How It's Made: The Ferrywoman - 3

Here's the next installment of How It's Made for the chapter "The Ferrywoman" page 3. Below are the pencils for this page.

Pencil Reference

I suck at drawing hands, but I think that's a common lament. The iPhone is an indispensable tool for something like that. Since the 4th gen of the iPhone, I've really liked the camera and use it for a lot of point-and-shoot casual photography outside and when I need reference I'll snap a selfie of an expression or use the front-facing camera to capture a hand pose or gesture. In this case, I couldn't really figure out how to show Kamiko's hand relaxed on the parasol handle. I have two of those 500 yen umbrellas from Japan -- it's not quite a parasol -- but it has the round hook handle. So I just did a quick snap of it, send it via email to myself, and dropped it into a Manga Studio sub-window as reference.

This is one of the few frames of the comic, at least in recent memory, where I've used the perspective grid to help me illustrate. You can go the Layer menu and pick "Ruler - Frame" and then create a new perspective grid that way, but I almost never do that. What I tend to do is to draw a box around something in the storyboard and then use those as guide lines for the perspective I want. To get the grid itself, I to the toolbar and select the "Figure" subtool. From there look for Perspective Ruler and you'll have the much more powerful option of drawing sets of converging lines to define the perspective you want. This is a 3-point perspective shot from above.

In the storyboard below you'll see that I drew an elongated cube to encapsulate Hana (I don't need to point out who she is right, you read the comic, right? :D). I used that box and the perspective ruler tool to form the grid and then I placed the other figures around her. Even though Jade should be the focal point, he's small.

I've done some other test artwork using my box trick. Here's an example of it:

Storyboard

 

Script

Frame. Jade speaks and Natsumi and Hana are both astonished that Bunbun can talk. He has his paws marked in an 'X' as he speaks. He looks angry yet adorable.

JADE Absolutely not! Think of it. He is the moon itself zippered into this tainted, filthy meat, and you intend to kill him? What'll happen to the moon? My Mistress?

Frame. Close up of Kamiko glancing down at the rabbit as he speaks to her.

JADE

(O.S.) Your friend?

Natsumi is in shock when she hears what Tachibana says and Bunbun speak.

NATSUMI

(aside) You can talk...

TACHIBANA

And my wife.

NATSUMI

(aside) Wife??

JADE

Yes... (Jade looks up at Tachibana and he seems him) Master Houyi! Is that you!

TACHIBANA

he bends down and meets Jade nose to nose) It's been a long time, little Bunbun.

JADE

For Frith's sake, did the girl tell you that?? I serve in the Oswala to El'ahariah himself, I won't be insulted like this!

TACHIBANA

Down, Jade, down. I'm just having a spot of fun. Besides, some soldier you are running blindly to and fro from a wolf.

Artwork w/o Text

 

That's it for this time, till next week!