just a few Q’s and A’s today bc i’m low on time. LET’S DO THIS
Ask questions here: http://radiomaru.tumblr.com/ask
Please read previous answers: http://radiomaru.tumblr.com/tagged/ask
Q. Hey Bryan, I was just wondering as someone who loves cartooning and am trying to learn more about its nuances - why would word bubbles going to the top of the page be a problem - wouldn’t there be the border of the panel there, or is it just a style thing?
A. ok, this was in response to this post:
http://radiomaru.tumblr.com/post/23614412209/lolakills-my-homework-assignment-for-intro-to (a fan doing a “scott pilgrim style” comic version of INCEPTION).
the answer is, if you look at scott pilgrim pages (in a book), the art usually goes right to the edge of the page, which is called ‘full bleed artwork’. If the art goes to the edge of the page, that’s a bad place to put lettering, because the lettering can get accidentally trimmed and become illegible. Books are literally trimmed by giant blades and the blades have a certain degree of inaccuracy so it’s recommended to only put 'inessential stuff’ around the very edges of the page. Different publishers and printers will recommend different margins and stuff. it’s all kinda technical.
Q. Did you ever think of a name for the show that Lisa was in?
A. yeah. it’s called Witchwood High and it’s a low budget canadian teen-oriented sci-fi soap opera about witches at high school, in the vein of ALEX MACK or THE TRIBE. One day i’ll do a comic about it.
Q. what’s your favourite movie?
A. my two favorite movies right now are MAGNOLIA and INCEPTION. they’re both really long and i rarely watch them from start to finish but i guess i like things that are complicated and ambitious and magnificent right now.
Q. What is your go-to software when creating the final draft? Illustrator? PhotoShop?
A. i’ve always used adobe photoshop for everything. I still ink on paper but now i use photoshop for rough sketches and then for all the cleanup and/or coloring after i scan in my drawings.
Q. I’m working on a graphic novel at the moment, and reading back through it, I feel like there are a lot of inconsistencies and errors I didn’t pick up on as I was drawing the first time. Do you have any tips on keeping things consistent, or any advice to share about the editing process? [this was edited for length]
A. umm, it’s a process… i’m still figuring it out. for example, we just wrapped Scott Pilgrim Color Edition volume 1, which is a book i did in 2004 originally. for the new edition i went over the original pages very carefully and cleaned up the kind of inconsistencies and errors you’re talking about. Then we had about 4 rounds of back and forth with the colorist getting everything just right and spotting little mistakes and issues. THEN i finally got a printed copy and went through it and found like 25 new mistakes that we can correct next time. Doing a graphic novel is like a never ending game of where’s waldo/wally.
for my new book Seconds i’m doing rough pages first, and i hope to have a really good editing session after i’ve roughed out the whole book, but it’s not done yet so i can’t speak to how well this process is gonna work! i’m hopeful though!
Q. What EXACTLY is the color of Ramona’s Subspace Suitcase? O.O I’ve noticed that in every colored drawing you do of Ramona, the Subspace Suitcase changes its color scheme, usually fitting to the color layout of Ramona at the time, based on her hair and what she’s wearing. Is the SS able to change color custom to Ramona’s current style and fashion? If so, that’d be pretty friggen cool.
A. hmmm… go back and watch the movie again… has anyone ever noticed that her bag changes color along with her hair? it’s subtle… but it’s there. As for the color version of the books, you’ll have to wait and see. *WINK*