UNLOCKED: Expressions Goldmine #1: Dial Tone

We’re unlocking this post from the archives as a sample of the behind-the-scenes stuff we’re shared with patrons. For loads of sketches, abandoned concepts and other secret BCB knowledge, join us here on Patreon to unlock it all in an instant! 

It’s the inaugural Expressions Goldmine post! In this series, Veronica will go through old chapters, look at the sketch layers and highlight interesting expressions and art changes that didn’t make it into the final chapter! Here goes (in reverse, for some reason):

Funfact, this sequence was actually recycled from a very eventful chapter I planned out all the way back in 2007, but I realised the chapter was wayyyyy too edgy once I.. grew older and wiser. It involved Mike being so ridden with guilt and horror that he began to hallucinate every sound around him shouting “cheater” as he was running through a forest. It was not meant to be a dream. 

Needless to say, I thought that chapter was super edgy because of everything that was going on around that hallucination scene, so I rewrote it completely  and.. it’s still a very long ways away, but it’s 95% different from the original plan. Most definitely.

I wanted to make sure the branch was consistent through Mike’s hand! That’s a huge pet peeve I’ve always had. Sometimes it’s really easy to tell when an artist sketched behind an object in the foreground, and I tend to immediately notice when.. that isn’t done. So I do little sketches here and there to make sure, gotta SEE THROUGH

I like how there’s a lot of flailing in the initial sketch of Mike, but Sandy was pretty consistent the whole way through. 

The dashes in the background were meant to represent the lockers, I WAS GOING TO DRAW THEM OKAY

I wanted the tail to look natural and that was.. really hard to pull off. I messed with the tail so much. 

Drawing hands over other hands to make sure it looks good~~ I always like how transparent a sketch look sometimes. 

I realised the tail floating on Mike’s left would be.. abnormally long. 

good face

Here I wanted to make sure that the scarf was placed correctly, especially as the arms were overlapping most of his body.

Dialogue was altered significantly here. The sketch shows how I needed to make sure Lucy’s head was shaped alright underneath Mike’s.

Even during the sketching period, I was really displeased with the dialogue I gave Sandy here!! When this happens, I throw out a bunch of suggestions and Souppy usually figures out something ideal.. or we argue forever about it.

Added Mike’s arm last because it was overlapping everything and I wanted to plot everything first. 

I try to plan outside the panel sometimes!!! I worry about the heights being too unusual (The heights are never 100% consistent, but there’s consideration!!!), as well as how the background is going to look. I care more about Lucy’s placement considering.. Mike’s sausage legs. 

Again, here I am caring about Mike and Lucy standing at proper height outside of the panel. 

Plotted out Lucy’s body  relative to the lockers in the background.

I like this sketch a lot, more than the final thing. I still haven’t properly figured out the ideal way to draw the eyes in colour. But when it’s just in lineart/sketch they look so great! I love the openness of the eyes. No shines, just bubbles. I feel Lucy looks perfect in that style and I can’t be fully pleased with any way I draw her eyes in colour!!

I changed Mike’s expression at the last minute here, the final expression is not even present in the sketch.

Couldn’t decide on Mike’s expression and changed my mind at the last minute!  Also, removed extra clutter in Daisy’s dialogue.