Chapter Four Inking: GREAT HEAPS OF PAGES

Not sure how it happened, but I got a whole carriage-load of pages inked since last we spoke. Whoops.

This week: first, I want your opinion! Then, the usual unasked-for opinions on things, and a closer look at these pages.

The spoilers are intensifying. The full pages are in the carousel above, but if you want to carve a half-way path between Spoiler Town and Blissfully Unspoiled Valley, the stuff below does that.

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This week I had need to review some files from Delilah Dirk Two (The Blades of England). It's the first time I'd seen them in a long time. I had a lot of thoughts and a lot of strong feelings.

Would you be interested in taking a trip back in time to look at these older books? 

Soon I'll be flatting these Chapter Four pages (December-January), and there's not much for me to share during that process. So that would be a good time to take a look back.

Let me know in the comments! Who wants to look at some decade-old artwork?

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Holiday season is creeping up on us! This is good, I like the holiday season. In order to both Get Festive AND to try to get our kiddo interested in anything except Bluey (not a real problem, honestly, but seems wise on principle), we've been dipping into christmas specials.

Friends, I'm going to say it: I really like Olaf's Frozen Adventure. It's a half hour Frozen-adjacent short about the animated snowman sidekick going around learning about holiday traditions. The funny business is funny and I think it has a better song than any of the actual Frozen movies. 

Apropos of nothing, I'll just remind everyone that I try not to believe in "guilty pleasures."

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One more mention of Adam Buxton's podcast: in this interview, Chris Morris (Four Lions, Veep) absolutely drags "Save The Cat" and Robert McKee, and I am — as they say — here for it. Morris says, "we went to a couple of McKee talks… in the end, it's [expletive] snake oil. Absolute [more expletives]. The guy's basically a bully, he's a psychologically unreliable specimen… he was swearing at people, sending them out for challenging the things he said, which were highly questionable." An audience member questioned McKee on his assertion that Se7en was a thriller, and apparently McKee told him to "[yet another expletive] get out." 

This felt gratifying and helped me put a name to the general feeling I felt while reading Story, which was, "I don't trust this guy."

Now, since we can't just go around badmouthing someone without offering some positive counter-programming, I will say I generally agree with the theory that you have to learn the "rules" before you can break the rules (insofar as "McKee" is "The Rules"), and if you're into writing it's beneficial to know McKee's ideas and approach, even if it's only so you can "know thine enemy." And I still like his tip about not writing dialogue during the outlining stage.

Instead, Morris praises Sandy Mackendrick's On Film Making. I haven't read that one, but Morris says it's "not didactic," which sounds great. And I have always liked Lajos Egri's The Art of Dramatic Writing (Archive.org link).

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^ I like the ink wash treatment in the foliage here, except… it means the values in the drawing are not what they'll be when I colour it. The sky should be night-time dark, and the foliage should all be illuminated from below, from the "explosions." Oh well. I think I know how to approach it in colour.

^ I'm back in my happy place! Making up sounds. Lots of them in this chapter, so I'm putting them all on separate sheets, just to keep the artwork clean, so I don't have to separate them later.

^ This is a good panel, and just the right pose, I think. Love it when a plan comes together.

^ Sophia is right to be worried. I'm always very happy when a simple panel like this one feels satisfying and complete.

^ And finally, my other surprise-favourite panel from this batch, with some good expressions going on here. Some panels or pages, you know, "this one will be good." Others, they sneak up on you, like this one.

This week's batch also includes one of my favourite sequences, but I want to wait til it's coloured to talk about it, if indeed it needs any talking-about. It's small, but it's fun and I'm not sure if it works yet. You're welcome to guess which one it is.

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Looking at our family's schedule, I think next week's update will be a lighter one. Also, the pages are getting tougher. More detail! More architecture, and at least one crowd scene. I'm excited to see how they turn out!

Until next week,
I remain,
absolute [expletives],

TC