Here is this week's Sunday strip and the rough for it. I ended up changing the first panel to get a wider shot of the room for the set-up. I do my roughs small then blow them up on my copy machine and draw the final page on my lightbox, using the enlarged layout underneath. I'm constantly adjusting things as I do my pencils and pencil only tight enough to get the drawing where i need it to go to ink.
This week's strip have a nice opportunity to do a cool long shot in the last panel, and get some blacks spotted to make it more dynamic.
Here is this week's Sunday strip and the rough for it. I ended up changing the first panel to get a wider shot of the room for the set-up. I do my roughs small then blow them up on my copy machine and draw the final page on my lightbox, using the enlarged layout underneath. I'm constantly adjusting things as I do my pencils and pencil only tight enough to get the drawing where i need it to go to ink. 
This week's strip have a nice opportunity to do a cool long shot in the last panel, and get some blacks spotted to make it more dynamic.
Really appreciate your work on Judge Parker, Mike. It's coming along very nicely, as you make it your own. Hopefully the fans/readers, newspaper editors, Woody Wilson and the Syndicate agree. :)
ReplyDeleteMr. Manley,
ReplyDeleteLongtime reader of Judge Parker here. As someone who has read Judge Parker well over 45+ years, I feel I have a pretty good historical grasp on the characters and it's history. I happened to google why there was a change of artists and came upon a link to your blogsite. I found this to be quite fascinating and exciting for a longtime fan of the comic strip. I will be back. If I may give my unsolicited input on your recent work on Judge Parker, now approximately two months in on Judge Parker. First off, you have certainly settled in nicely with the strip and the characters. Each week seems to get better. However, there a few things I would like to be a critic of. Sam Driver from a side angle, should have more of a square chin, than a sloped chin. Sam has always been more Bruce Wayne like over the years. With a nice square jaw. And, I never understood why Barreto gave him a dimple in his chin. LeDoux didn't. Abbey Spencer: you have done a very good job with her, but her hair should have more lift and volume on top. Close ups have been great, very realistic and sexy, but a couple times she may appear somewhat anime or manga like from a side angle. Sophie Spencer: you have her down. No complaints with Sophie. Neddy Spencer: for the most part Neddy has been good. But, I think she at times appears to young. Barreto aged her to be young, coming of age woman. At times she looks too young.
You may not care for these comments. After all, you are the artist. But, as an avid fan/reader of Judge Parker for all these years, I wanted you to know what I have been seeing in your intial work. Please know that your talent is respected and appreciated. You have to paint the picture as you see it. I will continue reading and will stop back to your blog, if you continue to share the behind the scenes process of Judge Parker. Much respect and best wishes to you going forward.
-Paul
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI think you are really doing great on Judge Parker. Especially this week, everything seems to be coming together very nicely with the look of the strip and the characters.
My one hang up is not with you, but with Woody Wilson. The first week or two you drew the strip, there was a bit of foreshadowing of some evil lookin' dude in the parking garage, sitting in a car. Yet, here we are two months later, and nothing about that character has resurfaced. While Wilson does write a pretty good strip for both Judge Parker and Rex Morgan, it still seems lose momentum at times. FWIW.