{"id":1247,"date":"2014-02-18T03:10:01","date_gmt":"2014-02-18T09:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/?p=1247"},"modified":"2014-11-16T23:13:58","modified_gmt":"2014-11-17T05:13:58","slug":"were-gonna-have-to-put-a-little-overtime-in-on-this-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/?p=1247","title":{"rendered":"“we’re gonna have to put a little overtime in on this one”"},"content":{"rendered":"

This job was a lot easier when I wasn’t as good at it.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ve been going around and around trying to hammer out a cover for the next book featuring Voodoo Joe.\u00a0 I came up with some decent ideas but nothing that was great.\u00a0 It’s like…according to the 10,000 hours theory I am a master of my trade ( and also according to me…specially after I’ve had a drink or two, I have been noticing I’m very impressed with myself when I’m drunk.\u00a0 When I’m sober…not so much.\u00a0 That probably means something to a psychiatrist…or a addiction specialist).\u00a0 So when I look at a “good” cover idea I kinda feel like…it’s not worthy of my skills.\u00a0 If I was cranking out 12 covers a year I’d probably use them, but I’m not.\u00a0 The industry has moved in a direction where putting out a bunch of little issues is a waste of money.\u00a0 One or two large graphic novels a year is the way to go, when you’re only doing one that kinda makes you really want it to be something a level or two above “good”.\u00a0 There is also the added factor that any cover at this point could be my last for some time.\u00a0 No, not because I might die or quit, but because I am at the point where the more fruitful path looks like it will be for Douglas the writer and not Douglas the illustrator.\u00a0 Which is a fancy way of saying I can make more money writing.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

anyways…I’ve been passing up good ideas hoping for a bolt of inspiration.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

hoping and struggling.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Recently I’ve said “the hell with it”.\u00a0 The book’s gonna get an alternative cover anyways.\u00a0 I might as well work on that.\u00a0 I happened to sketch this out while coming up with really great Cthulhu end of the world story.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Now THIS is an idea.\u00a0 But it’s gonna be a bitch because I’ll have to draw a partially destroyed city.\u00a0 Which is even less fun then drawing a regular city.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh well, It may be hard but at least it exists …as opposed to the easier but non-existent Joe cover.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The thing with this is it’s going to need a little extra effort with the vanishing points.\u00a0 A standard two vanishing points set up will get you a very accurate, very precise, and very uninteresting city.\u00a0 This illustration calls for something more. We have a single survivor, and a giant demi-god gliding\/hovering over a wrecked city.\u00a0 It needs to feel creepy, uneasy, and if possible have the feel of flowing movement…even though the two figures are essentially at a standoff.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

SO..here’s how I do all that.\u00a0 I add a few extra vanishing points.\u00a0 skewing the buildings in the middle just a bit.\u00a0 so as the readers eyes go left to right it creates the illusion that the camera angle is moving in and back out…just as the eye would change focus panning a view with closer objects at the edges and further objects in the middle.\u00a0 confused?\u00a0 well…then this ain’t gonna help much.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

yeah..this is gonna take some time.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Oh…the 3d glasses…you’ll notice I use red and blue lead.\u00a0 I do that for a bunch of reasons I won’t bore you with but I also stumbled into another useful thing about them,\u00a0 Let’s say I’m not sure if I want building no.2 from the left hand side to be taller than his wing or shorter.\u00a0 Well, I draw the taller version in red and the shorter in blue and put the 3d glasses on and close one eye at a time to compare.\u00a0 Kinda like when you go to an eye doctor “better?..or better now?’<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

…<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It’s either a brilliant and whimsical idea or a solution in search of a problem, or the symptom of an overtaxed brain.
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This job was a lot easier when I wasn’t as good at it. I’ve been going around and around trying to hammer out a cover for the next book featuring Voodoo Joe.\u00a0 I came up with some decent ideas but nothing that was great.\u00a0 It’s like…according to the 10,000 hours\u2026 Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1247"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arseniclullabies.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}