If I runed the world

What started out as a jolly has turned into a full on linguistics project! I mention in the book that Sem's sports team wears the rune for power as their emblem. Much like my map I thought "Wouldn't it be fun to include some of the runes of Arbea in the book".

Well, to include them requires them to exist. And what started as a way of illustrating chapter titles has required me to take a hard look at the structure of language, pictographic writing and runes.

Often runes illustrate complex concepts. But, these concepts are quite basic archetypes. I started by looking at Karl Jung's concept of archetypes, creating runes for each. Then I began working backwards breaking down the major archetypes into its component parts.

Then it was thinking of other basic concepts one might night, figuring out how to represent other compound ideas, concepts, reading/writing structure, etc. I won't go into too much detail about how I went about it. It's made even my head hurt. And, I need to get me to a linguist to see what insights they can offer. But, I'm having super fun exploring it.

Here is my first crack at runes (actually more of glyphs) and then the rough translation of each of the chapter names in the book.

Enjoy!
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Page one of glyphs

Title and chapters as glyphs

All wrapped up in orange

So, as I'm starting on final edits I'm trying to think of a cover, thinking about the the book with a marketing eye. I wanted to start with the cover because, as with my writing process, the words and the images go hand in hand. One of the things that struck me right away was that the title wasn't right. While "The Mighty Orange-Peel" is hilarious and understandable to me, it isn't the most engaging title from a marketing perspective. So began my adventures in coming up with a new title. 

I trolled through the works of one of my favourite book designers, Chip Kidd, to discover what his philosophy on books is. From what I gathered, book covers are a metaphor for the major themes of the book. And, really, the biggest theme in the book is Gemmy's 'otherness'. He feels strange. And over the course of the book his idea of who he is gets a jolt. So, I came up with the title "Kick Start" and did some quick mock ups, a la, Chip Kidd.

I love these covers, but I don't really think they reflect the genre or the feeling and sentiment of the book.


Next I had a hard look at the series name, "The Strange Chronicles". While it's a bit on the nose about how Gemmy feels about himself, overall, it's not what the story itself is about. Also, thinking like a business man, calling your own series "strange" does not give the best first impression. Ultimately the whole saga is about the process of Gemmy finding out who he is and what the heck all of the things that have been done to him mean. So, I titled the series: "The Emersus Project". You'll have to read it to understand that one.

Project Emersus

Then, I had a chat with a mate who also enjoys fantasy and he gave me some insight about what draws him in with a title. It has to have a hint of mystery and a touch of darkness. So, I had another wee think. Each of the stories I have lined up in my head would then need to be focussed through the lens of each being a phase of the Emersus project. The first phase being the work of Black Star Lab and what it has to do with Gemmy's family. And then it was like "Mystery - star, Darkness - black, other worldliness - black star" BOOM!

Here are some early sketches of a cover for my book "Project Emersus: Book 1 - Black Star"

I'm probably going to whip up a few other ideas but so far I like the starkness and slight feeling of doom of this draft. I know I've struck the right chord when I'm looking at an image and I hold my breath. That's how I feel when I look at the plain black and white one. What do y'all think?

I've done a few more that I don't really like them. The two above are cool but too sci-fi for my liking. And the last is just too banal. Any other ideas?

Enjoy!
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Final drawings: Pencil perfect

I'm embarking on a final edit of Book 1 this spring. And as I do, I realised I need to do some final drawings. There are a few that are done, like those of Gemmy when he's transformed and Gravander. These characters were so clear in my mind that they came out on paper right away. But there are some characters that need to be defined. For example, I've never quite had Nereth's face in my head. And some that just need a proper portrait done like Sem who is clear in my head I've just not done her justice in drawing (So far the only one that I've liked I did in 2010. Might just redraft it into a final).

The final drawings in the book I think will be the simple black and white pencil drawings. I like the dreamy quality of pencil on paper. It allows your brain to fill in the fantastic while suggesting reality.

For a starter, I've redone my sketch of Gemmy in his school uniform. There's something about the original that I like as I think in the new version he's a bit too gawky. What do you think?

Gemmy uniform, 2011

Gemmy redrawn, 2013

Gemmy... finally - pencil on paper

Here's a new drawing of the girls as discovered in the lab. I like the concept of the two standing together, Lauta, brash and ready, protecting yet teaming up with Ilä. But I will definitely need to rethink it. Small inconsistency, they don't get their haircuts until well after they're out of the lab and would not be wearing their suits. They both have long matted hair at the start. Below is what the drawing should really be. I like Lauta's ferocity in the second also, her proportions are better (FYI - her body is meant to look slightly distended. It's one of her physical 'defects').

Ilä and Lauta

The girls as first encountered - Pencil on paper

Enjoy!

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Tripping in the archives

So, sometimes when nothing is happening in the world of creation I take a trip back.

Here are some drawings I made in 2000 for a story board class at Uni. I don't remember the full details of the idea but it was going to be a short film about the seasons. It's crazy to see my Alphonse Mucha influence even then.

Spring - Pencil on paper

North Wind - pencil on paper

A lot of my sketches that I have from back then are colour copies of the originals. But these are the original pencil on paper drawings (apparently I didn't have any fixatives when I first cut them out of my sketch book). But, I'm glad I kept them safe and am scanning them for posterity.

Enjoy!
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Fan boy

I've been thinking a lot about 'fan art' - fan art being your own interpretation of someone else's characters or art - not just straight copying. The hoity-toity professional in me thinks, 'how sad a thing it is to do fan art?' but then I realised, don't we all start out as fan artists?

As a kid I remember spending hours copying the art of my favourite cartoons and comics until I could draw the characters perfectly from memory. It was a point of pride that I could draw Darkwing Duck flawlessly. Then as I got older I began copying the styles of my favourite comics. It started with anime and the art of Akira Toriyama and then gradually moved back to comic book art. It was the work of Chris Bachalo on Uncanny X-Men #356 in the late 90s that brought me back to Marvel (I remember seeing this issue on the comics rack in Walgreens and just needing to buy it). From there I found inspiration in the likes of Joe Madureira (AoA), Humberto Ramos (Runaways and X-Men), Carlos Pacheco and Salvador Larroca (particularly Xtreme X-Men and his pencil with no inking style) that kept me coming back to Marvel and subsequently some their side projects ('Out There' and 'Battlechasers').

This drawing of Gemmy (before he was even Gemmy) was inspired by/ripped off from X-men #76 cover, 1998.

Ballpoint pen & colour pencil - '98

In particular, it was Bachalo and Pacheco's treatment of Marrow (originally created by Madureira) as a character, and the darker edge she brought to the X-Men that I responded to. Bachalo's cartoony style particularly worked with the exaggerated grotesqueness of her powers as well as some of the other newer X-Men like Maggot.

It was with Marrow that I ventured into my first proper 'fan art' and entered a competition to showcase her new look. I totes should have won but did not. Here's one that was not entered in the competition because it was of her 'old look' before she got control of her powers.

Pencil on paper - '99

Later, it was artists like Tony Diterlizzi (Spiderwick Chronicles, Wondla) and D. M. Cornish (Monster Blood Tattoo) who peaked my interest as author/illustrator and made me see that it's possible to be both (I've found that I don't have the patience or sensibility to draw graphic novels).

So, once I did my Mr Onion drawing it made me think, what other artists and images currently occupy my artistic mind?

At the moment, one of my favourite cartoons is Adventure Time. It reminds me of being a kid (I remember creating characters very similar. I think Pen Ward may have got a hold of my sketch books from middle school). The stories captivate and entertain me as I think most little boys have adventure time in their head, escaping to worlds where you flit between braving dungeons and rescuing princesses. So, I've been playing around sketching and reinterpreting my favourite characters from the show (also I can play some of the songs from the show on my uke). Here are some sketches of Finn and Jake and Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen (drawn with my bubblegum scented pencil). Might finish them off later on.

Finn and Jake

Bubblegum and Marceline 

Enjoy!
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