It's been a while since I last inked a comic. I bought myself a brush pen and gave it a go.
Showing posts with label Private Eye Butterfly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Private Eye Butterfly. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Peb Casey warm-up
I'm gearing up to draw the next installment of my web comic: "Peb Casey and the Web of Corruption".
http://www.toonerfish.com.au/peb.html
Monday, April 18, 2011
Comics, animation and whatever is in between!
In my later years at high school I created an "interactive comic book" program with the use of Visual Basic (in 1998) titled "Comix". It wasn't really a comic book so much as it was a story book with pages of text, accompanying illustrations and a back and next button to progress through the story.
The story would occasionally break into a game, like a shooting gallery type game or a point and click game where you can choose what to say in conversations with characters.
I continued to experiment with these "interactive comics" when doing my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at The University of Tasmania - Centre for the Arts. It was there I discovered how bad I am at essay writing, and how much work can go into a multi pathway story.
Okay, so during my time at university I decided to get serious with the art of comics. I discovered that there is a whole art behind constructing and creating comics and graphic novels. Before I learned how to animate properly I was learning how to make comics.
But before I digress I want to focus on these 'interactive comics' I was creating. My projects lead me to discover web comics and I was thrilled to find that something existed that was similar to what I was experimenting with: a comic that was digital and could be controlled by the reader. We could also delve into the art and detail that I loved to put in my stories.
A few years ago I decided to reboot my online comic 'Peb Casey - Private Eye Butterfly' and decided to bring in the types of interactivity I had experimented with, as well as bring in a bit of animation. I got a bit animation happy (kind of like being trigger happy) and put in more animation than I was origianlly intending. But it doesn't bother me because Peb Casey is a hobby and one that I enjoy doing.
So, I've got this interactive comic with animation. Is it an interactive comic? An animated webcomic? Asking these questions made me re-ask myself, "What is a comic?" Um... does having animation completely remove my project from being a comic?? What do I then call it? Is it just an animation? There's more to it than just being an animation.
Ah! Maybe it's a motion comic! Yeah, that must be it... a motion comic. But that title just doesn't sit right with me. I'm beginning to think that a comic is defined by it's static imagery. So I did some research and had a good think about it:
"A comic is a graphic medium in which images convey a sequential narrative"1.
There are a few words there I like: graphic, images, sequential and narrative. Now this is where the boarders between animation and comics can be blurred. Animation is a series of images that are placed before your eyes so fast in a particular order that what you see is an illusion of movement. It is ‘graphical’, it contains many images, and effectively conveys a sequential narrative.
I'm not saying that comics are the same as animation or vice versa, they are obviously very different, but I can't help but see how similar they are, and how effective they can be to tell a story. I see them both as very powerful forms for displaying a visual narrative.
BUT they are both very different on so many levels. How do you watch an animation and instantly refer back, or forward, to a particular image of a character or scene. Sure we have our pause, play and rewind buttons but to be able to hold on an image and look into the eyes of a character, to really see their fear or surprise, for as long as we want is no more effective than when displayed in a comic.
Yes it's true, emotion can be just as effective, and arguably more so, in animation, but through pacing and timing I, as the Animator, dictate how long the viewer is to see an image. With comics the reader is in full control. They may not see all the action, or get to see how well a character can run out of a room, but to sum up so much in one panel is a true art in itself.
Although it is arguable that the reader cannot imagine a world or character when a story is visually presented in a comic, as opposed to reading a story in a book, it is none the less an appealing side to comics where the reader can imagine how a character sounds when they speak, how they move around a room or how the illustrated sound effects can be heard.
I was a little shocked when I watched an animated short featuring the characters of PVP online. I heard the voices of Brent and Francis and I thought "yeah, that's how I thought they'd sound", but then Skull the Troll entered the scene. His head popped up from behind a cubicle, and my eyes immediately lit up. I had fixated on a voice in my head for Skull for many years. Before he said anything I heard the voice I had created for him... and then he spoke. It was shattering.
Haha, I'm not shocked or offended, offended is probably too strong a word, because if that's the way the creator, Scott Kurtz, had created Skull then that's the way he sounds, but for a moment there I was shocked and offended by my own actions. I had imagined how I would like to hear Skull, and it's this sort of thing that can make comics more appealing to a reader when compared to animation.
But don't get me wrong - I love animation just as much as I love comics. If asked which is my favourite then I'd have trouble answering the question. They both have their pros and cons. I work as an Animator by day and I make my own animations and comics in my free time. The only time I ever ask which is better is when I have to do a project for work. I have to weigh up how much work is involved for me to meet a deadline.
Getting back to the case in point - what do I call my 'interactive comic' 'Peb Casey and the Web of Corruption'? Is it by definition not a comic? Is it an animation, animatic, graphic adventure, motion comic or an interactive animation?
With all that I've considered I can only sum it up as an interactive story. This is a very broad name for my type of project as an interactive story can be conceived in so many ways. To me a computer game can be an interactive story... but is what I've created really a computer game?
I'm going to have to think about this more, and at the same time develop my project further so that you, the viewer, can catagorise it for me. If you have anything to add or suggest then please do!
Footnotes:
1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics paragraph 1
The story would occasionally break into a game, like a shooting gallery type game or a point and click game where you can choose what to say in conversations with characters.
I continued to experiment with these "interactive comics" when doing my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at The University of Tasmania - Centre for the Arts. It was there I discovered how bad I am at essay writing, and how much work can go into a multi pathway story.
Okay, so during my time at university I decided to get serious with the art of comics. I discovered that there is a whole art behind constructing and creating comics and graphic novels. Before I learned how to animate properly I was learning how to make comics.
But before I digress I want to focus on these 'interactive comics' I was creating. My projects lead me to discover web comics and I was thrilled to find that something existed that was similar to what I was experimenting with: a comic that was digital and could be controlled by the reader. We could also delve into the art and detail that I loved to put in my stories.
A few years ago I decided to reboot my online comic 'Peb Casey - Private Eye Butterfly' and decided to bring in the types of interactivity I had experimented with, as well as bring in a bit of animation. I got a bit animation happy (kind of like being trigger happy) and put in more animation than I was origianlly intending. But it doesn't bother me because Peb Casey is a hobby and one that I enjoy doing.
So, I've got this interactive comic with animation. Is it an interactive comic? An animated webcomic? Asking these questions made me re-ask myself, "What is a comic?" Um... does having animation completely remove my project from being a comic?? What do I then call it? Is it just an animation? There's more to it than just being an animation.
Ah! Maybe it's a motion comic! Yeah, that must be it... a motion comic. But that title just doesn't sit right with me. I'm beginning to think that a comic is defined by it's static imagery. So I did some research and had a good think about it:
"A comic is a graphic medium in which images convey a sequential narrative"1.
There are a few words there I like: graphic, images, sequential and narrative. Now this is where the boarders between animation and comics can be blurred. Animation is a series of images that are placed before your eyes so fast in a particular order that what you see is an illusion of movement. It is ‘graphical’, it contains many images, and effectively conveys a sequential narrative.
I'm not saying that comics are the same as animation or vice versa, they are obviously very different, but I can't help but see how similar they are, and how effective they can be to tell a story. I see them both as very powerful forms for displaying a visual narrative.
BUT they are both very different on so many levels. How do you watch an animation and instantly refer back, or forward, to a particular image of a character or scene. Sure we have our pause, play and rewind buttons but to be able to hold on an image and look into the eyes of a character, to really see their fear or surprise, for as long as we want is no more effective than when displayed in a comic.
Yes it's true, emotion can be just as effective, and arguably more so, in animation, but through pacing and timing I, as the Animator, dictate how long the viewer is to see an image. With comics the reader is in full control. They may not see all the action, or get to see how well a character can run out of a room, but to sum up so much in one panel is a true art in itself.
Although it is arguable that the reader cannot imagine a world or character when a story is visually presented in a comic, as opposed to reading a story in a book, it is none the less an appealing side to comics where the reader can imagine how a character sounds when they speak, how they move around a room or how the illustrated sound effects can be heard.
I was a little shocked when I watched an animated short featuring the characters of PVP online. I heard the voices of Brent and Francis and I thought "yeah, that's how I thought they'd sound", but then Skull the Troll entered the scene. His head popped up from behind a cubicle, and my eyes immediately lit up. I had fixated on a voice in my head for Skull for many years. Before he said anything I heard the voice I had created for him... and then he spoke. It was shattering.
Haha, I'm not shocked or offended, offended is probably too strong a word, because if that's the way the creator, Scott Kurtz, had created Skull then that's the way he sounds, but for a moment there I was shocked and offended by my own actions. I had imagined how I would like to hear Skull, and it's this sort of thing that can make comics more appealing to a reader when compared to animation.
But don't get me wrong - I love animation just as much as I love comics. If asked which is my favourite then I'd have trouble answering the question. They both have their pros and cons. I work as an Animator by day and I make my own animations and comics in my free time. The only time I ever ask which is better is when I have to do a project for work. I have to weigh up how much work is involved for me to meet a deadline.
Getting back to the case in point - what do I call my 'interactive comic' 'Peb Casey and the Web of Corruption'? Is it by definition not a comic? Is it an animation, animatic, graphic adventure, motion comic or an interactive animation?
With all that I've considered I can only sum it up as an interactive story. This is a very broad name for my type of project as an interactive story can be conceived in so many ways. To me a computer game can be an interactive story... but is what I've created really a computer game?
I'm going to have to think about this more, and at the same time develop my project further so that you, the viewer, can catagorise it for me. If you have anything to add or suggest then please do!
Footnotes:
1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics paragraph 1
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Peb Casey and the Web of Corruption teaser trailer
I came home this evening and decided to make a teaser trailer for my web comic Peb Casey and the Web of Corruption
You can view the trailer on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/22451158
Or on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcyv6eHNTfk
You can view the trailer on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/22451158
Or on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcyv6eHNTfk
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
RE: 2nd PEB installment coming soon!
Just finished the 2nd installment last night. I'll get it proof read and tested before it goes online. Might be up tonight!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
2nd PEB installment coming soon!
The 2nd installment of 'Peb Casey and the Web of Corruption' should be up sometime this week! Here are some sneak peeks:
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Peb Casey and the Web of Corruption
Hey Everyone! For a while now I've been working on (and off) my web comic titled "Peb Casey and the Web of Corruption". I've put the first installment up for you all to see: http://toonerfish.com.au/peb.html
Please have a look and let me know what you think. I'm doing things a bit differently this time so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Please have a look and let me know what you think. I'm doing things a bit differently this time so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Victory!
Good news! I've finally figured out what was going wrong with my computer!
So I was able to finish the first instalment of my Private Eye Butterfly comic!
I can't say when it will be up. I don't have internet access at home so I'm going to have to make a site during my lunch breaks at work or something. I hope to figure something out soon.
So I was able to finish the first instalment of my Private Eye Butterfly comic!
I can't say when it will be up. I don't have internet access at home so I'm going to have to make a site during my lunch breaks at work or something. I hope to figure something out soon.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
A walk down memory lane
A panel from my new Private Eye Butterfly comic.
I wanted to base this panel on a shot from PEB mark 1. (my previous PEB comic)
Friday, October 10, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
got no strings
I only started it this evening, so it's a bit of a work in progress, but I'm making a Peb Casey character rig to use in Adobe Flash.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Hey now, hey now
my pc's back! This evening I started getting the ball rolling for my new PEB comic.
Here's a page I whipped up:
I'm not sure if I'll actually use this as a finished page.... what do you all think of it? Would you prefer to see a cleaner look - much like the latest concept drawings of Peb Casey? I know what I prefer, but I'm curious to hear what you all think?
Here's a page I whipped up:
I'm not sure if I'll actually use this as a finished page.... what do you all think of it? Would you prefer to see a cleaner look - much like the latest concept drawings of Peb Casey? I know what I prefer, but I'm curious to hear what you all think?
Monday, August 18, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
PEB script
You may or may not be aware that my web comic, Private Eye Butterfly, has been put on hold for quite some time. I had made the mistake of starting a story and making it up as I went along. Sure, there's nothing wrong with making a story that way. It can be spontaneous, unpredictable and fun. But after some time I started to feel that the story really wasn't going anywhere special, and too many clichés were creeping in.
As time went on I knew what I wanted to have happen in the story but getting to each key point meant having to spend a lot of time twisting the current events to bring Peb to the next scene. In the end the story was too wish-washy for my liking. It needed a strong structure, strong characters and convincing dialogue. I realised what needed to be done. I needed to start over. I needed a script.
If anything I am happy for you all to see the development of this character and his story. I always felt that Private Eye Butterfly had a lot of potential to be suspenseful and thrilling.
I'm pleased to say that last night I had a break-through. I now have a complete story break-down and half a script already written. Once I have finished a script with all the dialogue I will continue with creating character designs, location sketches and page layouts. Once I have created enough pages I will relaunch PEB and tell the world about it.
So when is it likely to be back? I'm not entirely sure of that myself. My deadline for the script is this weekend.
As time went on I knew what I wanted to have happen in the story but getting to each key point meant having to spend a lot of time twisting the current events to bring Peb to the next scene. In the end the story was too wish-washy for my liking. It needed a strong structure, strong characters and convincing dialogue. I realised what needed to be done. I needed to start over. I needed a script.
If anything I am happy for you all to see the development of this character and his story. I always felt that Private Eye Butterfly had a lot of potential to be suspenseful and thrilling.
I'm pleased to say that last night I had a break-through. I now have a complete story break-down and half a script already written. Once I have finished a script with all the dialogue I will continue with creating character designs, location sketches and page layouts. Once I have created enough pages I will relaunch PEB and tell the world about it.
So when is it likely to be back? I'm not entirely sure of that myself. My deadline for the script is this weekend.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
A fresh start
I'm yet to announce this on the Private Eye Butterfly site but PEB is going to be revamped! This means a new site, more frequent page updates and a more direct story.
The story for PEB has been through many development stages over the years. For some time now I've been critical with myself for the amount of content I've tried to cram into PEB.
The story has been rewritten and is more to my liking. Peb Casey himself has gone through some tweaking (I've taken readers criticism of his jaw shape into consideration), the story does not drag and I've given Peb the chance to do his job without so many mysterious characters watching him (that got a bit silly after a while).
The script itself for the new story is still being written but a synopsis of every scene has been written. Does this mean that everything you have read of PEB so far has become redundant? Well, to a large degree no. The story is very much the same but this time will be told in a quicker and easier way. Some story arcs already published in the web comic will be dropped, some characters will be scrapped, but the mystery behind everything remains the same.
The new story should start in the new year. I hope it's one that all PEB readers will enjoy more!
I was just messing around with ideas for the lead up to the new story launch (it's an illustration I did in PhotoShop).
The story for PEB has been through many development stages over the years. For some time now I've been critical with myself for the amount of content I've tried to cram into PEB.
The story has been rewritten and is more to my liking. Peb Casey himself has gone through some tweaking (I've taken readers criticism of his jaw shape into consideration), the story does not drag and I've given Peb the chance to do his job without so many mysterious characters watching him (that got a bit silly after a while).
The script itself for the new story is still being written but a synopsis of every scene has been written. Does this mean that everything you have read of PEB so far has become redundant? Well, to a large degree no. The story is very much the same but this time will be told in a quicker and easier way. Some story arcs already published in the web comic will be dropped, some characters will be scrapped, but the mystery behind everything remains the same.
The new story should start in the new year. I hope it's one that all PEB readers will enjoy more!
I was just messing around with ideas for the lead up to the new story launch (it's an illustration I did in PhotoShop).
Monday, October 29, 2007
The Elements of Destiny
Yikes! Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I've been busy busy busy working on a lot of projects that I unfortunately could not talk about, but I'm pleased to announce that I have finished the first 8 pages to my comic "The Elements of Destiny", which will be both presented on the Sugary Serials website and printed for everyone to purchase in February 2008. Sorry if I lead you all into thinking it would be published in September this year - I was meant to say the Sugary Serials website was to be unveiled at that time.
So what else is on the Tooner Fish agenda? Well, nothing I can really talk about right now, although I am working on a strong future for my webcomic Private Eye Butterfly... if all goes well then I should have some cool stuff to show in the near future.
So what else is on the Tooner Fish agenda? Well, nothing I can really talk about right now, although I am working on a strong future for my webcomic Private Eye Butterfly... if all goes well then I should have some cool stuff to show in the near future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)