The Devil is in the Details

I mentioned in a previous post that i am not much of an artist and that i have some things i do when collaborating to help artists visualise whatever it is i am imagining.

One of the things i do is make little photo reference collages.

I don't remember how i got started doing this... a lack of confidence in my ability to draw probably. I have used these collages quite a bit with the Black Sheep and showed them to some artist friends and the feedback has been encouraging. It seems that they really benefit artists as visual aides... but also they seem to be a fantastic way of stimulating interest in whatever it is you are working on.

I also find that they help me really focus on a character and refine his or her personality. I created a PDF of collages and sketches and character bios and stuff for the Black Sheep which has been invaluable... it lays out all my ideas neatly in one easy to read document that keeps me focused and prevents me forgetting things... and i can update it whenever necessary.

I thoroughly encourage budding comicbook writers out there to try putting together something similar when looking to attract artists to collaborate with... or even when pitching.

Anyway here are the collages i did for the Black Sheep and his alter ego...

Pretty self explanatory hopefully.

I should mention also that sometimes when i come up with characters i like to imagine who might play them if it were a movie... it helps me visualise mannerisms and speech patterns etc and hopefully results in the characters feeling like distinct individuals... that's the idea anyway. And with the Black Sheep i usually have the awesome Craig Parkinson in mind while writing.

So now you know...