Lost Shadow: Complete!

Finally, it is done!  Or rather, the deadline has passed and I no longer feel like working on it anymore.  Leonardo da Vinci said "Art is never finished, only abandoned."

For the sake of ease and posterity I will post the comic in its entirety.

Page 1:  

I re-inked this page, specifically the shadow blob and parts of the dead guy's hair.  Now it doesn't look like a poor ink job.  Otherwise, no changes.

Page 2:

No changes here either.  I think this is the best page of the comic, personally.

Page 3:

I also like how this page turned out.  I had trouble with the doors, since I had forgotten how doors work in perspective.  Drawing Dick's Bar was tedious, but not particularly difficult.

Page 4:

I'm not happy with this page, but I was getting frustrated and tired and ran out of time.  I really am unhappy with the first panel; the chairs are not properly proportioned, and they look real messy compared to the other pages.  I also should've made the hand of the shadow more clear when it grabs the cup's shadow; a lot of people have been having trouble figuring out that the shadow took a drink.  They also didn't seem to notice that the cup's shadow disappeared either, which seems very obvious to me.  I guess I should've made the cup's shadow more dramatic or somehow draw more attention to itself.


I definitely learned a lot about inking, perspective, and shadows from this assignment.  Technical pens are great for consistent, straight lines when combined with rulers.  Blocking out the environment first helps greatly in the placement of less fixed objects.  Shadows bend and distort across surfaces very oddly.  Even though most shadows are blobby, they still need a degree of definition when trying to communicate specific actions.

As I reflect on this comic, I find that I learned a lot about how I construct images.  Without a strong background in anatomy, perspective, and lighting, I tend to use reference a lot.  More strangely, I usually cobble several different references together to make something.

Take panel 3 on page 2, where the raccoon is running.  I searched long and hard for a raccoon picture running at that angle, but couldn't.  I ended up combining a profile shot of a raccoon running with another random photo at that angle.  It seems to have worked, since everyone comments positively on the raccoon.

I find myself wanting a stronger background, in anatomy, perspective, lighting, shading, etc.  I'm not sure I have the time and inclination to dedicate a worthwhile amount of time or effort that would be enough to improve at the moment.  Soon, when classes end and my time becomes more free.  I think I can do better, and more importantly, I want to.