A Midwinter Nightmare (page 4)
Fitz on Feb. 11, 2008
Damn, I missed the deadline - again! These pages were supposed to be simplier and faster to make! Oh well, they're still fun to do :) Aaand that's actually not the end of fun for this week :D So keep your eyes open in the next couple of days :)
This one's a bit different, as you can see. Definitely less red, more blue - and white. So much white is definitely something new in this comic. But I wanted wanted to experiment with negative space a bit. Not that I know much about it - but it looked awesome in Midge's comic, BloodHound (go read it!), soooo I decided to borrow the idea ;) I especially like the way it came out in the bottom left panel.
I learned a bunch of cool f/x while working on this page. Apart from improving the cloud effects (which consists of clicking in random places and changing brush sizes, mostly - now I click more and faster), I figured out how to do cool dirt f/x. So the STOP sign and the DEAD END sign aren't so neat and clean. What did the trick was the Sponge filter in Artistic filters. I put one layer of very soft Sponge on the STOP sign and then removed some with the History Brush. On the DEAD END sign, there are several layers of sharper and sharper Sponge - also removed slightly here and there with the History Brush.
OK that's all for now! See you all soon! :)
Loud_G at 8:53AM, Feb. 24, 2008
I love your creative use of frames. Heck everything here is creative and dynamic, and visually pleasing! Great work fitz
Fitz at 1:19AM, Feb. 21, 2008
Vickie: I actually had six different ideas for signs - but I had to cut the number down to three so that it didn't get boring. Oh well, I might re-use the rejected ones sometime later, in another special? :) As for the hollow shell, the image was first and then I tried to think of a suitable line for it, and this is the first one I came up with. It's intriguing how it complements the previous image. Tantz: Poe! Hell yeah, one of my biggest inspirations overall. I might do a more directly Poe-esque special someday. Halloween, perhaps? :) GhostRunner: Thanks! Trevor: I had a bit more trouble than usual with the imagery here, but in the end I like it, too. What bugs me, though, is that I edited and re-uploaded the page, and it's still showing the original version. The new one looks way better! Harry: Thanks! Midge: I think I blushed here when I read that! Thank you :) I do like trying new things, it's one of the most entertaining things about doing this comic. Next thing I'm gonna try is soft-shading the mice instead of cel-shading them. As for signs, I just love using all sort of objects with symbols or words on them. Signs, manhole covers, books... So you can only imagine how much fun this comic has been to me so far :) Oh and you're welcome :) My pleasure! I guess all the folks here already know BloodHound rocks, anyway :) Bocaj: Should I worry? ;) Abt: Mr. McCloud's head would probably explode, Big Bang style, upon first contact with my comic ;) And if you go on to become a PhD, you could write a paper on my comic yourself ;) As for the BANG, I think I've seen the concept of image inside letters itself before, but can't remember whre and when. I think the soap opera "Santa Barbara"? Good times ;) Amy: Prose just won't do without some poetry in it :) I always liked short, intense sentences and this episode was such a fun opportunity to use them. ABitDark: Thank you for reading the whole story at once, I read all the comments. Hope you'll stick around! Dawn: I'm a CAD/CAM specialist, so I guess You were close, in a way. It's not quite the same as graphic design, but in the end, my job does consist of making sure things look pretty. But I guess my intuition with layouts is an outcome of my obsession of arranging things straight. If you saw my place, You'd be scared ;) Walrus: Oh the fun has only just begun :) Which is a strange thing to say after 9 months of doing the comic ;) But yes, there's more fun ahead! ZodiacX: Thanks! DoctorShadow: Awesome! This comic is getting kinda longish, so I'm grateful to everyone who bothers to go through the archives :) JMT: I'm really happy I found a way to do the dirt f/x, sometimes certain objects just seemed too clean and glossy for a dark comic like this one. Nepath: Thanks! Nice to see you, buddy!
Nepath at 6:23AM, Feb. 15, 2008
I agree with the others. Great layout and fantastic use of the signs!
jmt at 5:45PM, Feb. 12, 2008
Looks great. All your practice with filters is paying off man.
Doctor Shadow at 2:59PM, Feb. 12, 2008
Very cool! The use of those signs is excellent, had to read the whole thing!
Walrus at 12:36PM, Feb. 12, 2008
Wow this is getting really good!
dgriff13 at 11:52AM, Feb. 12, 2008
Fitzy, you have to be a graphic designer by day.... am I right? Awesome page, has a great layout artists' touch.
abitdark at 11:00AM, Feb. 12, 2008
cool
antcomics at 10:29AM, Feb. 12, 2008
Yer so poetic, Fitzy! Nice page as usual.
Abt_Nihil at 9:21AM, Feb. 12, 2008
I can only guess how thrilled Scott McCloud should be at your usage of signs... comics = text + images... but the way you're incorporating images and signs to illustrate the text is something entirely different. There should be a paper written on the implications! Oh yeah, love the hollow shell. And I think I saw that "Bang" somewhere before... hmmmm (although I didn't use each letter as a different panel :-))
Bocaj at 8:49AM, Feb. 12, 2008
Awesome. I don't have much to say, that I have never said before about this page.
TheMidge28 at 8:00AM, Feb. 12, 2008
I really love road signs! the graphic quality of them has always appealled to me. Great use of them in your page. love the imagery in the word ban...so sweet. I love watching your evolution as an artist and trying new things and seeing them really rock! thanks for the mention as well. much love here! :)
trevoramueller at 7:02AM, Feb. 12, 2008
Another amazing page here, Fitz. I love the imagery, but the writing is also spectacular. The flow, the pacing - all of it! Love it! Another awesome page here, Fitz!
Tantz_Aerine at 2:01AM, Feb. 12, 2008
How very grim and dark. Look like something Poe would love to read ;) Excellent composition as always, of course ;)
usedbooks at 10:26PM, Feb. 11, 2008
I like how you incorporated the signs in the monologue. The hollow shell made me laugh. I've never visualized/interpreted that phrase like that! You've really got a way with metaphors.