I’ve had trouble in the past properly rendering backgrounds. I have been trying new things out with each image that I create, and sometimes things just don’t work out right and get cut from the final image. Backgrounds get cut a lot, typically filed in a “try it out later” bin. For the background on Page 14 I’ve tried blending the original hand drawn background with the paper layer.

My process for each image starts with a few rough sketches of how I want to lay out the frame, followed by a final drawing in a 4″ x 4″ square. I draw everything that’s going to be in a scene, then scan it into Photoshop and cut out the shapes that become the color layers. Simplifying characters hasn’t been too difficult, as I tend to know what the color shapes are going to be. Simplifying backgrounds is something entirely different, and I’m still slowly learning how to best translate a detailed drawn background into a series of colored shapes.

Page 14 is something in the middle. I still use the colored paper texture, but the pencil lines remain intact and give it a bit more spice. I’m not sure if this is something that I’m going to stick with, but I’ll try it out for a while to see if they’re successful images.

I apologize for how generic Page 13 ended up looking. One part was the background just refusing to work with me, and another was time. I spent most of yesterday and today poring through illustration books and character designs from different games and fantasy series trying to get the right inspiration for Mim’s outfit. Simple-but-unique is tricky, especially since this cut paper style doesn’t lend itself to fine details.

Speaking of Mim: Cold Bill finally got his name! It took a while to finally get to that part of the story, but there it is. Time to update the Cast section!