Chapter 25 is coming everyone. The script is being written, usually I try to write the script in two days (that I have off) and then try to distance a bit from it for a while before doing a final check on it. So expect the next chapter to start up in early to mid Novemeber. Meanwhile here’s a little preview of the cover as to where it stands and I’ll be uploading some more sketches and some other illustrations coming.
Earlier today I posted one preview of chapter 25 by showing off the child versions of Hideyoshi and Karou. Well here comes another preview with the actual cover… at least where it stands now. I’ve had this image in my brain all week and despite wanting to rest a bit tonight from drawing (I hurt my hand working on another work last night), I just had to get it out.
Full disclaimer that this isn’t an actual scene from the chapter, but the chapter is about Kalwa learning fault and overcoming it, so it’s kinda a metaphor you could say. I don’t think every chapter has to actually have a scene from the chapter on it, but make an enticing image that does say something about the story it represents.
Hello again everyone, back with a bit of an update. So I’ve been a bit busy recently working on Halloween related stuff both for this site and the Green Raptor site. In fact I actually get kinda stressed this time of the year because I feel a great deal of pressure trying to get Halloween related stuff out before the big holiday, which is especially stressful when I got a chapter to work on in addition to all that.
Fortunately it’s all done, and I’ll get to writing the script to the next chapter next week, as well as get cover designs going. To give you all a little preview and show you some work, here’s a work straight from the sketchbook. So we’ve spent two chapters thus far in Japan at the fortress of Hideyoshi and his wife Karou. Well next chapter you’ll get to see them as children and the origins of their home will be revealed. These are the first sketches of them as kids, though I think there will be some slight changes before the final product. So enjoy this sneak preview of what you’ll see, straight from the sketchbook.
As we all know, Halloween is coming up and of course that always leads to some fun. Well, we got another Kalwa illustration coming to site this fall. BUT while it will be done in the next few days you’ll have to wait till Halloween to see it. Don’t worry there will be other stuff going up on the site but this piece will remain secret till Halloween. But I do leave you with this little preview from a WIP to give you all a small taste.
It’s here everyone, the remake of the very first Halloween piece I had ever done for Kalwa, now with more updated techniques and skills learned since then. Just for an FYI, Kalwa’s not really a witch here, she’s just using the effects of the phone to better her costume. I’ve got another Kalwa halloween piece coming later this month so be on the lookout for that later on.
I don’t remember if I mentioned this on the website, or just on the facebook page, but I was interested in remaking an old piece of Kalwa as the Witch of Time, which I recently reposted in the Halloween look back post a little while ago. Well it’s taken a bit of time, but it’s officially happening, and here’s a screenshot preview of what’s coming. This image is being posted exclusively to the website, those who follow our facebook page might notice that the image below is quite different than the one posted there. That’s because I’ve had a lot of trouble getting this project off the ground because I felt my previous drawings were just too boring and not very epic looking. I had a vision for this piece and it just wasn’t coming out, until tonight when it finally came out. So here’s a little look at what’s coming this haunting month of the year (lol).
So I mentioned that we would be doing some behind the scenes work, and while on that subject matter, there is indeed some commentary that must be said. In today’s blog, I want to talk about… the FULL PAGE.
Since starting this comic in 2014, I’ve personally discovered much on this long journey. I dare say that a full use of page was honestly something I had not even considered, for I, as a rank amateur back in the day, only saw a page as simple means to align panels. Over the course of time, I looked at a few artist who talked about using the whole page but it wasn’t until webtoons that I started to develop my own style.
Commonly found on webtoons are single panel comics, which are read through the use of scrolling down. It was something I had not once seen before and I dare say, did NOT adapt to it well. My comics were originally done with full on pages and cutting up those pages and making high quality scroll down pages was quite new and difficult for me. In fact I feel my lack of experience is one of the big reasons the comic didn’t exactly fly so high on webtoons. Shortly afterwards, smackjeeves also switched to this format and thus I left that site as well.
Since leaving and the struggle with scroll down comics, one of my working methods is to ultimately challenge the single panel scroll downs and thus not only make use of multiple panels but also design a page that can’t have the same effect otherwise.
Whenever I make page, and it’s possible, I try to make it artistic and present a unique scenario that can only be achieved through use of multiple panels. One such example is this page from chapter 22 where Kalwa goes on a rant. Kalwa’s text balloons are designed in a way that guide the reader down the page and keeps all focus on her. Yet the reader also has the option to view the members of the tribe who show a great deal of remorse, as though they were secondary focuses
Most of the time I do tend mix text with the pictures in order to set up and guide certain scenarios to the reader. Often I deliberately have text leak over into the next panel so that readers will be guided all over the page through the text itself.
This technique can also be used to convey a certain sensation, and example can be found in this page from chapter 24, which at the time of this post is the latest chapter to finish. The use of sound effects coming from the following panel convey a sense of interruption and swiftness. This of course does pertain to real life and Kalwa’s own perspective, as realistically an strong opponent would move quickly on a weak one and hit them before they knew what would hit them. These are types of scenarios and feelings that I try to convey within my pages, and attempt to make the entire page on big illustration in itself rather than just being a collection of smaller illustrations. Something a single panel scroll down comic could never achieve.
So all that being said, I hope this post has been most informative and (possibly) inspirational for some of you. I’ll be doing more posts similar to this in the future when I’ve got something I feel is worth talking about. Thanks once again for reading and I hope I can continue to bring you all more entertainment and some inspiration in the near future.
We’re there everyone, here on October 1st we conclude another chapter in the Kalwa story. Chapter 24 has now concluded, so as per usual, chapter updates will take a small break while we prep the next script for chapter 25, but be on the look out for art updates and behind the scenes and more coming soon. Meanwhile, check out what we got by click the thumb below.
Only one more page is left before this chapter is finished. As I mentioned yesterday both pages are drawn and I’m working to get the last page up this weekend, so we can check off another chapter in this long journey we’ve taken so far. As usual, click the thumbnail to see the latest page.
An adventurous manga series about a teenage girl and her time traveling cell phone 