You better believe it’s been about a month since our last episode. Yikes. I’ve made unseen progress though! I took an entire Saturday morning to sit outside in the warm summer breeze to outline the ending of Bonesick. Or at least a potential ending. I’ve discovered that a crucial component to writing a tale is to know where its head-ed (bud ump. I’ll be here all week). I’ve also identified key plot points and ‘ah-ha’ moments. Again, thanks to Brian McDonald’s book Invisible Ink. I started a list of plot points that can act as comic strips so I have no excuse not to draw while I’m fleshing out the story.
On that note, the BONUS good news is that I’ve got a brand new, hot off the press, fresh’nsoclean Bonesick comic for all you lovely people.
So let’s just cut right down to it, shall we?
Backstory
I’m not yet sure where this strip stands in the Bonesick ‘canon,’ but here’s your own personal introduction to Pam, Toby’s roommate bestie. I went back and forth about Pam’s personality (especially when I recently figured out who she is, so to speak, and that’s all I can say). At first she was going to be boisterous and effervescent, almost like a cheerleader Valley Girl type. Then she was going to be sarcastic, but Toby’s gonna lay that on thick enough. So I finally landed on soothing, sympathetic, and yet attemptively constructive. (Attemptively should be a word, btw.)
The concept in this strip was my very first idea EVER as I dreamed up Bonesick. Like it’s literally on the back of my first page of sad skeleton sketches.
The overall strip changed quite a bit — missing is closeup of a creepy eyeball and a roach saying ‘hi Pam,’ — but the underlying plot-point remains (Toby’s avoidance of life’s pursuit). If you squint, you might notice a martini-shaped glass on the side table in that last panel. That’s a nod to the television series upon which Toby feasts. While the glass didn’t make it into the final cut, I snuck a different hint into the published piece (as well as a red herring hint to throw off all my easter-egg hunters out there).
More Newbie Lessons
While a slightly shorter strip than last episode’s, this one took me just as long thanks to my obsessing over the apartment details and dimensional perspective. I found ways to cut corners though.
Last time, I hand-drew the panel squares. Like each time. Without measurements for consistency. What?? This time I drew around a square “template” piece of paper. Jeez.
I also flipped back-and-forth between pages in my spiral sketchbook to repeat the drawing of Toby sitting at the bar. Well, this go’round I figured out that I can complete a panel in pen and then place it underneath a fresh page in order to TRACE OVER it. Like seriously, SMDH.
If scenes are detailed, I may have to practice drawing them, and be ok with tossing them even though it rages me to waste time. { Never time wasted. } I did two panels to get a feel for Toby’s apartment and there was so much I wanted to change/fix that I started from scratch.
On that note, I decided that I’m allowed to fix no more than 2-3 errors/problems per panel in “post,” once I scan in the drawings. That way, I won’t take so long to get everything perfect, but still work hard enough on the sketch that I’m not dwelling in Photoshop for hours. For example: I used stippling to show texture in the couch, and then went heavy stipple for shadows underneath Toby and Pam’s bodies. Once I scanned in, I was like, nope, don’t like it. Erase tool to the rescue. (Sidebar: I still prefer to hand-draw over digital.)
My favorite thing to do is type and fit the dialog bubbles. My least favorite thing to do is the color, but only because it’s not something I’ve ever done before, so I feel like I suck at it. (Like the shadows are totally off, but I tell myself, who cares?) Once the color is done though, I secretly love it.
Toby is starting to look more like I envision in my head. Obviously, with each passing strip, I’ll improve my drawing skills. I can’t help but think of The Simpsons shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show compared to even just Episode 001.
I also had this entire post ready … about to push the scary red “PUBLISH” button … only to decide to change the punchline at the very last second. Had to re-upload all the imagery and everything. The final line went: “This unhelpful side trip would pair well with a riveting bowl of chips…brb.” Too wordy. Too cute. Kill your darlings, as they say.
Speaking of good quotes, I just watched an episode of For All Mankind, in which a character says:
“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.”
(An Ian Fleming 007 Goldfinger reference.) The enemy — in this short little life of mine — is fear of … oh I don’t know … Success? Happiness? Pleasure? Obtained goals?
Third time’s a charm. Let’s defeat the enemy. Let’s turn that fear into gold.
