspect you're right about the need for simplification - I think the problem in that area arises from two different factors. The first is simply that I'd done the detail in pencil, and didn't edit myself well enough, out of worry that less detail would render the fire escape un-readable. Secondly, and I suspect this is a more prominant reason, as this was done in Illustrator I was able to zoom in very close to what I was working on, and I think I may hane lost track of the big picture. It made for some very nice abstract patterning while I was drawing away, and that was very seductive!
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Neat ! I love it, it feels like you can imagine how the walls with just some black pieces. Nice idea abotu doing it in vector too !
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Thanks! I wanted to make the viewer's eye do all the hard work - chances are folks imagine stuff better than I can draw it
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That's interesting, I tend to trace all the lines but i never tried this black shadow effect - think I should try it someday.
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Oh my that's lovely! Very very nice scene, I think the black and white really adds to the words. Very very nice!
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this is really amazing
the way you use shadows is such an awesome style
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I think your work shines in black and white. Very stark and dramatic.
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comparing the two pages, you have made a huge improvement on the pages. Nice job on this one. Though, the alleyway looks too clean, no papers laying about, or trash. adding some grime to the alley would be the icing on the cake for this.
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Thanks! Interestingly, the pencils for this did have trash, but I edited them out, as I felt it was just too confused and scrappy. Could be I was wrong tho.
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Well, it doesn't look bad, maybe if you had keep some near the dumpster or something. I don't know how difficult it was for you to keep the lines going with only the white and black to work with, no line work. Looks cool though.
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This is awesome - I love the feel of it, and the dialogue is very poetic
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I just came across this.....almost by chance.
I really am diggin the black and white look to this....I really think adding color would hurt the overall feel to this.
Looking at the colored version at the bottom.....I would really stick with the black and white. If any color is added....the best place to put it would be in the caption blocks....stick to grays ...maybe watercolored or copics......
Great feel.....nice full page layout...i really think color would hurt it.
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Thanks very much
I tend to agree with you about the colour. It was done really with a black and white finish in mind, and although I was wavering, I think I'll stick to that original idea. As it goes on (if), I think I'll hold back on any colour for a special occasion...
Thanks for looking, and I really appreciate the feedback.
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No problem ..... great work....don't go mess it up with color when it's not needed.
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You have definitely come a long way! I love the newer version. It's a superior composition and I love the use of negative space. There's a Sin City vibe to it.
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Cheers mate! I've just been trying to make the reader's eye do the work - a lot like Miller did in Sin City, or David Lloyd does on everything he does ( )
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awesome conzept... how long does it takes?
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Cheers - this took most of a Saturday to fully do, but I'd already got the alleyway from my earlier attempt. Too long anyway
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full of saturday?
wow
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Thanks! It's better I hope
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Your art has greatly improved, The layout as well, the positioning of the caption boxes and the font itself. Destiny being to the side instead of the center of the page makes him more of the observer type. It implies that he's not the focus but the avatar in which the reader sees the story. And without color it does have bit more of impact as well.
I loved the original too,, you're doing great work and I hope you keep it up, Doc.
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Thanks, I appreciate the kind words 
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Coloring it would be a very nice thing to see... If you know what I'm sayin'.
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Now I liked the original but I feel this new version is better compositionally, the layout seems to draw the eye in and the offset of Dr D is just more interesting.
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Cheers
I think I've become better in letting the reader's eye do most of the work. There's not a lot really going on with Doc D especially, but the less-is-more approach seems to work.
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