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And just like that, the Star Wars job is over. Tout finis.
Almost.
It's been 88 pages of hell doing the Episode III movie adaptation, It was supposed to be finished (drawn and colored, final files to the printer) in early December. Between reference not being delivered on time, late scripts, and some other factors, Doug Wheatley didn't finish drawing it until... well, check back in several hours! By then he should be finished pencilling the last page, at which point he will (he claims) drag himself out of the studio and go to his home and his wife (which he hasn't seen since Monday) and suffer a well-deserved collapse. Personally, I fully expect to see him when I go in tomorrow morning to flat that last page, as well as George and Chris (the book's official colorist) painting their brains out. Ronda, who was also hired to help Chris paint the book, will be done her tour of duty by then, though she was still there when I left the studio about half an hour ago.
And in a few minutes, the last two panels of the second-to-last page should be hitting my inbox here at home. I'll flat them, email them back, and then get to lie down myself for a few hours of much needed rest.
The last six pages are in progress. Out of eight-eight. Holy fuck. It's kind of hard to believe.
For the last couple of months, while I've been off work at Ipsos, this has been my working life. Commuting into the downtown studio where Doug and Chris share an office space. Sitting down at the G4, plugging in the headphones, and seeing what new wonders await me in the "new art" folder. Getting the first look -- the very first look -- at the adaptation that is even now haunting the dreams of Star Wars fans. And having the responsibility and the honor of being a key member of the team producing it: as the flatter, it's my job to collate reference shots (production art and/or final stills from the movie), lay accurate color on the comic pages, and touch up the line art (removing perspective lines, etc), all while keeping ahead of the painters and being available to answer their questions about specific panels and any reference pertaining to them. While Chris will get the color credit on the book, I set the palette and had a significant influence on the eventual look of the project.
So along with the shock of ending comes a feeling of real pride -- the first I've felt in a very long time. This project has reminded me what my true calling is. Not Ipsos, though I do good work there, but in the act of creation. In working with other artists -- though God knows we've had our moments of heavy snark, especially these last few days as the book came down to the dead wire and we were all running long on stress and short on sleep. I was part of a team, and it felt good. Better than good. It felt GREAT.
The book will look fantastic. Doug Wheatley has confirmed me as his dedicated flatter attached to all projects he'll be working on in the future, and has another Star Wars miniseries he'll be pencilling in the next couple of months. This job (88 pages @ $40 CDN) netted me $3520, not including $10/page for the line art and gutter cleanup. My future rate will be $50/page, and if he gets to repaint the Episode III adaptation, he'll be paying me a nominal rate for each page again as a tip of the hat toward all the hard work I did this time around.
But the feeling of genuine accomplishment is worth more than all of that put together. I'd forgotten what it was like to feel valuable and productive.
Almost.
It's been 88 pages of hell doing the Episode III movie adaptation, It was supposed to be finished (drawn and colored, final files to the printer) in early December. Between reference not being delivered on time, late scripts, and some other factors, Doug Wheatley didn't finish drawing it until... well, check back in several hours! By then he should be finished pencilling the last page, at which point he will (he claims) drag himself out of the studio and go to his home and his wife (which he hasn't seen since Monday) and suffer a well-deserved collapse. Personally, I fully expect to see him when I go in tomorrow morning to flat that last page, as well as George and Chris (the book's official colorist) painting their brains out. Ronda, who was also hired to help Chris paint the book, will be done her tour of duty by then, though she was still there when I left the studio about half an hour ago.
And in a few minutes, the last two panels of the second-to-last page should be hitting my inbox here at home. I'll flat them, email them back, and then get to lie down myself for a few hours of much needed rest.
The last six pages are in progress. Out of eight-eight. Holy fuck. It's kind of hard to believe.
For the last couple of months, while I've been off work at Ipsos, this has been my working life. Commuting into the downtown studio where Doug and Chris share an office space. Sitting down at the G4, plugging in the headphones, and seeing what new wonders await me in the "new art" folder. Getting the first look -- the very first look -- at the adaptation that is even now haunting the dreams of Star Wars fans. And having the responsibility and the honor of being a key member of the team producing it: as the flatter, it's my job to collate reference shots (production art and/or final stills from the movie), lay accurate color on the comic pages, and touch up the line art (removing perspective lines, etc), all while keeping ahead of the painters and being available to answer their questions about specific panels and any reference pertaining to them. While Chris will get the color credit on the book, I set the palette and had a significant influence on the eventual look of the project.
So along with the shock of ending comes a feeling of real pride -- the first I've felt in a very long time. This project has reminded me what my true calling is. Not Ipsos, though I do good work there, but in the act of creation. In working with other artists -- though God knows we've had our moments of heavy snark, especially these last few days as the book came down to the dead wire and we were all running long on stress and short on sleep. I was part of a team, and it felt good. Better than good. It felt GREAT.
The book will look fantastic. Doug Wheatley has confirmed me as his dedicated flatter attached to all projects he'll be working on in the future, and has another Star Wars miniseries he'll be pencilling in the next couple of months. This job (88 pages @ $40 CDN) netted me $3520, not including $10/page for the line art and gutter cleanup. My future rate will be $50/page, and if he gets to repaint the Episode III adaptation, he'll be paying me a nominal rate for each page again as a tip of the hat toward all the hard work I did this time around.
But the feeling of genuine accomplishment is worth more than all of that put together. I'd forgotten what it was like to feel valuable and productive.
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