Archive Diving: Navy Ink
Added 2022-03-05 18:52:23 +0000 UTCDoing some hard drive cleanup today and came across some pre-Patreon work that I thought might be nice to share. This silent short was written by Shan Campbell for Waterlogged, a nautical-themed anthology put together by Cloudscape Comics up in Vancouver back in 2012. Silent comics are a challenge! But a really fun one. I think this might've been the first comic I ever used Clip Studio (then Manga Studio) to rough out? Here's some of those thumbnails:
I remember going through a lot of anxious experimentation trying to figure out the right color treatment for this story, including a digital coloring phase that ultimately didn't cut the mustard:
Anyway, old stuff! It's always strange to revisit. Sometimes I feel as if I've grown by leaps and bounds in the intervening decade, other times (and this might be one of them) it feels like this work would still be something I'd be proud of making today. Both feelings are valuable, but I do love the latter. It helps me ease up on the part of myself that always wants to be improving and iterating and refining—to see that I've been able to tell stories effectively for a long time.
Comments
Waterlogged! Lord knows if it's still in print, but it was a beautiful book. Laura Bifano did a great painting for the cover.
Lucy Bellwood
2022-03-09 18:26:03 +0000 UTCThis is excellent. I've backed other stuff from Cloudscape, but not as far back as 2012. Do you know what title this is from?
Gaëtan Perrault
2022-03-09 09:09:48 +0000 UTCOooh, I remember this one! So cool! And I love the limited palette here, it gives the story a kind of timeless feel :)
Katie McMahon
2022-03-08 15:41:42 +0000 UTC
