Jumbo deLuxe

And now for another quick look into the drawing process. From sketchbook, to bristol board, and finally the digital color version– one step short of the final comic strip without the graphics and lettering.

Sketchbook

I make layout drawings and concepts very quickly in my sketchbook where I try to think less about accuracy and correct perspective and more on getting nice arrangement and a correct amount of information. I sometimes regret that my final inks lack the energy, spontaneity and goofy detail of these early sketches.

Scanned in without any digital modification

The next phase is drawing on bristol board. I start with a light pencil sketch (I use 2h lead) and gradually work in the details and sometimes draw a grid for perspective. This one has pretty simple perspective so I just laid it in as I went along. The inks are done with a variety of crow quill pens. More on this in a future blog post.

Adobe PhotoShop gets a workout when I clean up my inks and add color

Hooray for digital editing. I’m not the tidiest inker so PhotoShop gives me the opportunity to clean up my drawings and correct things like crooked lines and awkward facial expressions etc. Then there’s the color. I might have to make a separate blog post about this since it’s a fairly involved process using a lot of layers and making little corrections to the inks on the fly.

The final step is adding the text and the graphics and you end up with the strip that I posted in mid June. Again, this process might be worthy of an entire blog post.

See you soon!

I am working on a new strip so it should be up before too long. In the meantime, I’ve made a few improvements to the site. I’ve re-worked the ‘Characters‘ page by adding some drawings and improving the layout a bit. New entries will appear as characters are added in the story. Regular visitors may need to refresh their web browsers to see the style changes.

I’ve re-named the ‘About’ page to ‘About + Contact‘ so it’s easier for folks to find my contact information. Go ahead and send me an e-mail if you like. I’d love to hear from you. This comic is still relatively new, so I’m looking for comments and suggestions on stuff you’d like to see or how I can make it better.

I’ve also added and removed some links from the side column since some of the comics are –sadly– no longer updating, and I’ve found some new ones to enjoy.

I still plan on putting together a jumbo-sized links page for a huge list of comics, blogs, and other online diversions. Naturally, all the comics which are no longer updating, but still have a presence on the web will be there.

Yes, it’s official, the month of April has kicked my ass. Too many commitments have forced me to put the comic on the back burner. As soon as my friend’s wedding is over, I will lock myself in my secret headquarters for five days so I can work on new comics.

In the meantime, why not check out this little bit of fan art I made for my pal Neal’s comic, The Introvert Manifesto?

Introverts Cheyenne, Leif, Chip, and Cole get together to watch some TeeVee. I've put a few Easter eggs in here, click to view a bigger version.

I love how Neal’s stories walk between the tedium of everyday life, and suddenly jump into moments of high-spirited fantasy; he’s got a great faculty for visual gags and creating characters who have rich inner lives. I also admire his lively, energetic cartooning. If you’ve never read this comic before, it might be a good idea to start from the beginning or read Neal’s introduction. He has a lot of characters and three concurrent storylines in which the same characters can appear as children, teenagers or adults.

Getting back from March break means a whole new schedule and a lot of surprises, so the new comic will have to be postponed until next week for several weeks. I really want to make my updates at least once a week but we might have a few delays for the next few weeks as real life and other commitments for family and friends are starting to intrude into my drawing time.

And then there’s the Stumptown Comics Fest. I’ll be volunteering and helping out while saying ‘hi’ to some very talented folks.

Let me know if you’ll be there too and you want to meet me. I would be up for getting coffee, making sketches, or just hanging out and reading comics.

If you are desperate to see some drawings from me right now, then why not check my flickr page where I’ve posted more stuff from my sketchbook and other little projects, including stuff for Halloween.

Following a week off for a March break beach trip and doing taxes, I’m back to doing what I do here at the Jumbodeluxe webcomic.  For those of you patient enough to come back, I’ve got a some new stuff on the site this week in addition to the regular comic post. I’ve got a blog category specifically for my sketchbook posts (you’re reading it now) and over in that column on the right I’ve added a widget that shows all the latest sketchbook entries on my flickr page. (I should point out that I’ve had a quick go with the stylesheet to make this work, so if it looks weird, try refreshing your browser.)

I think the robot's hands and feet were about the only things that stayed the same

These sketches are rough ideas for the comic that got refined or changed for the final version. I’m often quite surprised when I go through an old sketchbook and find an early concept that either bears no resemblance to what ended up in the comic, or looks cooler in its earlier stage. I generally work very fast in my sketchbook, so these drawings tend to have a much livelier quality. I’d love to retain more of that spontaneity and fun in the final draft only with less glaring mistakes.

I'm not sure why, but the robot looks much cooler here than it does in the final version.