As I prepare The Harbinger’s Path comic for print, I plan to also update the live pages online with their updated versions. While the main revisions for print are layout-related to allocate for trim/margin/bleed, there were a few pages whose art I had an inkling to touch-up. Doing so for the print version is my perfect excuse to!
I will likely update most of the online pages after the bulk of the work for the print version is finished. But as I edit the print layout, I’ve found myself wanting to push a few updates early.
Below is a log I started keeping for those – specifically for the comic’s online version. I’ll keep this post updated if/when I add more to this log (keeping track of progress is strangely motivating for me).
Quick pose study of the pistol animation for the “Harbinger” elite spec from Guild Wars 2 (not to be confused with Malyck being the “Nightmare Harbinger,” or with “The Harbinger’s Path” comic) (I always thought it was an amusing decision they decided to name the elite with the same term. Such teases!).
I remember when I first tried out the Harbinger spec on my reaper, I really enjoyed watching the animation for the pistol’s attack animation. I thought the posing done by the riggers/animators was fantastic, and I couldn’t resist doing a little study from the in-game pose.
Unrelated to the above sketch – I’m not sure how this happened, but I might be formatting 2 comics for print this month/into next month. I’ll have more info next week, most likely. (It’s small, nothing major.)
Updated typography | Ch2 Title Page | The Harbinger’s Path Link to live page here.
I’m here with an update about The Harbinger’s Pathprint book’s progress!
As of this writing, I have finished the first edit pass for all of Chapter 1, all of Chapter 2, and I am now up to pages 5-6 in Chapter 3. These edits include adjusting the pages to factor in margin, bleed, and trim, for when the pages are cut for printing. I have also retouched the art for certain pages along the way (one of them might even be live on the site!).
Book Dimensions and Page Count
I can also share some of the physical attributes of the book. It will be 5.5 x 8.5 inches, which is slightly wider than A4Correction: A5.(I always mix these two up, forgive me.) This is a standard size for US printers – a size below the standard 6 x 9 in for many US comics. This made figuring out some of the cost logistics easier. The current page count, including the cover, front and back matter, and bonus material, is 84 pages. This version will also be perfect-bound (like a standard book/not like a magazine).
With the comic pages themselves adding up to 55 pages, this means the remaining pages are bonus material! This page count will likely change as I continue working on the book’s layout, but increasing the page count from the original ~60 to the current 84 had a negligible effect on cost (to my surprise and delight). And, it is giving me an excuse to refine and polish several illustrations of Trahearne and Malyck I’ve started over the years – some I’ve shown before, but a few I never have!
Typography Updates (Live)
In addition to the above book info, one of the updates I wanted to show are typography updates!
Below are comparisons of the updated versions with the previous typography, as I’ve updated the title pages for all 3 chapters on the live site now.
Left is the updated version, right is the previous version.
One of the changes that’s always been in the back of my mind was updating the typography for the chapter title pages. I don’t know why I didn’t think to try this before, but I tried out using the same font I used the the cover (“Gloucester MT Extra Condensed”), and I much prefer the look of this one compared to the previous version.
I remember I spent a good amount of time with the typography in the original, as I was never quite satisfied with it. I should have realized it was my choice of font face! Once I changed it to this Gloucester font, it fell into place quickly.
I’m fond of that previous edgelord font, but after trying it for 3 chapters, I’ve realized it isn’t the best fit for the tone I want to convey in this comic. I still love the font, but it’s better suited for a different project.
In addition to font changes in these comparisons, you might also notice the slight adjustments made to account for page trim and bleed.
Very luckily, it turns out the dimensions I used for the pages spread layout is the exact same ratio as 5.5 x 8.5 in. I am not sure how this happened, because this entire time, I was formatting the pages only with web in mind. I specifically remember originally starting with a 6 x 9 ratio, and then manually adjusting the dimensions to be taller, to fit better for web and mobile. I don’t recall specifically formatting the page dimensions for 5.5 x 8.5, but I either must have and it was so long ago I no longer recall, or this is an incredibly very fortunate coincidence.
If you’d like to know more about this print version of The Harbinger’s Path, click here or the banner below for January’s announcement post which has more info!
Spent some hours last night seeing how much I could add to this small animation practice!
I did the early draft for this one at the end of January. I had a vague notion of potentially finishing it for Valentine’s Day for fun, but before I knew it, the day was upon us! Yesterday became practice to see how much I could add, or how presentable I could make it, by today.
The version all the way at the end of this post is how the file looked when I opened it yesterday. I wasn’t sure whether I’d add color – I could have spent much more time on the lines – but I learned a lot in this one from how I added the color this time.
Lines only.
I have to confess I’ve always not understood cell-shading well. But I am quickly growing an appreciation for it after trying it out here.
Early “keyframe” draft.
One thing I noticed recently is there’s a “messy” stage when going from the early “keyframe” draft to adding the in-between “breakdown” frames (below). It’s a bit counterintuitive for me, because when adding the breakdown frames, it almost looks like the animation is reversing its progress – at the same time, I can start to see more of how the final motion might look. And seeing that potential is what makes adding these breakdown frames so invigorating to draw!
Version when I opened the file yesterday, where I had started adding the “breakdown” frames.
I enjoyed season 2, episode 10 of the “Hannibal” tv show for all the wrong reasons, but it’s been a refreshing reminder for how much I love dark fantasies, haha. I knew I’d have to do a small drawing of them at some point.
This is from memory (another drawing from imagination practice), so I don’t expect the likeness to be precise – though I was thinking of the actors’ portrayals (Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelson). My hope is it conveys the “feeling” of their characters, even if the likeness isn’t precise. I’ve been really enjoying the actors’ performances, especially during season 2. This show has been a delightful, slow-burn for me – I almost didn’t continue it after the first initial episodes in season 1 – but the show really rewards you during the second season for sticking with it. I’m very glad I’m finally getting around to watching it after so long!
I’m still within season 2 (I think just finished episode 12 the other day). This show has been sort of fascinating me for how much it was able to get away with. I can’t believe it was a network television show. I question whether they would be able to shoot this show today.
I’m really glad it exists. I learned afterward that this show was cancelled in its third season for poor ratings, and even though I love it, I can understand why – it is so niche and unapologetic in its show creators’ interests. I really admire and respect this level of dedication to staying true to their vision. It almost feels more like an art house or indie production than a network show.
Slightly wider cropping.
It’s giving me much to ponder about the type of art I want to do and express.
