Elevations Connection: Chapter 2...Uh....Review?

Once a week I promised to deliver a posting related to the pages posted for the week, or even just general personal information about the comic. This worked for Chapter 1 quite well. For Chapter 2... well... uh...

Yeah, kinda dropped the ball there with only two (this one one included).

Even if you plan in advance, write in advance, and draw in advance, life gets in the way. When you're as tricky with time management and abuse downtime like me (on top of new workplace, furry conventions, and personal matters), things do get behind.

But enough droning. Let's do some review!

I think I settled more/less on the style from this point on: rough painterly shading for backgrounds, with the characters following suit during rough/intensive situations (but otherwise unshaded). So far, so good! The only issue I had so far? Drawing the dogmarfing Golden Gate Bridge.

 

Twitter promo excerpt of Page 36, showing the famous bridge. 

The Golden Gate isn't exactly two vertical sticks with wires dangling between them. Those little Art Deco designs that taper the towers were in themselves an added challenge. I will admit, I am no professional artist and I had to use reference upon reference upon reference to get this right (and even then it's skewed). I'm kinda glad I won't be drawing it much in the long run.

It's funny how nearly every bit of fiction set in San Francisco (okay, had to fill that quota) will show the Golden Gate Bridge as if it's essential to cross the thing in order to get anywhere, and that mayhem's unleashed if something happens to it (it isn't and won't; the Bay Bridge is more vital, but nobody outside the region cares for the greyer twin). It's practically a cliche next to the cable cars.

  

Excerpt of Page 37 with its real life counterpart. Yes, San Francisco's actual train station is that externally plain.

On note of a lesser notable landmark, pages 36 and 37 called for usage of 4th and King Caltrain (a local choochoo that only goes to San Jose but is good for stopping by the peninsula suburbs in between) station. The station itself, not too exciting to look at. However, the interior does give off a retro-futuristic feel, and the area around it is fairly pretty place to be, save for the summer when the giants roam. 

Unlike the Golden Gate, I took winged this with whatever references I could find (if I could've done a quick trip to the city for this, I so would). When I visited the weekend after, I was surprised with how accurate I got.

Santana Winchester is another character I've been longing to introduce. He's essentially been a part the comic since the initial inception of a dog living with a roomy in the Bay. However, I'll leave the rest to another journal as his conception story is definitely an interesting one to talk about.



And that does it! What to expect for chapter 3? Well, I'm already working on pages as I type. My personal schedule should be more ironed out and I should ideally be back on the Three-day release come next week. The plot unravels further as we find out more about Elias and his involvement with the medallions, what that symbol in the medallion is, and just what  that medallion does. We'll also have many encounters with horses, bears, and really bad dragons... oh my!  Story continues next month...

Until next time,

Marf on!
Hints of horse


Plans on how to improve timeliness