Picky Penciling: The Anatomy of a Rough Layout!

Here is how I am working at the moment, from blank piece of paper to penciled drawing ready to ink (I explain my even more Byzantine inking process here).

1. First I lay out the lettering on Borden & Riley #37 Boris Layout Bond...

2. After determining where the word balloons will fall, I work out a thumbnail (1 3/4" inch wide).

3. Then I pencil with light blue Col-Erase and graphite pencils on the layout bond (note: I added an additional word balloon) ...

4a. I proceed to blue-pencil the other panels in the tier. I often use scrap pieces of tracing paper to cover completed panels, to avoid smearing.

4b. A closer shot of the blue pencil rough taking shape.

5. Pencil refinements continue. I usually take 3-4 passes over a figure to arrive at a tight pencil drawing. The tools of the trade are shown here.

6. Here's the final rough layout. Sometimes I will tighten up further with a Pilot fine line pen (as on page 1A, posted earlier), but not on this one. I will scan and ink on an overlay of Clearprint Design Vellum in the coming weeks.

7. I thought I was done, but Clarissa's head was angled too low and Stella's expression wasn't working, so I redrew the heads the next morning...

8. Here is the final composite with the fixed heads. I think this will work better.

Robo-Beach: The Doom Defiers Defense System!

I thought I had completed the rough pencils for the fourth all-new issue of Megaton Man a day or two ago, but I wasn't satisfied with the last few pages, so I reworked the robots and added a whole additional page (note to self: make sure to add the umbrella to all shots of the lifeguard stand before inking!). In this sequence, Colonel Turtle has just washed up after a bender, interrupting the all-important volleyball practice at the Doom Defiers beach house in Bayonne NJ...

Le Chat Cosmique: The Sidekick of a Sidekick Breaks Out!

Introduced in Megaton Man #2 (February 1985), Kozmik Kat and the Megaton Mice have been mortal enemies ever since! But in the all-new issue #4 (my current work in progress), the relationship is rearranged, and the boot is now on the other paw! Left alone to guard the Doomsday Factory, Kozmik Kat faces a jailbreak of the Sole Surviving Megaton Mouse by his brothers (who also survived!), and makes things worse by enlarging them on Dr. Winnie Wertz's mysterious resizing gizmo (see a previous post). But wait!! There's more...

Genesis of an Android: Sandra Lights Up Down Broadway!

Two sequences from the current work in progress: the all-new Megaton Man #4 (three issues completed; publication details TBD): In the first, the Stella Android, Sandra, has been left alone in Trent Phloog's apartment, where she has been recharging by the window after a long period of dormancy. But her every move is streaming back to Edie Heidelberg in Megatropolis Office of Public Planning, and to Bad Guy!

In the second sequence, Sandra joins a Memorial Day parade heading down upper Broadway...

See previous posts for more previews of the all-new Megaton Man!

A Kouped-Up Kozmik Kat in a Rockin' Doomsday Factory!

Penciling a new sequence for the all-new Megaton Man #4 (the first three issues having been completed, publication details TBD), we find Kozmik Kat left to rule the roost of the Doom Defiers team headquarters. What mysterious secrets will he uncover? Stay tuned...