Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
good thoughts. I am hoping to work on the layout of some scenes this weekend, as soon as I have those in a sendable format I'll send them your way. Also, I realized that it might be good if I filled you in on the changes in the story and where else I see the story going that hasn't been written yet.
So expect those to appear on this blog soon.
So expect those to appear on this blog soon.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
More ideas
I picture the prologue reading like a novel, with the text hand printed on roughed-up parchment, or scroll like material - then illustrate major scenes from the prologue in a sketchy fashion. Frank Miller, and other graphic novelists have done this in their books as well. Often in the batman novels, they will include important documents or case files at the beginning. I can see your prologue serving as the opening legend for the tale to come (very much like the opening scenes of (don't laugh) disney's beauty and the beast).
As far as page size is concerned, I would think that a slightly smaller page size would lend itself to the timeless feel of the story- going with more the physical size of a novel, possibly even binding the book in a hardcover. However, the downside of reducing the page size is that we would limit the space for the story to unfold graphically, and hardcover versions are expensive. Therefore at this point, I would opt for the standard size.
I agree with you that there is a lot of room within the drawings and layout to be original and break assumptions. And, I think that the layout of the book should follow the style of the artwork. Therefore, our first goal should be to determine the graphic style of the book. Would you send me a specific excerpt from the novel that you would like to see a draft of, and I will work up some ideas for that scene. Also send specific suggestions or advice for how you picture the excerpt being laid out. I think that this is our first hurdle in the novels artistic development.
As far as page size is concerned, I would think that a slightly smaller page size would lend itself to the timeless feel of the story- going with more the physical size of a novel, possibly even binding the book in a hardcover. However, the downside of reducing the page size is that we would limit the space for the story to unfold graphically, and hardcover versions are expensive. Therefore at this point, I would opt for the standard size.
I agree with you that there is a lot of room within the drawings and layout to be original and break assumptions. And, I think that the layout of the book should follow the style of the artwork. Therefore, our first goal should be to determine the graphic style of the book. Would you send me a specific excerpt from the novel that you would like to see a draft of, and I will work up some ideas for that scene. Also send specific suggestions or advice for how you picture the excerpt being laid out. I think that this is our first hurdle in the novels artistic development.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A graphic novel has limitations:
1. A page is 8 1/2 X 11.
2. You have to draw things.
3. Frames... the drawings have to be separated from one another somehow
4. Dialogue bubble/blocks.
Creativity in what we make will be done within the confines of these limitations. There is a lot of room within these boundaries to get people off balance by doing different things. There is for sure a "cliche" comic book look. I have been asking myself lately how to get people to stop thinking "comic book" and start thinking "graphic novel." Being original within the limitations is one way to do that.
1.You can change the page size (but why? and to what? The idea is to break assumptions and to get people to judge the work on its own grounds.)
2. There is tons of room within the drawings to break assumptions and be original. I think this is one of the key places it can be done. I went to Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago to flip through comic book art and made judgments about each on in about 2 seconds of flipping through the art. People don't expect realism in the images - they expect cartoons, which is also different from something stylistic like Frank Miller.
3. The images have to be separated somehow. I think the question to ask on each page how can the look of the frames on this page serve the storytelling, be visually appealing, and creative?
4. I have been working on the prologue and putting long sections of narration in it, so it reads almost like a novel with illustrations more than a comic book. The prologue fits large blocks of text better than other sections will, but it for sure is one way to break people's assumptions.
1. A page is 8 1/2 X 11.
2. You have to draw things.
3. Frames... the drawings have to be separated from one another somehow
4. Dialogue bubble/blocks.
Creativity in what we make will be done within the confines of these limitations. There is a lot of room within these boundaries to get people off balance by doing different things. There is for sure a "cliche" comic book look. I have been asking myself lately how to get people to stop thinking "comic book" and start thinking "graphic novel." Being original within the limitations is one way to do that.
1.You can change the page size (but why? and to what? The idea is to break assumptions and to get people to judge the work on its own grounds.)
2. There is tons of room within the drawings to break assumptions and be original. I think this is one of the key places it can be done. I went to Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago to flip through comic book art and made judgments about each on in about 2 seconds of flipping through the art. People don't expect realism in the images - they expect cartoons, which is also different from something stylistic like Frank Miller.
3. The images have to be separated somehow. I think the question to ask on each page how can the look of the frames on this page serve the storytelling, be visually appealing, and creative?
4. I have been working on the prologue and putting long sections of narration in it, so it reads almost like a novel with illustrations more than a comic book. The prologue fits large blocks of text better than other sections will, but it for sure is one way to break people's assumptions.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
This new found authorship power may just go to my head...
Hey, I figured out how to post, and not just comment.... Yay!
Awesome photograph, by the way. I think it would be really sweet to be able to use edited photographic scenes as backdrops for the book. The trick is making that work seamlessly with the characters, because there are plenty of ways to make it look ridiculous.
I will be off for a couple of days early this next week, so I will try to post some more brain storms.
Awesome photograph, by the way. I think it would be really sweet to be able to use edited photographic scenes as backdrops for the book. The trick is making that work seamlessly with the characters, because there are plenty of ways to make it look ridiculous.
I will be off for a couple of days early this next week, so I will try to post some more brain storms.
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