Trick (WIP) (Patreon)

Work In Progress

Warning if you want to be surprised, don't read this.

I'll update this post as I finish more panels.

Estimated time to finish (Jan 14-15).

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Update 1/15/2021:

Colouring and texting done!

I'm experimenting with a heavier shadowing, hopefully it's well receive.

I've been working on adding more texture to hair, with more varied colours... like black. I previously avoided this because I wasn't sure if it would look okay. I think overall it doesn't stand out too much and matches the aesthetics of the comic.

I dislike that I have me on record saying I'll try to add more stuff on stage. I didn't... I ran out of time (I'm trying to work on these every day so I can eventually have at least 1 horror comic a week ahead for you guys). When I get my buffer done for the horror comics, I'll be able to spend a full week making these comics, instead of just 5-6 days. That means I have a whooole extra day just to add more details...

One of the tragedies of how I work is that I never know how much detail I'm going to lose when I shade. An example is how much line work is lost in panel 2 because I didn't like how much the tables and chairs stood out against the pure black. I had to extend the black shadow just to balance it out and make it look right.

Update 1/14/2021:

Panel 4 done!

I added some minor details to panel 1 and 3. I realized I forgot some things that are important to deciphering what happened. Currently I'm not 100% happy with how much information is in panel 4, but I don't think I can add anymore without making it super obvious.

The previous horror comic 'Beauty' was solved really quickly. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. One of the elements that makes horror work is that it takes away your control. That's why comics and books have such a hard time translating horror onto paper, because the reader controls the pacing. I think one way to circumvent this is to engage the reader into figure out why something feels off.

What I'm trying to do with Trick is to play a 'trick' on you, the readers. You're all familiar with these comics and know something's going to go wrong. That is the seed of unease. Hopefully I can misdirect some of you and surprise you with the 'aha' that will slowly creep upon you.

Update 1/13/2021:

Panel 3 done!

I wish I was a better artist, drawing the same scene but from different angles is really hard to keep consistent. What I really like and didn't intend (but it worked out) is that the perspective lines of the stage floors draw the eyes towards the magician and the volunteer. This is something that I try to be conscious of when I remember. To be more deliberate with how the readers flow through the panels.

I originally intended on having an assistant... but I quickly veto'd that idea because that's just another character to draw. I think I may add more props to the stage when I finish all the panels; try to fill out the scenes with red herrings so the clues aren't so obvious.

As my readers, you guys, become more familiar with how to read these comics, clues will start to become more obvious. The only effect way to combat this is to have more useless information on the page that doesn't pertain to understanding the story.

I like drawing the backs of characters. It's easy. I hate drawing faces.

Update 1/12/2021:

I did panel 2.

I had to change some of the original script around because I felt like I was wasting a panel not introducing any new information that helps flesh out the story. When you have only 4 panels to tell a story, the problem is usually pacing and spreading out information so there's something to find in every panel. It's not something I always can achieve, but it's something I strive for.

One of the hardest things about making these comics is deciding whether or not specific things will have significance in the far future, or 'near' future. An example is creating a label for the wine label. The question isn't should I connect it to something in the future, but how. The how plays into how the label will be designed and named.

I really enjoy having a lot of black on the page, it really makes the panel pop and forces the eyes to look in specific places. It's a great way of hiding things and tricking people.

I redid the face of the magician in panel 1. I change the eyes and gave him a better nose so he doesn't have comically large eyes.

If these updates aren't really coherent and seem all over the place, I apologize. I write these up at 2-5 am.

Update 1/11/2021:

I've had this idea for a long time but only recently figure out how to put a twist on it. The first panel took about 4 hours to do. I'm trying to improve how I draw my characters. So far I'm getting the female down but the male definitely needs more work done. Maybe in this comic, maybe in the next.