Author notes

Pages 8-10: issue 3 - A Pillow of Winds

shastab24

on March 19, 2012

Massive update today.  Why?  My laptop's power cord decided to stop working last Monday and I didn't get a new one until Friday.  Since I actually was working a lot slower on this issue (drawing backgrounds and actual people drags me down because it takes a lot more work to make it look servicable), I didn't have a buffer.  But no computer did help me get more pages done, and I'm actually into drawing next issue.  Not that I've finished with the pages for this issue (I still need to color most and of them letter all of them), but at least I'm closer.  In fact, by the time you read this, they should be ready and waiting to go live.  But I wanted to catch you up with the pages that should have uploaded in the intervening time.
 
And now to talk about the pages:
Page 8 - This was another page I did before looking again at the reference, so her boots are wrong (you can tell by page 10 I switched to a slightly different look–this is the way they looked when I first drew them for my reference picture, and the way they'll stay).  But you wouldn't have seen them at all if I hadn't decided to actually show how she keeps her key on her when her costume doesn't have pockets.
 
Page 9 - The last panel here was the initial image I thought of for the entire issue, and helped be the basis for eventually how I titled it.  I'm sure some people might be able to guess the themes of my titles, so it may seem like a bit of a stretch nonetheless, though.  That last panel, though, was originally supposed to be a full-page spread and be the title page.  But I realized it needed width and I wasn't going to make it into a double-page spread.  Plus, when I did the title page, I still didn't know how many total pages the issue would last and didn't know where the image would be in relation to the entire thing.  Since I didn't want the title too close to the middle of the book, I went in the current direction, instead.
 
Page 10 - Boots back to their original look!  Never mind that most readers will assume I suddenly changed them here.  It's my fault for not remembering in the first place.  But anyways, I do like the last panel here.  It really does give a sense of her running, and I know I'm not good at drawing movement (or anything, really, but movement is quite hard).
 
Overall - Redding is a very windy place sometimes.  During the course of drawing this, coincidentally (since I'd written it last year), we had winds here over 60 miles per hour one day.  It's scary to have to walk in when one knows trees have been toppled in lighter winds (and dang if there aren't a lot of trees on my walking route, I noticed) and seeing some street signs rattling in the wind.  My uncle had to deal with palm fronds in his yard afterwards, which blew off the trees near his house (Redding has palm trees, which is always funny to me because we are definitely not tropical).  But enough about my pointless trivia.  See you next update (or in the comments if I get any).
 
Tomorrow (barring any more unforseen computer problems): Massive update #2!  The rest of the outstanding pages.  Eiderdown confronts the hoodlums.  What will happen?  Stay tuned: same Bear-time, same Bear-channel (I apologize for the lame Batman reference–I have been wanting to throw one in).