Episode 8: "An Impenetrable Disguise"

I made some layout mistakes here. The top is too crowded, and the bottom I should've just re-done to make sure everything led where it should. I resorted to drawing arrows to be sure people would follow, but I think that's a cop-out. Good comics manage to do a lot more interesting things with panels than I've done here without needing arrows. McCloud says even the pros blow it sometimes, though, so I'm in good company.

I got to use my new pens. I love them, but I'm still learning how to use them well. They're going to change how I pencil as well as how I ink, but I'll continue experimenting with them.

It was a fun challenge to draw Francis clothed. The cap especially gave me some trouble. And as much as I love the mirror image, when I first penciled it I had the cap facing the wrong way in the reflection.

I still am frustrated by my poor drawing skills though. If I were starting over, I think I'd design Marissa differently. When I draw her straight on I'm pretty consistent, but at other angles she routinely comes out looking more like an alien than Francis. I don't even know what I'm doing wrong.

Next episode may be next week or the week after. I'm eager to get to it, because I've finally figured out a fun way to lay out at least the first part, but time is the issue.

Stay tuned!