April 08, 2008
The Unbroken Circle Volume One: The Black Chamber
The collected Black Chamber is now available as one handy download from Wowio. It's falling under the branding for 'The Unbroken Circle' as it is part of the larger story being told in all of my books such as 'Too Late', 'Batesville' and the forthcoming 'Too Soon'.
There's no new content here besides the cover, but it'll be handy to download just one copy. Plus I get a buck for everyone who gets a copy. Support your local starving ass artist!
Posted by Schamberger at 06:03 PM
December 05, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER - FINALE!
Here it is, the final installment of my first graphic novel! It's been a sweet ride getting here, and with this door closing I'm even more excited about opening the next door for 'Too Late'!
You can now read the whole thing at Wowio:
Thank you so much for taking this ride with me!
Posted by Schamberger at 06:53 AM
November 28, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Chapter Nineteen!
The final showdown!
Need to get caught up? Check out the color archive! The fourth goes up next week!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:06 AM
November 21, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Chapter Seventeen!
The brutal final battle between Dennis and Tony!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:00 AM
November 14, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Chapter Seventeen!
The final showdown begins here!
The Wowio archives are still waiting for you:
Or for my international friends or those of you who don't wish to sign up at Wowio, you can now download the entire epic for the small donation of four bucks! Cheap!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:41 AM
November 07, 2007
Somehow I Missed This
How did I not see Jason had made this?
All kinds of the awesome! Thanks man, and sorry for not thanking you for it before!
Posted by Schamberger at 12:43 PM
THE BLACK CHAMBER Chapter Sixteen!
The third color archive is now up! Download it! Read it! Love it! Trade it with your friends!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:40 AM
October 31, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Fifteen!
Easily the most brutal scene I've ever drawn. A couple of the panels actually left me shaken after I'd finished drawing them. Of course, the most disturbing thing in the book is still to come.
Don't forget to check out the color archives over on Wowio! The third one goes up next week!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:26 AM
October 24, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Fourteen!
But wait, there's more!
You can now subscribe to my email list by sending an email to robschamberger at gmail dot com with the subject of 'Subscribe, Sucka!'
I've also set up a social network/forum at schamberger.ning.com for your enjoyment.
Plus, be sure to check out the color Black Chamber archives!
Posted by Schamberger at 08:59 AM
October 17, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Now Available on Wowio!
Sometimes things fall into place quicker than I thought they would, so 'later this week' turns into 'later today'!
The Black Chamber is now available for free download from Wowio. Issue One and Issue Two are both up now, with three and four going up later. What's happening here is that my archives are moving there, because frankly, I get paid when people read it there. I'm also doing it in color there, which hasn't been seen to date. Everything's still running at ACT-I-VATE first, but I'm moving my backlist to Wowio.
What's this mean to you? Well, first you get to see this in color, which was my original intention for the book. Second, I get paid each time a unique reader downloads one of my books. Yeah, you get to read it for free, and I get paid for you to read it. Not bad, huh? So if you're here on my site, I reckon you enjoy my work, so hop on over there and download the first two issues. After reading them, if you know someone else who would like to read it, please encourage them to go download them as well. Y'all get to read something I've put my whole heart into, and I get to generate some much-needed income off of my work. Cool, huh?
Here's the press release which you'll hopefully start seeing around the 'net, along with some of the colored art and the first cover. Click each of the thumbnails for a larger view.
Thanks gang!
###
For Immediate Release!
ROB SCHAMBERGER’S THE BLACK CHAMBER NOW AVAILABLE ON WOWIO!
The critically acclaimed action/suspense webcomic The Black Chamber by creator Rob Schamberger is now available for free download from Wowio, now for the first time in stunning color! Currently serializing in its original lush inkwash look on the popular webcomics collective ACT-I-VATE, Schamberger is moving his archives of The Black Chamber to Wowio, allowing readers to enjoy the story as larger slabs of culture.
“The Black Chamber has been a real labor of love for me over the last couple of years,” says Schamberger. “Having it run on ACT-I-VATE has been amazing, and I’ll continue to have all new content there every week for all of my readers to continue enjoying. But I’m also really excited to have my backlist available on Wowio so that folks can read my stories in longer sittings and not having to wait each week for an update. Of course, I’m sure once they’ve had a taste of what’s come before they’ll be jumping right over to ACT-I-VATE because they can’t wait to see what comes next!”
This is also the first time that The Black Chamber has been presented in color. Using a limited palette but still retaining the original atmosphere of the uncolored art, longtime readers and new readers alike will want to check this out! “While I was preparing to work with Wowio, I thought it’d be cool to make this something my existing readers would want to check out all over again, and something to excite new readers at the same time,” elaborates Schamberger.
The Black Chamber is the story of a government agent on the run, reuniting with his estranged daughter after four years. Their reunion is only shortly enjoyed, as they both become embroiled in a heist gone wrong and become the targets of assassins.
The Black Chamber is now available in full color for free download from www.wowio.com and also runs every Wednesday on community.livejournal.com/act_i_vate/ . More of Rob Schamberger’s work can be found online at his website, www.comixperience.com .
Posted by Schamberger at 01:48 PM
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Thirteen!
Sometime this week expect to see the first of some pretty wicked cool announcements regarding The Black Chamber. It's really awesome to see all of this hard work on my part start to pay off, and I'm even more excited for y'all to be able to experience the fruits of those labors!
Until then, here's the next thrilling installment of your favorite comic and mine, THE BLACK CHAMBER!
Posted by Schamberger at 08:11 AM
October 10, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Twelve!
Posted by Schamberger at 09:34 AM
October 03, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Eleven!
Posted by Schamberger at 08:02 AM
September 26, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Ten!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:12 AM
September 19, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Nine!
Posted by Schamberger at 08:03 AM
September 12, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Eight!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:39 AM
September 05, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Seven!
Posted by Schamberger at 08:47 AM
August 30, 2007
Whoa!
So, Dan Goldman pointed to this article by PC Magazine today, the Top 100 Undiscovered Websites, and there's ACT-I-VATE, and then I noticed what screen-capture they used for the write-up:
Sweet! Becoming part of this collective is one of the best things to come my way!
Posted by Schamberger at 09:40 AM
August 29, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Six!
Posted by Schamberger at 08:02 AM
August 22, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Five! Plus! An added bonus!
Plus, since this week's a short installment, I'm also presenting:
Posted by Schamberger at 08:58 AM
August 15, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Four!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:16 AM
August 08, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Three!
Posted by Schamberger at 06:51 AM
August 01, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene Two!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:21 AM
July 25, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER Scene One!
After all of the years of hard work, here it finally is!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:45 AM
July 20, 2007
Five Days
Posted by Schamberger at 01:14 PM
July 18, 2007
THE BLACK CHAMBER starting July 25th at ACT-I-VATE!
The Black Chamber will be debuting next Wednesday the 25th at ACT-I-VATE! Click the image below to read the trailer, and then please be sure to check in each Wednesday to read the story as it unfolds!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:01 AM
July 13, 2007
What is She Hiding?
Posted by Schamberger at 07:56 PM
July 12, 2007
What is His Secret?
Posted by Schamberger at 08:00 PM
July 06, 2007
Activating Soon
The Black Chamber now has a home! Details to come very soon. What a great way to cap off the week!
Posted by Schamberger at 02:36 PM
May 15, 2007
Submission Copies Going Out Today
I'm initially submitting to three publishers. One looks really promising. Here's hoping!
Posted by Schamberger at 10:49 AM
March 20, 2007
The First Five Unlettered Pages
Posted by Schamberger at 09:09 PM
March 19, 2007
Scanned...Again
I finished up scanning alla the pages last night. Again. I'll start in on cleaning them up for their digital existence tomorrow night, and then move into lettering. I should have this sucker in the bag within a couple of weeks.
Then on to the grueling job of submitting it around.
Posted by Schamberger at 06:21 PM
March 12, 2007
Saturday Night
A big thank you to everyone who made it by on Saturday for the Page Viewing Party. It seemed like y'all had a good time, and the feedback on the book wasn't TOO negative, so that's a plus.
Sorry, I meant to take pictures, but there was just so much going on, and several folks I hadn't seen in a while, and making sure Dennis and Kevin didn't gank my copy of So Many Splendid Sundays, I just didn't make it happen. I guess there's a picture out there of my mom and girlfriend taking Jell-O Shots together, though. (By the way, Mom, you seemed to be the Belle of the Ball. Everyone kept saying either "Your mom is so cool!" or "Your mom's brownies are fuckin' good!") After most everyone left, the Preu clan came by and watched the Beastie Boys concert with us, then after they left, we topped the night off with the seminal classic, Godzilla: Final War.
I'm hoping to have the first few pages up to preview some time this week. Maybe. We'll see. I hope to start lettering within the next couple of weeks, too, and then it's all downhill from there.
Damn, I hope this book doesn't suck.
Posted by Schamberger at 07:45 AM
March 09, 2007
Scanning Done - But Not Really
So, last night, I finished scanning all the pages in. Then! I found out that the majority of the files corrupted because of some idiotic fuck-up on my part. Super!
But, hey, it is a Black Chamber-related task, so that of course means that I have to do it more than once, right? Right!? FUCK!
Posted by Schamberger at 09:21 AM
March 03, 2007
Coming Soon
Not final by any means. Actually, I'm working up another design that hit me, as well.
Posted by Schamberger at 03:42 PM
March 02, 2007
And...I'm Spent
The area needed to lay all of these pages out was bigger than the floor space of my living room, so it had to extend some into the kitchen:
I'm not happy at all with these. Actually, I'm thinking that comix aren't the right form for this story. Interpretive Dance seems to be the proper outlet.
Just kidding.
I'M FUCKING DONE GOD DAMN IT!
Except for scanning them all in and cleaning them up and lettering them. And submitting around. And getting published. And marketing. Other than that I'M FUCKING DONE GOD DAMN IT!
Posted by Schamberger at 11:25 PM
March 01, 2007
Six to go
Unfortunately, they won't be done today, or yesterday as I'd originally thought, but definitely Friday.
Then, the weekend becomes known as Fun With A Scanner Weekend.
Anyone know where I can pick up Illustrator for a PC, for, like, free?
Posted by Schamberger at 07:38 AM
February 27, 2007
Five More Done Today
Getting ever so close!
Posted by Schamberger at 09:33 PM
February 26, 2007
Five Pages Done Today
Chuggin' along.
Posted by Schamberger at 08:32 PM
February 25, 2007
Seven Pages Completed Today
I can't remember a weekend where I was more on the ball.
Also: I hate chain link fences.
Plus: My hand fucking hurts.
Posted by Schamberger at 09:35 PM
All Inked!
Now to get off my ass and start toning these sum'bitches!
Posted by Schamberger at 01:06 PM
February 24, 2007
All But Four Pages Inked
I'm such a slacker.
Posted by Schamberger at 11:25 PM
February 23, 2007
Sailin' Along
Four more pages inked last night. Fourteen more to go, which I reckon ought to be done by tomorrow afternoon. Then it's on to the inkwash stage, and blammo! done book.
Except for scanning all of them in, cleaning them up, and lettering all of them. Except for that.
Over at The Making (and Making and Making and Making) of The Black Chamber, this weekend will discuss why I ditched the rotoscope approach, tried another method that didn't work out at all, and then moved on to the first hand-drawn approach. Be sure to follow this daily, because you'll get to see the first thirty-odd pages of the book in its prior incarnation.
Posted by Schamberger at 06:46 AM
February 21, 2007
Where It's At
Got four pages inked tonight. Although, honestly, they were easier ones. I'm expecting three to four inked tomorrow, more than likely.
Kevin, sorry I didn't make it over tonight, but, y'know, Black Chamber beckons.
Dennis, email me. I realized I don't have your addy and I want to send something your way.
Posted by Schamberger at 09:00 PM
Progress!
All of the pages are now pencilled. Now it's down to the inks and tones and this sucka's done. Probably by Sunday night.
Time to start over!
Also! In theory, my good friends Dennis Hopeless and Kevin Mellon (no, really, that's their names) have their first book out today, called Gearhead. If you're so inclined, give it a look. It stars a chick who looks like a dude.
Posted by Schamberger at 06:38 AM
February 19, 2007
Almost There!
I've got twenty-nine pages left in some form of incompletion. Of those, seven are inked and need to be toned, fourteen are pencilled, five are roughed in, and three just need to be drawn. Most of that was done in the last four days, believe it or not, which is probably why my hand is crippled today!
The five roughed in should be fully pencilled by tomorrow, the three blanks should be drawn by the end of the week, and I'm inking about three pages a night. Factoring in for another productive weekend like I had for this last one, and I should be actually done by the end of the month.
Kevin, time to sharpen up that pencil for my pin-up, motherfucker.
Is everyone still checking out The Making (and Making and Making and Making) of The Black Chamber over at ComicSpace? I've got it updating daily now, and I've uploaded enough content to keep it going through April, I figure. It's finally kind of fun to look back at all of that and watch my growth that's gotten me to this final product. Despite all of the hassling y'all give me, it was totally worth it.
I think I'm going to have a Page Viewing Party once I'm done drawing this sum'bitch. Early March, more than likely. I'll let youse guys know.
Posted by Schamberger at 07:19 AM
February 11, 2007
The Photo Shoots Are All Done Now AKA 76 Down, 20 To Go
This WILL be done by the end of February.
Posted by Schamberger at 04:53 PM
More Making Of
I put up another three pages of The Making (and Making and Making and Making) of The Black Chamber on ComicSpace. I think next week I'll start going daily with it, showing all of the work from the various versions I had done.
Until then, here's the awesome car chase scene from The Bourne Supremacy:
Posted by Schamberger at 10:48 AM
February 04, 2007
Tentative Cover Design
I still need to add all of the typography, but I'm really digging this layout.
Posted by Schamberger at 06:51 PM
February 03, 2007
ComicSpace
As the book nears completion (or revision), I'm starting to gear things towards promotion. To that end, I've created a ComicSpace account to not just showcase my comix work to date, but also to start putting The Black Chamber on the collective subconscious. I didn't really want to start putting up the pages there, but I decided to instead do a full Making Of feature, going over all of the iterations the book has gone through and my commitment to making the absolute best graphic novel that I can, at all costs.
So, here it is, The Making (and Making and Making and Making) of The Black Chamber.
Posted by Schamberger at 09:46 AM
January 09, 2007
Man, I really hope this book doesn't suck
Thirty two pages to go, incidentally. We're getting closer to finding out whether it does or not, eh?
Posted by Schamberger at 06:14 PM
January 03, 2007
Happy with this one
I've finished seven pages so far this year, also. Off to a good start.
Posted by Schamberger at 08:01 AM
December 29, 2006
Sometimes? Sometimes I Get It Right
Posted by Schamberger at 09:33 PM
I Love My New Scanner!
The Mustek A3 Scanner is everything it's cracked up to be, for sure. Damn, but it's nice scanning in a full page!
Back to business: Anyone who would like to make suggestions on the best way for me to letter this, please feel free to do so. I'm currently stumped.
Here's the dialogue to these pages:
PAGE ONE
PANEL ONE:
DIALOGUE BOX: KANSAS CITY, 2004
PANEL TWO:
WAITRESS: NO, THE COPS RAIDED THE PLACE. LOOKS LIKE THEY’RE GOING TO SHUT IT DOWN.
TRUCKER: ALL THOSE GIRLS GOIN’ TO HAVE TO SHAKE THEIR TITS SOMEWHERE ELSE, HUH?
PANEL THREE:
DIALOGUE BALLOON: IT’S TOO BAD. I KNOW A COUPLE OF THEM, THEY’RE…
PANEL FOUR:
DIALOGUE: AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!
PAGE TWO
PANEL ONE:
SOUND EFFECT: BLAM
PANEL TWO:
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL THREE:
NO DIALOGUE
PAGE THREE
PANEL ONE:
SOUND EFFECT: KRAK
PANEL TWO:
MAN: SHIT!
PANEL THREE:
DENNIS: HEY, BUDDY, ARE YOU-
PANEL FOUR:
ACCOUNTANT: TH-THE MONEY’S…
PANEL FIVE:
DENNIS: DAMN.
Posted by Schamberger at 07:04 PM
December 24, 2006
Progress!
This was a fun panel, as it was nearly all ad-libbed. There was hardly any work done with the pencil.
Posted by Schamberger at 10:39 AM
December 10, 2006
More Progress!
Time to quit and start over!
Posted by Schamberger at 10:00 PM
Progress!
Posted by Schamberger at 06:21 PM
December 03, 2006
Progress
Time to start over!
Posted by Schamberger at 05:17 PM
November 21, 2006
48 Down, 48 To Go
Time to start over!
Posted by Schamberger at 05:12 PM
November 15, 2006
Tour of Kansas City
A few choice panels from BC:
Posted by Schamberger at 09:39 PM
October 14, 2006
32 Down, 64 To Go
Sometimes, it just comes out right.
Posted by Schamberger at 08:29 PM
October 01, 2006
Thirty Down, Sixty Six To Go
I've now reached the point where I've done all of the pages I had completed the last time through. So, I'm going to quit again.
Kidding. I'm kidding. The stuff is coming out nicely and I'm really happy with it so far.
Posted by Schamberger at 08:49 PM
September 17, 2006
23 Down, 73 To Go
Posted by Schamberger at 08:13 PM
September 10, 2006
18 Down, 78 To Go
POW!
Kevin, I got a question for you: How would you go about lettering this, seeing how the final look is going to be? I've got a while to worry about it yet, but it's something that's bugging me. I was flipping through my copy of George Pratt's Enemy Ace GN today, and noticed that he colored all of his dialogue balloons a light blue, making it tie in with the art a little better, not being so blatant. I also looked at David Lloyd's new GN, Kickback, and saw that he didn't put any outlines at all around his dialogue balloons or text boxes, which worked for him rather well. Of course, I also hated the font he used, finding it to be kinda fugly.
But, I liked how with both of these, there was an obvious attempt to make the lettering more a part of the process, which I want to do myself.
Posted by Schamberger at 09:34 PM
September 05, 2006
It Works
Inked/Toned by hand, flat color via Photoshop 7.
Worked this up from a rough photocopy and quick colors, but this is pretty much what the final look will be. I'm digging it. Quite a bit.
And, for you history buffs out there, here's the first two attempts:
The all digital one:
The brush-tip pen inked one:
Posted by Schamberger at 07:50 PM
August 27, 2006
Twelve Down, Eighty Four to Go
Three (!) pages done today!
Posted by Schamberger at 07:59 PM
August 25, 2006
Did Two Pages Last Night
And amazingly, they're about the strongest ones yet. I should be over the ten page mark after this weekend (since I'm working page nine right now), so I'll put one of them up here sometime next week for y'all to gander.
Kevin, I hope you've got your pencil sharpened up.
Posted by Schamberger at 12:22 PM
August 22, 2006
Six Down, Ninety to Go
Progress!
Posted by Schamberger at 12:02 PM
August 17, 2006
YES
Page One, Panel One
I love love love the 'Multiply' setting.
Posted by Schamberger at 06:21 PM
August 16, 2006
Two Down
Ninety Four to go. I'm on a roll!
Posted by Schamberger at 12:07 PM
August 13, 2006
Fourth Time's a Charm
Either it's getting done this time, or I'll officially be the biggest loser on the internet.
EDIT: It continues to evolve.
EDIT TWO: See, I'm doing something different this time around...
...and this is all you get to see of it, for now.
EDIT THREE: I want to talk more about where I'm at as an artist right now. I know, I know, y'all don't give a fuck, but this is my site, and I'll talk about it if I damn well feel like it.
This is my fourth start on my Black Chamber graphic novel. Wow! Think about that! Fifth, if you factor in that I wrote a full script, with the original idea of having another artist draw it. But, this book is what got me back into drawing. I've made around sixty pages for it by now, all said and done. Easily over a hundred illustrations(!) since I started. Here's an overview I did a while back of my many attempts with the book.
Why so many false starts? Maybe because I know to admit when it's just not working? Maybe because I've been growing so rapidly in my abilities over the last couple of years? Dunno. Ask me again in another two years.
I'm inking this all with a brush this time around, which I think is adding a lot of energy and life to the final product. I'm doing very little in the pencil stage, just laying down the shapes, really, and doing all of the work with the ink and the wash. I like the control washes give me. I still love my black and white style, but this extra dimension of a third area of representation offers a lot more possibilities to me, especially since I learned about how to use the 'Multiply' layer function in P-Shop.
You'll notice in the pictures I've got two bottles of ink there. One of them is an older bottle that was about empty, and I just filled it up with water, so now I have a whole bottle of wash to use, that will give me the same tone throughout (most of) its life. Waste not, want not! Must be my Grandpa McDonald's influence on me.
But I'm happy with this, and a tad bit excited to be working on it again, with a clear direction in mind. Fun times ahead!
Posted by Schamberger at 04:10 PM
April 09, 2006
Words.2
All thoughts and suggestions are more than welcome. For me to poop on.
Posted by Schamberger at 11:25 AM
March 02, 2006
Words
Posted by Schamberger at 07:56 PM
February 19, 2006
Razzle Dazzle
Posted by Schamberger at 04:08 PM
February 18, 2006
Sometimes I Wonder
...if I should just go with flat color.
It sort of reminds me of an 80's French graphic novel import. Dunno. I'll put the finished version up tomorrow for comparison's sake.
Posted by Schamberger at 12:37 PM
February 04, 2006
Flashback
Posted by Schamberger at 01:25 PM
January 29, 2006
Site Update
I've massively updated the 'Comix' section of the site, in regards to The Black Chamber. It's pretty damned cool, if I do say so myself.
You get to navigate each of the colored pages I've posted here in the Blog, but you get all sorts of bonus stuff, too, like the script, some photo reference, pencils, and inks. I plan to go back and add in some commentary, too, about working the pages.
Go on and check it out.
Posted by Schamberger at 08:53 PM
Rob Schamberger's Colorized Classics
Posted by Schamberger at 05:01 PM
January 28, 2006
More Color
Posted by Schamberger at 05:53 PM
January 22, 2006
Color
Posted by Schamberger at 06:09 PM
January 16, 2006
Progress
Four pages pencilled last week, three inked, no colors. Well, at least that I want to show. I'm unhappy with the look I'm getting and still monkeying around with it until I'm ready to commit. This project's already taking forever to complete (two years by now), so a little extra time to make sure the colors are just right doesn't feel like a big sacrifice.
Thirty pages done now. That's an accomplishment of sorts, wouldn't ya say?
Posted by Schamberger at 06:21 AM
January 06, 2006
BC Update
Tomorrow I'll be a quarter of the way through the book. I'll then work to color and letter those pages, and start the submission process. I'm really stoked. It's coming together great.
Posted by Schamberger at 09:01 PM
December 26, 2005
Fun With Design
Posted by Schamberger at 02:02 PM
December 20, 2005
Then & Now
First Time I Did This Page:
This Time Doing This Page:
Posted by Schamberger at 08:05 PM
November 30, 2005
Such A Tease
One of the things that I like to do is read specific histories on specific comix. For instance, the classic Mister X. That book is almost more well-known for the teaser posters than the actual comic.
Anyway, here's my latest, another one done just for fun and education:
Posted by Schamberger at 08:35 PM
November 26, 2005
Better Than Expected
Most of the time, when I ink a page, it comes out about how I expected it to. But, every now and then, a panel will come out even better. This was one of those:
When I pencilled it, I'd just done the figure, the lamp post he's leaning on, and the general placement of the tree branches to his left and right. Otherwise, I just went in with brush and ink and went to town. Hopefully I'll be getting more panels like this.
Posted by Schamberger at 05:20 PM
November 21, 2005
On Creation
I wrote The Black Chamber over a year ago. Close to two years ago now, actually. It's in reality an amalgamation of two or three different stories I'd had, and I worked them together to create something a lot stronger, I believe.
Initially, I was writing with the idea that I would find an artist to draw it, which was the way that I had been working up to that point. However, I soon realized that just wouldn't be a reality. I had a look in mind. I wanted an American-style artist, from the vein of the EC era of guys like Wally Wood and Johnny Craig, but with the sensibilities of Goseki Kojima, as the story is a sort of take on some of the themes from Lone Wolf and Cub. I was telling Phil Hester this at a post-convention party, and he just laughed at me. He said, "Wait, you're telling me that you're trying to find a Goseki Kojima-level talent that'll work for free?"
That's when I realized that I'd have to draw it myself.
Only problem was, I couldn't draw for shit back then.
So, at first, I was thinking I'd do it all as a photo-novella, using Photoshop to make high-contrast black-and-white images. Yeah, that didn't work out at all.
But then, I had a burst of creativity, and came up with the idea to go with the Photoshop thing, but make it look like a comic. Here was my first experiment with that look:
I was pretty excited with that. I'd still have to photograph the entire comic, but I was up for it. So, I casted people for all of the 'roles' in the book, and over the course of a couple of months, I shot upwards of 600 photographs (digital, of course). I was very forturnate to find two leads who were as enthusiastic as I was. That 'style' evolved with time, and I got some interesting work out of it:
But, to be honest, as interesting as the look was, it was quite a bit flat and 'posed' looking. Even more important, it was way too time-consuming of a method to work. One panel alone took upwards of three hours to complete. So, I decided to experiment with other options of how to progress. Here was the first:
Yeah, that one didn't work out. I got in a bit of a funk over this, trying to figure out how to progress with the book. I'd been doing quite a bit of hand-drawing over all of this, and my prior method of doing Black Chamber had taught me quite a bit about how to render a figure. Plus, I'd taken several figure-drawing classes, and my classmates didn't understand why I didn't just hand-draw the danged book.
Frankly, I didn't either.
So, I started to, and it's proving to be the most beneficial, fulfilling and energizing method for progressing with the book. Here was my first pencilled page:
and inked:
I was stuck on how I would color the book, trying a couple different methods out:
But, I figured I'd go with this look:
...mainly because it was quick to do (twenty minutes to color this panel total), and because it kept the vibrancy of color that I'd had with the time-consuming Photoshop method.
I'm really excited for this book, and I hope that by the time it's done, people will enjoy reading it as much as I have making it.
Posted by Schamberger at 06:48 AM
November 17, 2005
Black Chamber Inked Pages 12-16
Posted by Schamberger at 08:27 PM