Tips and tricks part 2

If you work digitally, this may not be of interest to you. 

This post is pretty much about if you wanna make a mess and literally get your fingers dirty.

I don't begrudge people who work digitally. I get it. It's faster. Your lines are straight, you can copy and paste backgrounds, instant resizing, blah,blah,blah. 

Don't get me wrong, some of my best friends are exclusively digital. 

And that is all good. 

But for me personally, nothing is actually more FUN than splashing ink on paper. 

and ultimately I make comics because it is fun. 

The more fun the better.

I am a relative beginner so see below for some great resources I swiped from pros who are actually awesome and make this stuff look easy:

Artist extraordinaire Tom Richard on inking:

http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/2006/08/21/inking-tutorial-part-i/

http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/2006/08/22/inking-tutorial-part-ii/

Inking demo vides with one of my art heroes Sean G Murphy, I love the bit where he just pushes the ink with his fingers...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jelTniKtlZY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpOelUJqLA4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oO2J2ponho

Enjoy!

Think I'm wrong? Let me know in the comments below:

Wrapping up ABT #2

Another week down, and another week closer to COMIC GONG.

Last year COMIC GONG was massive, this year it's looking to be even Bigger!

So the race is on for issue 2 of 'A Brigand's Tale' to get wrapped up for launch in my old home town of Wollongong!

At present I can confirm that we are about 85% complete. 

Issue 2 has been a bit of a mad science experiment. A nice way of saying a dogs breakfast.

Some pages have been completely digital. Some pages have been a bit of both. As usual many panels have been redrawn multiple times.

I have tried some different approaches to production, not all of them successful... production on this book has been shelved or stalled over the last year for a variety of reasons but I am finally on track to wrap this bad boy up.

The Good news is that from issue 2 you will start to see some of the pieces of the puzzle come together regarding the past, and is it possible that those we thought were friends are really enemies?

And who is this guy?

Or this guy for that matter?

So much adventure (and feels) crammed into this thing I can't wait for you all to get your hands on it!

Feel free to post your comments below!

Follow my tweets: twitter.com/TheDanTribe






A Brigand's Tale, Brigand, Shadowthief, Zippy and all distinctive likenesses thereof are trademark and copyright Daniel Tribe 2015. All rights reserved.

Fast comics?

As longsuffering fans of A Brigand's Tale can attest, Dan is one heck of a slow artist.

Probably because he is slacking off learning how to colour using his favourite new toy - Adobe Photoshop.

taking panels from this:

To this:

There is some argument to the quality of the colouring, but hey, we all need to start somewhere, right?

BUT - Dan has been researching ways to get things done faster.

He stumbled upon this gem and it's well worth a share:

https://medium.com/artist-advice/speed-comicking-c4ef2eb4c29b

Who knows, Dan may even follow some of this advice and get faster himself...

Is he right?

Is he wrong? 

Is Dan a rubbish colourist?

Feel free to comment below to discuss.

A Brigands Tale, Brigand, Broadside and all distinctive likenesses thereof are trademark & copyright Daniel Tribe 2015. All rights reserved.

Competition Winner Announcement!

Hi Again,

It was a tough job, but after much deliberation I have arrived at a winner for the Brigand Pin Up competition!!!

Here's the winning piece:

This inspired depiction of everyone's favourite Hunter striking a pose (typical Brigand!) was penned by the uber talented Evan Newby!

Evan is a Wollongong based master of all things graphical. He runs drawing workshops if you are around his neck of the woods that would be well worth checking out. More info here: www.facebook.com/pages/e-for-animation-Drawing-Class/138116549614469

Congratulations Evan! Your pin up will feature in 'A Brigand's Tale #2' due to be launched at

Comic Gong in May this year.

Thanks to all the other entrants, the quality of the entries made for a tough contest!

If you would like to send us your Brigand fan art, feel free and we will post it up on the blog and facebook! 

Email a copy of your Bolt Comics fan art to info@boltcomics.net!

A Brigands Tale, Brigand and all distinctive likenesses thereof are copyright and Trademark Dan Tribe 2015. All rights Reserved.

New stuff coming soon featuring Brigand!

Convention season starts early this year with local (for me) Geek Culture Event NOWCON making it's return after a 2 year hiatus in sunny downtown Nowra, New South Wales.

As one of the initial instigators/organisers of NOWCON way back in the day it nice to see it continuing on without any real direct input from myself.

This will be the first time I get to table the full suite of Bolt Comics stuff in my local area so I'm super excited to introduce the Bolt Comics goodness to some more locals.

I've even started dabbling into prints.

Anyone familiar with Bolt Comics or A Brigand's Tale would be well aware pin up style images and powerful cover images are the speciality of Bolt Comics CEO (and The Adventurers creator) Andrew Tribe.

I mean,just look at those Adventurers covers, gorgeous stuff! Although the back up story in issue 2 I drew is pretty rad I must admit.

As the artist for A Brigand's Tale I'm not too proud to say I struggle with the epic imagery that such things need to convey,

But you don't improve by not doing a thing so I thought I would make a print and stretch my artistic muscles.

I came up with an image I think is pretty cool and have decided to do a Limited edition print run of 25 copies to celebrate getting back to my roots at Nowcon.

Here's a sneak peek:

These will be available for sale from Nowcon onwards for $10 a piece. Any left overs will be available to purchase at Comic Gong in May this year where (the long overdue) A Brigand's Tale #2 will also be launched.

For more info on Nowcon go here: www.facebook.com/Nowconinfo

Follow all the latest Bolt Comics news here: www.boltcomics.net

And you can always keep in touch with all things Brigand right here or follow me on the twitters: twitter.com/TheDanTribe


All artwork on this page is copyright their respective creators. All rights reserved.
Brigand and A Brigand's Tale and distinctive likenesses thereof are TM and copyright 2015 Daniel Tribe. All rights reserved.
The Adventurers and distinctive likenesses thereof are TM and copyright 2015 AndrewTribe. All rights reserved.

A Brigand's Tale Pin up contest!

Hi Again,

I am in the process of finishing up the artwork for issue #2 of A Brigand's Tale and realised I have a spare page in my page count.

So I thought I would give my readers and Brigand fans alike the opportunity to have a pin-up printed in the book! 

Announcing the Brigand's Tale Pin up contest!!

Here's all the deets.

1. Artwork must only contain Bolt Comics characters. Please bear in mind this is an all ages book so keep it awesome and G rated.
2. Artwork submitted needs to be Black & White or greyscale.
3. Artwork size to be no larger than A4 in size, at a minimum of 300dpi if digital. Tiff files  preferred.
4. Any physical artwork supplied will not be returned. 
5. You grant Bolt Comics the right to reproduce the image in the book, and in the case of non wining submissions, the artwork may be posted on Bolt Comics (and its affiliates) website or social media platforms for promotional purposes.
6. The winning artist will receive  a copy of 'A Brigand's Tale' #2 signed by the artist and co-writer.As well as art credits in the credits section of the book.
7. Please email all entries to info@boltcomics.net with the subject line: 'ABT pinup contest'. If using mail, please post to:

BOLT COMICS, 

c/o 107 East St, NOWRA NSW, 2541. The closing date for entries is Sunday 22 February. Prize is not transferable for cash.

What, you haven't read it yet?

Remedy that grievous oversight immediately by getting a copy here:

http://boltcomics.bigcartel.com/product/a-brigand-s-tale

Or digitally here:

https://sellfy.com/p/KIe0/

Hopefully y'all know what the characters look like, but here's a sample if you don't.

Totally looking forward to see what you guys come up with!

Dan

Don't forget you can follow me on these as well:

twitter.com/TheDanTribe

www.facebook.com/BoltComics

Brigand, Sneakthief, Warper, Malice, Cheeks, Broadside and distinctive likenesses thereof are  TM and copyright 2015 Daniel Tribe. All rights reserved.

Sneak peek at A Brigands Tale #2

Hey peeps,

In my last post  I mentioned that I have some welcome assistance in the writing department with the help of one Mike Stoneburner.

Please see below herewith some snaps from the upcoming back up story that that Mike has written for 'A Brigands Tale' featuring our titular hero and a little guy having a bad day...

As you can hopefully see there's some emotion here in this little story...and that's before we include the hand crafted words of Mike to add even more feels (because emotion sounds, well, emo...)

In this short I am using my new Windsor & Newton Series 7 no.2 brush, which by all accounts is the pro artists weapon of choice. 

I admit I'm still battling with it a bit but am loving some of the texture I'm getting out if as well as some super cartoony roundness....

Please note this artwork is not final and is still in progress.

Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Til next time, keep up the true grit of a Street Fighter, even if your energy is only 1 pixel, don't give up and keep fighting!

Tweet me: twitter.com/theDanTribe

All artwork Trademark and copyright Dan Tribe 2014. All rights reserved,

More A Brigands Tale Process...making comics a Team Sport?

You may not know that A Brigands Tale is actually produced by a team of people, not just me.

I mean, sure, I do a lot of it but there are helpers in the wings who are helping me make A Brigand's Tale much better with their help than if I 'did it all'.

If you somehow missed the inaugural issue you can grab a copy here:
http://boltcomics.bigcartel.com/

A Brigand's Tale is intended to be a long form tale told in a series of single issue stories.

Usually I have a vague plot that I outline into a rough page count, and then script it.

That was the old process, now I have this great guy called Mike  who not only corrects all the spelling and grammar in my drafts, but helps flesh out the dialogue and characterisation and the feel of the world.

That's right from issue 2 the adventures of Brigand and the gang will have a co-writer.

Suffice to say this is really gonna lift the book in my opinion.
Additionally Issue 2 will feature a back up story written by entirely by Mike and drawn by me...

Here's a bit about Mike:
Michael Stoneburner is a writer from Western Sydney. He's also a writer from Lake Odessa, Michigan whose origin story was conceived in Phoenix Arizona. He could have said he was just from America, but nothing is simple in Michael's world. He's working on his debut novel and in the meantime helping create a world just as dramatic, entertaining and complicated as his own in A Brigand's Tale. His evil wannabe rants can be followed @evilgeniustobe

Then I have my very own invisible man, Troy Thompson, In the first issue of A Brigand's Tale he created every panel border and crafted every speech bubble. He is also real good at lots of other computer stuff which really helps... Issue 1 of A Brigand's Tale this was his first attempt at being part of a comic and I am very impressed with his adventurous and ambitious lettering ideas where mine always tend to be a bit bland.

Here's a bit more about Troy in his own words:

Born in Melbourne and attended school in the small Victorian town of Elmore. I loved Science fiction from a young age but did not really get in to comics till my late twenties.

My favourites are The Punisher, Daredevil and Batman. I like my superheroes (or anti-heroes) to rely on their wit and skill rather than some mystic power (no, Daredevil does not count).

I am currently Letterer and production assists with Bolt comics. I love getting feedback from our fans that I can pass on to the writers and artists. My job is to make the reader “feel” the words and “hear” the sound effects. If my job is done really well you should not even notice it, it will just amplify the great story and the amazing characters.

That's why he is the invisible man...Troy will be slightly more visible down the track as he is contributing to the writing of a back up story slated for issue #4.

Lastly, every story needs a bad guy and for me that is my editor, he goes over the details of each page and has many a time made me redraw entire pages. But it has always been to  get a better result and produce a better product, only a few times was it just because he is mean!

My editor is my big brother @Andventures, he is also the chief instigator and founder of Bolt Comics, and when he is not busy giving constructive criticism, he can be found writing and drawing Bolt Comics stablemate The Adventurers

So there you have it, it takes a lot to make a comic and these guys really help lighten the load and make my work better.

Welp, better get back to it, this comic isn't going to draw itself!!!

As always feel free to post comments/questions below:

Go make some comics and meet me back here in a week!! 

Page process Step - by- step

Those who have been following my process blog for a while will no doubt be aware of the challenges in getting a smooth running workflow when making comics.

So I thought I would show you my current process. Like most things it is ever changing but this is basically how each page is done these days.

Thumbnails/layouts

I usually use Manga Studio to do my layouts, mostly because I tend to generate lots of little pieces of paper otherwise. In Manga Studio I can just add a new layer over the top and keep refining without wasting so much paper.

Pencilling

I usually start out with a blue pencil (after ruling the page) to flesh out the layouts from the computer screen.

Once I have most of the main information in place I then bust out the Bic-Matic pencil (which I still call a 'Pacer' even though they are made by a different brand). 

I use the ones with the 0.7 mm leads as the 0.5 pacers seem to etch the page too much and make it hard to rub out.

I like to get the lead to a blunter point and rough out the pencils from there. One again this makes it easier when erasing (which happens A LOT).

The end result is usually something like this:

As you can see above, there was going to be another character in the background, but it just wasn't working in the composition and their presence did not help or hinder the story, so like a good Alex Toth disciple, I cut it.

Because I ink myself, I can allow for a little more sloppiness at this stage. However, at present I am endeavouring to have as much of the page done in the pencils as possible to improve the overall composition of the page.

By this time the key elements of the panel/page are locked in and it may only be how I will treat the backgrounds that are still up in the air at this stage.

Inking

My personal favourite part of the whole thing, the most fun too (for me anyway).

In the first issue of 'A Brigand's Tale' I inked the whole thing with a brush.
(If you missed reading it somehow you can pick up a copy here: http://boltcomics.bigcartel.com/product/a-brigand-s-tale) 
The inking workhorse was a no.2 'Rigger' brush. From what I can gather they are relatively cheap ($6 or so and seem to last a good while, I am still using the same brush from ABT #1! Compared to using markers this is a very cost effective option...) but also give a nice amount of line variation. 
I use Japanese Sumi ink that costs around $10 per bottle. I'm still on my first ever bottle. I was using a much thicker ink but it kept clogging everything up and I couldn't get fine lines with it so if in doubt use a more flowing (but waterproof) ink when ever you can.
With ABT#2 I am using HUNT 102 dip pen nibs for the details just to be on the safe side..
For me the best part of inking with a brush is that the ink dries almost instantly, whereas using the dip pens there is still a drying off period where I inevitably smudge the ink somewhere!

Using a brush takes practice but the learning curve is short and you can make a variety of lines with the one tool depending on how much pressure you apply to the brush.

Some tips on brush inking:

* Do thicker lines first once you have freshly dipped the ink and work on smaller lines when the brush isn't as 'full'. This just makes common sense. You can also do a few strokes of spot blacking after a fresh dip to work off some excess ink on the brush to get some nice lines.

* Create a 'tip' after dipping in ink. Just turn the brush so the hairs form a tip at the end. I usually do this in an area of the page that will be a large black area so I don't need to have a separate sheet of paper to 'work the tip' as I ink sitting on the lounge with a lapboard.

* To maximise the variety of lines you want hold the brush directly over the page at a 90 degree angle which will give you better control of the line.

* Try as much as possible to just lightly touch the page as then you can better control the thickness

* Use good quality paper/bristol. If you are using standard cartridge paper the ink will bleed and the line work will not be as crisp. I used A3 Canson 220 GSM paper for this page.The smoother the paper the better (for me). Secondly as I intend to sell my original art work it only seems right to use nice thick Archival quality paper for a purchaser of my original works. It's also just much nicer to work with and can take a lot more rubbing out than thinner papers.

Please note I am by no means an expert but I am so addicted to brush inking its quite a drag to use any thing else and the above are points I keep in mind when inking.

Erasing  

I generally erase a bit at a time, like when a whole figure is complete, or a panel, or a big enough section. I need to seen the finished product to see whether I need to chuck on more black, thicken things up, add rendering (sparingly or not all is a good rule).

Lettering

My hand lettering is pretty bad, and I normally wait to do it on the computer, but I just wanted to have a go and have some fun so I added it in.

Panel Borders

I ink these at the end as it makes me feel  like it's the final step.

Then I do one more more huge erase and get rid of every trace of lead pencil on the page.

And voila it's done...

Scanning

I then scan it in on my A3 scanner. And that's all I'll say about scanning because that's a whole 'nother problem to deal with...


Thanks folks, feel free to comment below, or tweet me twitter.com/TheDanTribe  or email info@boltcomics.net about what else you may want to know anything about Comic process or A Brigand's Tale related stuff on the blog.

Til next week, find a way or find an excuse, but #makecomics!

All Artwork Trademark and copyright Dan Tribe 2014. All rights reserved. 

Another Supanova Wrap up..

Yes, its that time of year when we navel gaze about being in Artist's alley(hereafter referred to as 'the Alley' because it sounds edgy...) at Supanova...

...but everyone else has already been in raptures or in tears about how well or poorly they did. 

So I'll just talk about how Bolt Comics dealt with the highs and lows of 3 big days in 'the Alley'

Our Goal - Have fun. 

Mission Accomplished.

We figured the way to be attractive to passers by is to be having fun.

To our good fortune the folks on either side stall were super cool and we had a blast with them...

Art prodigy and anime man fan John Hanna from Midnight Runners rocked our world with this super cool A Brigand's Tale  pin up I commissioned!

I busted out the electronic crayons and coloured it in!

If you don't know who these characters are pick up a copy of A Brigand's Tale at our online store here: http://boltcomics.bigcartel.com/product/a-brigand-s-tale

I also got the chance to hang with some totally rad dudes and childhood (and manhood) heroes...

Rollin' with my Green peeps

Finally I also managed to test my true grit of a Street Fighter against not one but 2 of the Earths Mightiest Heroes, Cap & Hawkeye!

I bet the Cap and Hawkeye didn't even see me coming with at 'em with my patented 'Dance-fighting' style...


We also sold some comics and gave away a TON of free sketches to any one nice enough to give our work a try.

I even got to match real people's faces to Twitter handles!!

Wowsers, just as well I have a few more months to recover before doing it all again at OzComiccon in September!

All in all, I just wanted to get back to the board and start smashing out A Brigand's Tale #2 out there for people to enjoy...

Feel free to comment below or hit me up on the twitters: www.twitter.com/theDanTribe 

A Brigand's Tale, Brigand, Warper, SneakThief, Malice, Cheeks and Broadside are copyright Dan Tribe 2014. All rights reserved.

Readers thoughts on A Brigand's Tale Issue 1...

Hey peeps!

Even though A Brigand's Tale has only been out a few weeks now I have already received fan mail!

Additionally, other readers have taken the time to respond and give me their thoughts on Bolt Comics' latest title.

The most exciting one was from primary schooler Tia who told me: "It was great...I bet the next one will be way better and cooler than the first".

Exciting because:

1) I got a HAND WRITTEN letter from a fan!

2) If I had made the book darker, or mature readers content Tia may never have had the chance fro me to help her fall in love with Brigand and Co, and comics in general.

3) She liked it.

Below is sample of some other feedback I have received from other valued readers:

"Really dug the art in it"

"I thought it was bloody fantastic!"

"It was great. Nice done-in-one tale"

"So great, you left me hanging for the next issue"

If you have'nt had the chance to pick up your copy yet, fear not!

The Bolt Comics gang will be at Supanova Sydney all weekend from Friday June 13th to Sunday June 15!

Track us down in artist's alley we are at booth A092.

I have it on good authority we will be giving out FREE hi-fives all weekend long.

If you can't make it to Supanova we have now got all the Bolt Comics titles available over on our web store here:

http://boltcomics.bigcartel.com/

On a different note, I have found that creators appreciate getting feedback on their work, and I am now much more mindful of letting them know my thoughts on their stuff.

So tell me what you think is worth reading in the comments below:

or Tweet me: twitter.com/TheDanTribe

A Brigand's Tale featuring...Squid?!?

Hi Again y'all!

I'm excited. 
This Saturday 6th June I will be teaming up with the one, the only, the mighty Heroic Master of Pens (HMOP) himself to add to the carnival atmosphere that is the Squid Marketplace!

It's from 10am to 3pm and is located here:

If you prefer to Google it yourself its at 12 Princes Highway, NOWRA.


That's right, good 'ole sunny downtown Nowra is now chock full of arts culture!

HMOP  and myself will be out there amongst other things dispensing relationship advice and selling our wares, including the inaugural issue of A Brigand's Tale! 

We will be super happy to talk comics and geekery in general (HMOP is like a walking DC comics encyclopedia as well as a grouse artiste!) 

Sasquatch rockin' the Pony by HMOP

If you can't make it, fear not, in 2 short weeks we can catch up at Supanova in Sydney!

See you then!!

Don't forget comments are welcome, or tweet me: twitter.com/TheDanTribe

All artwork is copyright their respective creators 2014. All rights reserved.

Refining the Comic making process

I'm currently working on the initial stages of A Brigand's Tale number 2. 

I have just released number 1 last weekend at ComicGong, if you did not pick up a copy there, fear not! We will be at Supanova in Sydney on June 13, 14 & 15!! 

If you just can't wait, email us on info@boltcomics.net and we can mail you a copy!!

Anyway, back to the process.

I thought I would go through some of the changes in my philosophy now that I have some more pages under my belt.

Goals for each issue

In issue one of A Brigand's Tale my 2 main goals were:

• Characters should look as "un-wooden" as possible in their movements
• Readers should be able to know exactly what is happening on the page with no ambiguity

for example:

 Broadside schooling some bandits!

To a large degree (in my opinion) it was a success under those guidelines. In the example above, its pretty clear what is going on, and the movements of the figures are fluid.

So for issue 2 I'm taking great pains to continue that trend but add some other requirements.

I'm not going to go through the 2nd issue goals, however here is an example of upholding the high  self imposed standards at Bolt Comics. 

Here's the first panel of Number 2 as initially inked.

As you can see I'm trying to establish the location and the characters, while leaving ample room for the dialogue balloons.

But I just wasn't happy with it.

So here we are with a newer version, that to me at least shows the 3 characters in the forest, and still leaving ample room for the dialogue.

 I then added some blacks to add some more shadows, shape etc.

I think it helps to tell the story a bit better.

What do you think? Did I make the wrong decision?

 

Leave a comment below or tweet me here: twitter.com/TheDanTribe 

As ever I welcome your thoughts and feedback!

A Brigands tale and all artwork shown copyright Daniel Tribe 2014. All rights reserved.

Comic Gong!!

Wow!

Last Saturday seen the Launch of A Brigands Tale #1. There was a tonne of folks there who seemed keen to try something new,and I got many chances to personalise the cover in a unique way for people who purchased a copy!

Sooooo many people!!!

There was also people on hand flocking to get the latest issue of Bolt Comics' flagship title The Adventurers (#3. Have I mentioned I drew the back up story in this issue?)

It was pretty much busy all the livelong day. Which was a bummer because I didn't get as much time as I would have liked catching up with creator friends old & new.

No rest for the wicked though, I'm busy working on A Brigands Tale #2 and awaiting feedback from readers to see what they think of the story so far!

Here's a sneak peek of some art work for #2...
Yep, the big guy has obviously been spending some time at the gym...

Oh yeh, he works out!

Until next time don't make excuses, make comics!!

As ever, any questions and comments are welcome. 

A Brigands Tale is copyright and Trademark Dan Tribe 2014. All rights Reserved.

A Brigand's Tale #1 launches this week at Comic Gong!

When you finally finish your book and get a big box like this:

the music swells and all of a sudden your singing something like this:

This is the moment... www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8JjVe8lMjI

But then you realise that you have got to get them into people's hands...

So if your around Wollongong this Saturday 17th May, well get yourselves to Comic Gong, say hi, and sample arguably the best work of my comic book career. Entry is FREE!

To top it all off I have secured permission from the mighty Jason Paulos to have the infamous and iconic Aussie comics legend Hairbutt the Hippo to guest star in A Brigands Tale #1!!!

You can see a preview of the book here: http://issuu.com/dantribe/docs/abt_preview 

If that's not enough the other more productive member of Bolt Comics will be launching issue 3 of his mega cool book, The Adventurers.

What makes it mega cool you ask? 

Well I draw a back up story in this one, and let me tell ya, it's the second best work of my entire comic book career!

If you cant make it but need some more swashbuckling adventure in your life, email us on info@boltcomics.net and we can post it to you!

Hoping to see you there!!!

Dan

As ever comments are welcome...


A Brigands Tale is copyright and Trademark Dan Tribe 2014. All rights Reserved.
Hairbutt the Hippo is copyright Jason Paulos 2014. All rights Reserved.