The Definitive Pixel

Zappit

Zappit

Staff member
Over the last fourteen years or so, I've been creating some variation of Pixel. Despite my history of switching up comics, I somehow always come back to it, drawn in again by its black and white siren song. The characters have been in my head for nearly half my entire life, and I feel like I would be letting them down if I never came back.

Now, Supervillainous is a success for me. I actually have a loyal readerbase, and it's some of my best cartooning work. I have no intention of ending it, nor slowing down production.

However, during my free time when I'm not working on Supervillainous, I want to take time to do a truly definitive Pixel, one that condenses the entire Pixelverse: Pixel and Cain is Able. I want to rebuild the story to incorporate elements of the last two versions of Pixel. That way, when it eventually ends, it will actually feel complete and final to me.

My digital production has allowed me to really sort out the technical aspects of such a project. I'm able to build each page completely in Artstudio at 300 dpi. My current testing seems to indicate that reducing the image down to web-size doesn't negatively impact the resolution. (The program I use to lay out and letter Supervillainous does have a minor impact on that.)

It's going to be a long project, but it's one that will have more expressive characters, cleaner lines, definite chapters in graphic novel format, and the potential for print books in the future. Time will tell for that. I've only just started page one.
 
Bowielee

Bowielee

Hey, do what fulfills you as an artist, man.

Though, if you allow Supervillainous to lapse, there shall be a reckoning, I tell you.... A RECKONING!!!!!!!!!!
 
DarkAudit

DarkAudit

So what was that "this is it this time" a couple of comics back? Is everything okay?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Zappit

Zappit

Staff member
DarkAudit said:
So what was that "this is it this time" a couple of comics back? Is everything okay?
Click to expand...
Oh, that? I just meant that one panel comic was all I could get done for that update. Now that I look back at it, that probably was a poor choice of words.
 
Zappit

Zappit

Staff member
Testing two looks right now.





Haven't decided. Classic black and white only Pixel, or shading Pixel.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Shading pixel looks very bruise-y, insomniac-y or zombie-y. Her shading is lighter than the background (which makes her "pop"), but his shading is so heavy that she looks like she's going on a fateful evening date with a soon-to-be werewolf.

--Patrick
 
strawman

strawman

PatrThom said:
Shading pixel looks very bruise-y, insomniac-y or zombie-y. Her shading is lighter than the background (which makes her "pop"), but his shading is so heavy that she looks like she's going on a fateful evening date with a soon-to-be werewolf.

--Patrick
Click to expand...
Part of that's just an issue of practice and critique, and will improve over time. Part of it is that the shading itself is hard edged, which makes the lighting look harsh. For some scenes that might be appropriate but for a scene in the forest the lighting should be more even and soft, with few harsh shadows.

The first is certainly safer, but if you want to improve and allow for change over time, it might be worth pushing the envelope where you don't feel comfortable, and trying it out.

I think the comic is fine without it, though. This isn't a situation where you lose information if you don't shade, it enhances but doesn't actually change the intended meaning.
 
Zappit

Zappit

Staff member
Okay, basically finished the first page. Here's the shaded and unshaded versions. I think I'm leaning towards shaded.





I tried some new things with the lettering, doing that part completely in Artstudio and actually drawing the dialogue bubbles. (The traditional Photoshop selection tricks don't work in the app.) I can export the file as a PSD, and play around with the lettering in PS Elements, though. Might try that just to see what I can do with the bubbles.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

Hmm. I like the shading of the characters and items (though it can and will improve with practice, I suppose, it looks pretty good), but I honestly quite strongly dislike the completely-featureless-grey-fill background. An empty white background doesn't bother me; a filled-in grey looks....off, and unfinished, and "taking the easy way out" (even though I'm aware a white background takes even less work).

I dunno - maybe experimenting with a bit of a gradient can lessen that feeling, or perhaps it's just me, or whatever... All in all, I'd go for the shaded version but with white backgrounds, as it stands :p
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Heh. In the shaded version, the sign seems like it is the least shaded. In the unshaded version, it is the opposite.

--Patrick
 
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