Work in progress - Kane Mesmer

Here's a page from the comic I'm currently working on, written by Dave West at Accent UK.  It's been in progress for a ridiculously long time (sorry Dave!), and I've learned the following in the process:

Work fast.

This is not just for the benefit of the writer, who would be completed justified in getting bored, wandering off, assuming you're not interested, or forgetting you exist if you take too long to get the work done.  And it's not just a matter of professionalism - anyone doing this for love while holding down a day job can probably be forgiven for keeping a less than professional schedule.

Kane Mesmer, page 1, 2010

The problem as an artist (oh god I hate that word) is consistency.  I started drawing Has Kane Mesmer Lost His Magic Touch? in (checks the date stamp on the files) (chokes slightly) ... Okay, it's been a while.  The oldest page I have is over two years.  I'm about fifty pages in.  I have relatives younger than this book.  What was my point again?

I've never had a single consistent style anyway, but the degree of variation in this book as I look back over it is really shocking.  I like to imagine that if I had drawn it maybe just a little faster, I wouldn't get quite so seasick comparing pages one and forty-four.  Since starting this book, I've worked on two others at least, with very different styles, and I've obviously read and been influenced by other comics ("influenced by" = decided to nick better ideas from), all of which bleed into the work.  I've decided I hate the original font I picked for the lettering, and changed it twice, and will have a full day's fun when I have to go back through the whole book and resize it all to fit this week's preferred typeface.  

Kane Mesmer, page forty-four, 2012

Short of going back and starting the whole book again (no, I'm not going to do it all again), all I can do is try to combine newer elements with the older pages and make it all look of-a-piece.  And slap massive speech bubbles over all the dodgy bits.  And not do anything foolish like write blog posts calling attention to my mistakes.  (Next on the blog: a short essay on perspective, straight lines, and why the ability to use a ruler correctly is evidence of a warped criminal personality.)

The Accent UK site can be found here.  Kane Mesmer will be finished by the New Year.  There, see?  I promised the internet, so now I have to do it.  

M x

All text and images copyright © Marleen Lowe / Accent UK Comics - please do not reproduce without permission