Script to First Pencils

I was able to start penciling the Ghosts of Pineville today! I had been procrastinating this inaugural event because the very first panel, on the very first page is a 3 point perspective of the town of Pineville. Which didn't sound so bad while I was just typing the script. Though, I'm glad I didn't bail on the idea once I began to draw...which is so easy to do sometimes. I took on the challenge and kicked it in the face! No. But really...It did take longer to pencil but I am happy with the results. Perspective doesn't always have to be scary...and extra time can sometimes = success, I suppose. 

I was able to fit in the town theater, gas station, courthouse, library, police station, hardware store, church, diner, park, and some other little places!

Tools: Blue lead pencil (for first lines), graphite pencil (for final lines), eraser, 18" ruler, and a pad of smooth 11"x14" Strathmore bristol.

During the production of the first Ghosts of Pineville book I began inking my pages in batches (as opposed to directly after the page was penciled). So, the final inks for these pages won't be done until the first third of the comic is drawn. It will have to wait.

I pencil my pages from a script I've typed in Word. Before I put pencil to page I have written my entire script, breaking it down comic page to comic page, including full dialogue and basic panel descriptions (when I visualize them). I know it's not how a lot of comic artists write, but I'm not a fan of thumb-nailing. If I'm going to draw something it might as well be the usable page, in my opinion. I spend about 2 seconds on each thumbnail. They're basic scribbles to symbolize shapes, shapes to signify people, places and things. I sketch these directly before I start penciling that page as not to forget what the shapes signify. 

Another Note: My scripts are very basic. Each bullet = a panel. I've been doing comics long enough to know how much I can personally fit on each page. This dictates the page's pacing. I don't spell check my scripts. I don't proof them for grammar mistakes. They are merely a template for future pages, a guide to help direct the story.