Cartooning!

Taking what we see and stripping it to its core.

One thing that I hear a lot is that cartoons are easy to draw.
It's a really interesting point of view because they are deceptively simple in appearance but study it for any length of time and you open up a deep well of secrets that wind on and on forever after. It's something I wanted to blog about as I've got some experience with it now. Before that though- wanted to blab a little about how much cartoons and comics mean to me.

In my short lifetime (I'm 25), I've often experienced people who look down their noses at Cartoons. I had a primary school teacher who would make fun of me because I wanted to be a cartoonist. His mocking taunts still stick with me, not as a reminder of failure but as fuel for the fire of success.

Some though, some that one would expect to be more informed, go even further, dismissing cartoons as some sort of juvenile form of art adding the same distaste towards Comics or Animation- two fields of creativity that are already looked down on and never given their full due credit.

Truth is, for me- cartooning is much more difficult than any other form of art I've explored and as extension of that, one of the most impressive. I've studied art at a 'fine art' level because when I left school to pursue art, my only option was to enroll in a class that examined and took all of the 'mediums' of Art on board, except digital mediums or ironically; anything I use now to earn a living.

As such, Instead of learning how to draw storyboards or crafting character designs, we were looking at Fine Art History and its influence on culture as well as questioning the true meaning behind Modern Art, the only class I enjoyed was our weekly life drawing class, because it was freedom to interpret the body as you see it. And interpretation is something I'd later learn is key to being a cartoonist. It was during these two years of study that I met so much of the negativity facing any piece of art requiring imagination.

As a result, I struggled to even pass my classes because I fought tooth and nail for comics to be considered worthy as 'Art', writing dissertations on their worth and impact on culture and examining the process behind them. I know now, it was certainly the wrong place to be vocal about the art of imagination but it is still something that upsets me to this day- the lack of respect for the heroes of the comic world.

It could be born out of a sense of duty to the cartoons and comics that raised me- As a kid, I would  read a comic book and it would inspire my imagination to a world beyond wonder, I saw cartoon shows and wanted with all my heart for them to be a real place I could explore. When I got older, practically every authority figure over me scolded me for drawing things that weren't real, for using imagination- this always made me fight harder for my right to do so.

This was probably because of the incredible base of confidence my parents established in me as a child, they believed in my dreams and supported my efforts- especially if I drew something that didn't exist. I come from a talented family of artists, both on my mothers side (My grandmother was a tremendous poet) and my fathers side (My Grandfather painted beautifully)and so art is something our family has always respected and admired, a respect I perhaps mirrored onto my love for everything comics and cartoons.

I don't really know why I was so stubborn about comics getting respect when I was younger. I got a B- in my Art GCSE exam, the lowest grade any one in my family ever got for Art class because the teacher and I locked horns from the moment we were together. Art at GCSE was basically projects that were centered around a single word and up to the student to produce work inspired by what that word meant to them. She never liked what I turned in because I'd always find some way to twist that word to my favour- to allow me to draw planets or animals or something other than a flowerpot on a table. I know now she was trying to guide me to getting the grade I deserved, by setting me particular tasks or dismissing my own ideas for hers but I never backed down.

Silly goat, I was.

I'm very happy to say I've long since eradicated that stubborn streak but I think it speaks volumes about how I feel about cartoons and comics and informs my own opinion on the matter.

Now that I've my first years under my belt, I think cartooning is so impressive to me because of the sheer challenge. Drawing is a skill, as is every aspect of what we consider 'art.' It all requires discipline and practice, studying everything we might otherwise take forgranted. With a cartoon though, I feel there's that added challenge- you can't just reference the object or person, you have to draw from your minds eye. It's about reconstructing what we all see and recognise then stripping that down to its bare core, it's essence, so you can reimagine it as something new. And it's in that process, that I marvel at the skill of others I admire, their ability to create imagery that awes and inspires because it's not real- but it's informed by reality and brought to life by their unique vision.  So maybe That's why I love comics and cartoons, that's why I fought in education to have them earn some respect- there's a whole world we can't see. With comics and cartoons- suddenly, we can.

-Adam

What's in 2013?

I haven't decided to make any over-the-top goals for 2013, or set myself targets that I'm not confident I can achieve. This may fly in the face of what a New Years Resolution is supposed to be(something challenging?)but there is challenge enough in what I will try to achieve.

• Bring back Felicity.

This has already happened, with a brand new website launched at the very beginning of the year and pages uploaded every Monday. How has it been going so far? At this stage pretty good! I'm enjoying working 'part time' on Felicity and producing one page a week is a fun exercise that so far has been without any stress(I've pencilled around the first 10 pages and every weekend I ink and colour them in time for Monday morning uploads.)

• Pitch something.

I've got three major books on the go at the minute- Felicity, Scoundrels and Magpie. They're all projects that I do in my spare time, for free. With no promise of much success anywhere a long the line. I don't see this as a pointless endeavour and never have- they all exist to help me practice and help me to become a better artist. That all said though, I've made a promise to myself this year to put together a pitch to send to a publisher. I've had my eye on a few Comic houses that I feel I'd fit well with and even have developed some new projects purely for them- this year has to be the year I actually show them.

• The Magpie.

The last goal of 2013 is to bring The Magpie to life. I've had the storyline bouncing around in my head for a year now and I've been developing it slowly but surely into a visual form I can see clearly. By the end of the year I want to have that book sitting on my shelf, completed! More importantly- I will not be uploading Magpie online in its entirety(or perhaps not at all)because I want to strictly pursue publishing for it. I feel it'll be the best chance I have at getting my work published when examining the contents of each of my projects. A super hero comic is going to have quite a challenge to actually stand out but it also has the immediate advantage of fitting in.

That's it for me in terms of art goals! I am still currently doing contracted work on a game that should wrap up this year at some point, as well as the odd trickle of commission and of course my non-art related job! The only other thing I plan to get done this year is get Married. I don't know the first thing about weddings, I'm a wedding nooblet. But I can't wait.

-Adam

Who you gona' call?

I painted these last year for a merchandise company to add to their Doctor Who line of prints, I'm fairly sure that I won't be paid or see them as prints now due to the guy handling my input there stopping all contact with me since then. Yay freelancing!
So here they are!

Maybe it'll still work out!

-Adam

Doodle Dump ..6?

Up to my eyes with contracted work at the moment so keeping busy, also doing New Adventures on the weekend and warming up the Scoundrels frying pan for some delicious new recipes coming later this year.

Cheers.

-Adam

New Felicity Site Launched!

http://felicity.thecomicseries.com/

The third incarnation of Felicitys homepage goes live today, having uploaded all the old strips(took a lot longer than I thought it would to re-border them with white and just simply add each of them). I'm excited to work part-time on Felicity throughout the year as it has a one-page a week update schedule.

Woot.

-Adam

(SPOILERS) Wake up John, I need You.

((These is my thoughts on Halo 4s story, while I don't go into great detail about the inbetweens, I detail the start and the end. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED HALO 4 YET AND PLAN TO.))

Halo 4 could of been the most expensive failure in the history of gaming.

Its founding studio; Bungie, arguably gave Microsoft the fighting chance it needed to successfully launch a console in a competitive market and Halos legacy burned bright for over ten years. Nowadays the Master Chief is as recognisable to younger generations as Darth Vader and Halo is still considered by many to be a trend setting, genre defining example of FPS on console.

After such a long running success, Bungie had other worlds to forge and parted ways with Halo, handing duties to 343 Industries- an in house Microsoft founded studio made up of hardcore Halo fans and the best of the best in the industry.

Their first game was to be Halo 4.

Following in the footsteps of giants, with a million hearts hanging in the balance- 343 had decided to bring back the Master Chief and Cortana. They had exclaimed a new trilogy would begin. This quite rightfully caused concern amongst fans- Bungie had created this world and could any one else ever understand it as well as they could? Could the gameplay ever be as refined?

Halo 4 as it happens is a complete triumph.

The key to that triumph being, above all else, the story.

Whilst I have no doubt in my mind that had Bungie wanted one more go at the Halo franchise they would of made similar strides in polish and refinement it is with complete confidence that I feel 343 have taken the story in directions they'd have never dared go.

Halo has always had a vast interesting lore, lore that for unfortunate reasons appears always just under the surface of what the games give us. As each Halo game arrived from Bungie, that hidden lore bubbled a little further to the surface but never enough to take the helm. It's especially curious that Halo:Combat Evolved opens with very little in the way of introduction, simply throwing us into the boots of a Cyborg-like solider and told bad things are going down. This isn't necessarily a flaw- certainly, no one can deny Halo games have succeeded far beyond measure on the strength of such focused and realised gameplay.

What this design choice left was questions, questions about the bigger picture and although many of these questions were eventually answered, the way in which they were presented were so passive and easy to miss. There was a story told but never clearly enough to fully appreciate unless you had a second look. This lead to a lot of gamers, fans and otherwise, claiming Halo has no story. 

Once more- Halo has always had a story, just right under the surface.

Fans of the franchise found lore a plenty in the expanded universe through books and comics, spin offs and even animations. Fall Of Reach told the story of the origin of the Master Chief, the story that perhaps one would of expected to be told at the beginning of Halo:Combat Evolved. It expands with great detail his life before and leading right up to those events and whilst it was by far the most interesting and fascinating element to the lore of Halo- it was never properly acknowledged in the games themselves. 343 have taken great strides to bridge this gap. It's both rewarding as a fan who has read the books to have that knowledge accepted and fascinating to new audiences to have a far better insight into the human element of the main character.

And the human element is quite the theme running through Halo 4. It's a heartbreaking story of the fragile nature of human existence, casting lights on the Master Chief and more importantly- Cortana, that reveal just how human they really are. While the story beats along at the familiar Halo clip, it offers so much more substance and context, rewarding progress with another glimpse into the complex relationship of a man who is treated like a machine and the only friend he has left.

Longtime fans are well aware of the importance of the character of Cortana, both in story and out. As a gamer she has always been your eyes and ears- feeding you information vital to your success, whether it be a warning of oncoming danger or a beacon to light the way. Cortana is an essential element to being in the boots of the Master Chief and a defining aspect of Halo. 

In story, she is his friend, his ally. She is all that keeps him human and whilst he is her caretaker we often see that she is not unlike a mother to him. They have a bond of trust that is unconditional- a bond born in the fires of war as they have earnt that understanding of each other through countless battles. 

Master Chief is a human made into a machine, Cortana is a machine made into a human. They were made for each other. 

What makes 343 such successful storytellers is their profound understanding of these two characters, using what has long since been established in the expanded universe- they tell the story of Cortanas rampancy. Essentially an illness all Artificial Intelligence endure beyond seven years of service, as Cortana herself explains- all AI will eventually "think themselves to death."

It's the perfect device to strip the Master Chief of his achievements. He is a hero through three games, he is a character who inspires awe from his comrades and fear from his enemies, we know his legacy- we've played his legacy. Yet none of that matters any more that Cortana is dying.

What must be commended is the emotion we see, for the first time ever, from the Chief throughout this Journey. We see the fear and doubt in Chief as the story progresses, his slow realisation that he may not be able to save the only person left who matters to him.  We see him fight to win yet another war but also all at the same time, lose a war in his mind. And we see Cortana herself, eventually lose her mind. We see her no longer the sharp witted, sassy AI and instead a frail, fragile and vulnerable woman scared for her life.

Cortanas confession of the fact is met with immediate action from Chief, who exclaims it's not the end, if they just find Cortana's creator, Doctor Hasley "She made you, she can fix you." Cortanas reaction to this is a very telling glimpse into the future of the story. "Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it." The last time Cortana told us those words, Chief had to leave her behind at the end of Halo 2 and he kept his promise of coming back for her mid-way through Halo 3. 

However, this course of action laid out by the Chief at the very beginning of the story remains in our minds. Perhaps conditioned by the stories of Halo past- we believe that maybe eventually the story will take us back to earth and eventually we might find Hasley before this takes over. It's a very clever move to plant this seed to toy with our minds, making the eventual outcome of the story so much more meaningful and shocking.

The final scene of Halo 4 is what solidifies its story over Bungies, while the very pillars of the gameplay remain the same, polished and remastered from the genius that birthed them- the story is a very brave one. It's one that leaves very real emotions that play on the mind enough to write all of this.

Link, if you'd like to see it again.

The symbolic beauty that layers the scene is staggering, with the energy field around the characters creating what is clearly suggestive of rainfall; a common element brought through to highlight emotional scenes. Cortana approaches Chief in what appears to be an almost human form and she immediately silences the Chiefs confusion with harsh facts that are hard to hear.

The Master Chief never removes his helmet, nor is it possible to even have a hint of who he is underneath and yet in this scene his emotional delivery is heartbreaking. His words crack as he almost breaks his cold faceless persona, instead choosing words that paint the clearest picture of denial. "That's not- we, we go together!" And as Cortana shares a moment of physical contact, that has an incredible impact and meaning, The Master Chief says the word "Please" and in a single moment he is no longer a hero, he is just a man. Cortana shares nothing but a smile and says goodbye to not only the Master Chief but to us as players. And as she utters her last words "Welcome Home, John" the debris from around the energy field floats into view, crashing around him- symbolizing his world being destroyed as the only friend he has left leaves him.

It is a profound scene, a scene that tugs at the connection we have with the Chief- mirroring the impact of this moment. 343 set out with Halo 4 to humanise the Master Chief and they succeeded in that goal beyond measure. 

What magnifies this moment is how much more we heard from the Chief throughout the course of the story. Not only did he speak his mind much more but he stood up for Cortana on multiple occasions- disobeying direct orders from his superiors for her safety. He began to show sides of his character that suggested we may begin to see more of John and less of Master Chief. Cortana's death resigns this almost immediately, with the final epilogue scenes showing that the Master Chief is back to his man-of-no-words routine, symbolizing that he has lost all of that humanity she inspired in him and whilst this is a disappointing development- it's a bitter sweet commentary on their relationship and it makes perfect sense.

The heroes journey is a core concept that has been applied to almost every story, from origins of defeat, to overcoming great peril to eventually becoming a Hero. Halo was interesting because we were the Hero right from the start, Chief never went on a Heroes journey- in Halo 4 he begins one.

Bravo, 343!

-Adam

New In More Than One Way

Starting at the end of the month, Felicity becomes The New Adventures Of Felicity (with Issue 1 and 2 being uploaded, new comics starting in December.) If you want to know more about that I've previously detailed it here in an earlier blog. Part of what I'll be doing this month is breathing new life back into the website (http://99reasonstowin.com) which includes retuning it to bring it up to speed and allow it to function as you'd expect a webcomic site to. The other side of the coin is writing and creating the new content that represents the new title and when I've had the time between work, I've slowly been toying with a major style-overhaul to add extra meaning to the 'New' in New Adventures.

I say toying because I'm not completely convinced I'll pursue this for the new strips. Despite my doubts, I felt it worthwhile to at least try to realise my ideas and so far most of what I've explored is streamlining the form of each character. Part of what I found difficult with previous Felicity work(other than the fact the comic catalogues my first attempts at trying to draw cartoony)is the limitations of the 'builds' I've established. Each character follows a guideline of shapes and back when I created them, I didn't know much about how to flex and bend these shapes for optimal acting performance. Thankfully, five years on, I know alittle more than I did and the foundations I laid in place just can't cut it anymore- I need to rebuild to give me room to express and articulate the current fancies I have, art-style wise.

And recently my love for the simplistic and stylised has swerved off road into a much more cartoon-y kind of neighbourhood than I dared venture before. I've had to work on a few jobs in the last year that demanded different ranges of artstyle. From realistic, weighted work to distorted bobble-headed cartoon. My own personal work and style is most recently represented in Scoundrels where I employ what I'd consider to be my default, Point 7 style(1 being completely realistic in expression and proportion, 10 taking liberty with those proportions and expressions and exaggerating both to cartoon effect.) Sometimes, just so I can learn; I want to turn things up to 11. And with New Adventures, I could do this.

The other reason for this direction is that my original intention for Felicity was a cartoon show and it became a comic because I couldn't realise that intention on my own. I feel I stand to learn a good deal if I pushed this intention onto the comic harder than I have before, to aim to create an animated/cartoon look but tell my story one panel at a time.

Doubts about this approach also relate to the beginning. As when I began Issue 1, I had never drawn this way before, it was a frustrating challenge to cope with drawing a story when I'd barely understood the core mechanics of the method of drawing. Over the years, my studies advanced that understanding so I could at least fluke my way through a book.

This is a dangerous way to approach a book because I could have easily failed within that frustration of trying to run before I could walk. It is a risk to try to 'reboot' the comic without being as prepared as I possibility could be, yet I also feel perhaps the blind way in which I conducted the original stories was what birthed the determination and drive that saw me complete them. My thought being; Maybe I can replicate that with a new take?

Similarly, when writing the script, I feel myself becoming much more wary of the content I want the comic to explore, considering it may adopt a much more friendly art-style. Felicity will never be a story of sex, drugs and the darkest corners of life but at the same time- it IS about a sport where prisoners compete to the death. Flags are raised as to whether a cuter approach to the art-style is a good fit for what I've established so far. This is something I debate on because Felicity has been cartoon-y from the start, just not as cartoon-y as I've been exploring and the vibe I wish to hit with the stories has always been a light-hearted one I'd hope was similar to Futurama with a good chunk of the funny removed.

At any rate, I've uploaded some of the imagery I've produced aiming to settle on a new artstyle. I have yet to begin work on New Adventures(outside of scripting)so I'm still not sure what style it will adapt when it hits the website late 2012, either way I'm looking forward to getting back into the comic that birthed my evolving art-style.

-Adam.