InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "SMD!"

jlroberson (jlroberson) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-08-24 04:46:00

Current location:	Seattle
Current mood:	discontent
Current music:	Do Make Say Think
Entry tags:	char: lulu, creator: frank wedekind, creator: john linton roberson, genre: adaptation, in-joke: shameless plug

Lulu: 10 Pages of a Work in Progress

As some of you know, I'm an indie cartoonist, and some time back I posted an autobio story, "Martha," which was my final story in my 4-year exploration of the smut genre. Having gotten tired of that, I have been working this year on a long-planned adaptation of Frank Wedekind's LULU plays(the other plan was WOYZECK, but, uh, a bit too heavy for me at this time), "Erdgeist" and "Pandora's Box." The latter of which is best known as a silent Louise Brooks vehicle. I love Brooks, but that's been done, and besides, it was hardly a definitive adaptation. Mine isn't either but I'm trying to be at least faithful to its spirit. But mine is set in the modern era, and I am being a bit loose with the rather archaic PD translation I'm working with.
In any event, I though this might be a good venue to show some of it so far, as you folks have taste, and I'm certainly not putting it on my site before shopping it around. So, here's ten pages of it. Most of these lack the greys I'm going to add later(more or less as you see in the first two), so please keep that in mind. Without further comment, here you go.

Mods: this is my own work under my own copyright, so hopefully I can post as much as I like.
(c)2009 John Roberson. All rights reserved.

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goodfellow_puck
2009-08-24 10:45 pm UTC (link)

I like your expressions which is really important in a story that's carried by it's characters and their dialouge. Their designs are fitting of their character as well--their faces especially. The backgrounds are warped in perspective, or just plain flat in some places. You keep doing low ceilings with diagonal lines, but don't follow through with everything else in the scene. I agree with someone else that the background hatching is a bit odd. That's for two reasons: #1 It creates tangents between panels and some objects, #2 it's very sketchy and inconsistent which makes it distracting to the eye. Check out some Bernie Wrightson stuff to see max amount of hatching done to aid the art.

You flipped the bride 'n' cat painting. Cat is on the left in first panel, and on the right in the rest.

Good luck!

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jlroberson
2009-08-25 02:42 am UTC (link)

Oops. Well, fortunately the paintings I've been keeping on separate layers, so flipping it back isn't too difficult...

Thanks for the words on the background hatching. And my obsession with hatching is in fact the result of Wrightson, specifically his FRANKENSTEIN drawings, as well as Totleben and Sim, two others who I will never match. I agree that it's probably too much. I've been going back & forth on whether to do it there but it seems to me after reading your comments I'd be better off just going painterly on the backgrounds and letting greys do the work there to avoid some of what you mention. Besides, it's extra work and very tedious and I'm gathering it's not going to any better effect.

And also, I spent 6 years when I was doing VITRIOL(my first big work and the reason I spent 4 years after on something far less work-intensive) doing that style and I should probably move on. It's hard to break habits.

I gotta say, I was starting to consider dropping this out of doubt before posting it here, and you folks have encouraged me to continue. Thanks.

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	goodfellow_puck 2009-08-25 02:16 pm UTC (link)
	Haha, I adore my Frankenstein DH reprint. I look at it whenever I need a kick in the ass not to suck so much. ;) Ink washes might be a neat effect against the hatching on your figures. You're right that it would take a lot less time too. Do it light in scenes like this though. :) (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	jlroberson 2009-08-25 02:55 pm UTC (link)
	There's a reprint? That's cool, because the binding went on the first edition I've had since it came out long ago. It's back to being a portfolio! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	jlroberson 2009-08-25 02:58 pm UTC (link)
	Note: paintings fixed to match p. 3 now. Oh, and on the backgrounds: the ceiling's weirdness is intentional, in that it's a diagonal roof, not flat. I based it on the top floor of a warehouse I used to work, that had a large skylight shaped that way. (Though I also notice I am not totally consistent about that in the later pages) (Reply to this) (Parent)

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