My work on display at the Canada Place Trail Exhibit, Vancouver!!

Back in February I had a surprise email regarding a couple of Illustrations from my 3rd year at the University of the West of England, Bristol.

Someone wanted to purchase the right to use these two illustrations in an outdoor educational display in Vancouver, Canada!

The Illustrations in question were these shown below:

This one depicts John Cabot landing on the beach of Newfoundland, having set sail in the Matthew from Bristol.

And this one depicts a tribe of Native Americans viewing the previous scene from the surrounding mountains.

These Illustrations were originally conceptual pieces for and idea I had for a werewolf comic set in the 1700's, when the British came to colonise America. You can find the original posts for these images on my blog here and here.

I spent my 3rd year at uni developing the story and aesthetic for this comic, but have since had to put it's production on hold with the intent of picking it up in the future... However you can view all the work I did towards it right here.

Right now the Canadian Trail exhibit is open free to the public and has received a lot of interest from tourists to Vancouver!

I am told that there are up to 3 cruise ship sailings a week, transporting approx 5-6,000 people, not including the other visitors walking through the exhibit, so it's anticipated to draw plenty of attention!

On the outdoor promenade there are benches highlighting different topics of Canada. These benches have graphic panels that tells the story relating to that topic. My Illustrations are on a graphic panel for 

their history station! The display itself is scheduled to remain up and open to the public for 3-5 years!!!

And here is what you can expect to see!!

My contact and the Canada Place corporation was kind enough to take a few photos of my work in the display and of the Exhibit as a whole!

So if you find yourself heading out towards Vancouver, or if I have any Canadian readers out there, then pop along to Canada Place and take a look! You can find out more about the exhibit and other things on this website: http://www.canadaplace.ca/If you do go, I'd love to hear all about it so please feel free to comment below!! :) 

The Pack of hunters, Newfoundland 1497

Prologue page 2, panel 6, taken directly from my roughs, with a tweak on the composition to mirror the previous image (John Cabot's voyage, Newfoundland 1497) slightly.

Through the second page of the Prologue we are introduced to the Hunters of the tribe and the idea of their supernatural abilities. The end shot shows the hunting Pack of four, transformed from Wolf to Human (hence their nakedness!) witnessing John Cabot's first few steps onto the island. Cabot's voyage marking the beginning of British colonization and nicely setting up where the main story starts 300 years later.

John Cabot's voyage, Newfoundland 1497

My comic begins with a two page prologue that introduces the Native American tribe on Newfoundland; the people and their lifestyle.

It also serves to set up the tone of the rest of the story. The final panels show the explorer John Cabot stepping onto the shore with The Matthew anchored in the shallows, thus marking the very moment that inspired the British colonization of Newfoundland.

This image specifically does not feature in my layout roughs, it is a variation in perspective from Prologue page 2, panel 6.

The original panel rough shows the Native American hunters in their human forms watching from a distance as the British settlers step into the island (Click here to see it!). So here I've just flipped the perspective to view in detail Cabot and his crew, with the mountains that the hunters will be watching from behind.

"Sir.... We're here"

Page 1 panel 3/4, taken directly from my roughs, without much else done to it compositionally.

(To see the roughs click here!)

To explain what is happening here I'll give you bit of a sneaky peek at the script for this page!!

Page One

Panel One: covering the entire top half of the page, panel one shows a section of a map of the known world - NEWFOUNDLAND being the centre piece - Spread out across a desk with various navigational instruments to accompany it. In the bottom right hand corner is the visible hand of LIEUTENANT JAMES ARTHUR BISHOP.

1. Caption: SEPTEMBER 23rd, 1789

Panel Two: Mid-range shot of Lieutenant Bishop hunched over his desk studying the map, hands on the surface, head down. He wears his military uniform though a long overcoat covers all but the front, and hit tri-corner hat lies on the desk in front of him. Off-panel to the right of the image, PRIVATE THOMAS HAYWORTH calls to him.

2. Hayworth: SIR?

Panel Three: Panels three and four are one image split into two. On panel three Bishop still stands hunched over the desk, though his head is now turned to the right (his left) to where Hayworth is standing.

3. Bishop: WHAT IS IT, PRIVATE?

Panel Four: The other half of the image. Private Hayworth stands near the doorway with his hat in his hands and his arms behind his back. He looks nervous, but intent on remaining composed, and proper.

4. Hayworth: SIR...

Page Two

Panel One: Splash/title page, revealing that we are on a ship, with Hayworth and Bishop now standing at the bow. Ahead of us is the rocky landscape of Newfoundland. Directly in front is the port of ST JOHN'S, one of several settlements on Newfoundland, and Bishop's port of call.

1. Caption (Hayworth cont.): "... WE'RE HERE."

Moonlit Run edit + Postcards!

Some of you may remember this image... It's undergone yet another alteration!

I have completely re-drawn the trees to adopt the style that is in my present images, that wasn't established when I drew this image originally. I've also made some minor changes to the line work in the mountain's in the background.

(To see the original version of this image click here and scroll down!)

For the degree show, we also needed to choose images to be printed onto postcards for people to take away with them if they like our work. These cards'll have our contact details etc on the back, so hopefully they'll get me some jobs!!

I've chosen to order two lots of cards with images to promote my illustrations and my animations. Here are the final images that'll be printed on 500 cards (per image).

Thomas' Arrival

ssbane

This image was based on the top panel on Page 3 of my roughs

(to see said roughs, click here)

Here Thomas is just taking his first few steps off the ship onto the port of St John's, Newfoundland. I thought as most of my imagery so far has been focusing on the Native American/wolf stuff, it was high time I did some British soldier stuff too.

I shall be churning out as many of these as I can within this coming week, which happens to be the last week before mounting and printing!!!! ARRRGH!!!

Triptych

The idea for this triptych came from the bottom sequence of panels on page 5, following Anco's first solo hunt (Click here to see the rough layouts!)

For the degree show I will not be able to develop fully the look of my graphic novel layouts and panels, that will be a job for the summer. So in the last couple of weeks left before the show I will be concentrating on producing single illustrations from the panels I have roughed up, and possibly packaging them together in an artist's book type thing with relevant little excerpts from the text.

Wolfsbane - Rough page layouts

These are some initial roughs from the small thumbnails in the previous post.

The Panel layouts are rather generic at the moment, but I plan to develop these up a LOT further to suit the 18th century theme of the story and artwork.

Prologue page 1: circa 1497, short history on the tribe. Introduction of the various roles within the tribe and glimpses of the Hunters leaving.

Prologue page 2: history cont. Hunters out on the hunt. The Alpha from the 1497 pack of hunters spots something from their vantage point on a mountain. The pack (now all in human form) watch the arrival of John Cabot and start of British colonization of Newfoundland.

Page 1: Sept 23rd 1789, (approx 300 years later, British settlements in Newfoundland are prosperous.) Our story begins with Lt Bishop in his cabin.

Page 2: Splash page, reveal Lt Bishop and Pvt Hayworth on ship sailing into Newfoundland port. The composition still needs work...

Page 3: Pvt Hayworth disembarking and walking to fort.

Page 4: Back to the Tribe, Antinanco's initiation into the Warrior/Hunter clan.

Page 5: Anco's first solo hunt.

Page 6: Nashoba (Beta) and Helushka (Alpha) have a chat.

Page 7: Anco's acceptance, Helushka is not happy...

Page 8: Col. Webster's house, he and Capt. Avery are discussing the indians.

Page 9: Lt. Bishop is called in and given a briefing.

Page 10: Col. Webster asks Lt. Bishop to do something he's not all that comfortable with.

Wolfsbane Page Layouts - Rough Thumbnails

Here are some very rough thumbnails of the first 10 pages of my comic. My Boyfriend, Alex Beedie has been scripting up my story and these are the thumbnails I've worked up using the script.

Alex and I are a good team, working together and discussing how characters would speak, how events would unfold etc, so he has an idea of how to write and I have an idea of how to draw!

Colonel Richard Webster

This guy is your standard old English war veteran, the sort that has a walrus moustache and a pompous attitude. He likes the thought of gaining more turf over the Native Americans for the benefit of expanding the settlement this being so he quietly sides with the Captains suggestions, but still will not needlessly plunge his troops into a battle that will cause major loss on their side. He has a respect for the Lieutenant with whom he is on good terms, even if he cannot understand why he insists on remaining a lower rank, and humours his efforts for peace if it means he doesn’t have to worry so much about attacks from the savages on the settlement.

Webster is 58 years old and his likeness is based on Brendan Gleeson, aka Prof. Moody in Harry Potter..

Lance Corporal Jack Barnes

Jack Barnes has a few minor skirmishes under his belt, but for all his bluster about them you’d think that he’s lived through several world wars!

He’s cocky and arrogant and enjoys re-enacting tales of previous “glories” to the rather gullible Tom. He is a typical lad’s lad and because he’s slightly superior to the Privates he bullies them a little.

However despite all his bravado when it comes to the heat of battle he is a coward.

He is 27 years old and his likeness is based on Justin Chambers, aka Alex Karev in Grey's Anatomy.

Antinanco - Hunter

Antinanco is our Native American Hunter narrator. He is very young (only 19 years old) and inexperienced.

He looks up to and idolises the Warriors, hoping that someday he’ll be chosen to be one of them. He trains hard and is keen to impress the Alpha whenever he comes to inspect. He watches longingly when the Warriors ready themselves for battle and occasionally sneaks off in wolf form to watch.

This is when he sees what horrors they actually perform and his aspirations of becoming one of them are crushed.

He mirrors Private Thomas Hayworth, and his likeness is based on actor James Duval (aka Miguel Casse in Independance Day and Frank the bunny in Donnie Darko!)

There are only a few more characters to develop like this now (Colonel Webster, Lance Corporal Barnes and Warrior Cheveyo).

I have written an outline of the story and handed it over to my lovely boyfriend, who is by far a much better writer than me, and together we are scripting up the actual dialogue/panel/pages for the comic!! Enlisting the help of my boyfriend to write the comic allows me to concentrate on drawing (the part that I'm much suited for) and I can be roughing up pages and finalizing them while he continues to write! Exactly how it would work within the industry!!

So, shortly you shall see more than just character studies! Next I shall be able to tell you my story!

Captain Charles Newport

As the title says this is Captain Charles Newport, he is 30 years old. Being of a young age for an Officer of his rank has gone to this guys head a little bit. He is annoyingly superior and sucks up to the Colonel during discussions, trying to curry favour over the Lieutenant by claiming that his attempts to meet with the Native Americans are fruitless.

He (like the Alpha) is battle hungry and will shoot an Indian on sight believing them to be vicious murdering savages and nothing more. He has a constant feud going on with the Lieutenant who despite being below him in rank carries more respect and authority with most of the soldiers, even the Colonel, and in the Captain's eyes does not show him the appropriate level of courtesy.

He directly mirrors the Alpha in the story, and his likeness is based on Gary Oldman.

Lt. James Bishop

This is Lieutenant James Arthur Bishop.

James has seen war before, he knows what it does to people and he doesn't like it. Although he is older and more experienced than the active Captain he has not moved up the military ranks, preferring to remain Lieutenant and provide support for the soldiers in the field who look to him for guidance.

Despite this however his word is respected and his opinion often called for during tactical discussions by the Colonel, much to the displeasure of the Captain.

James likes to also disassociate himself from his authority and rank over the other soldiers in the field, the bitter winter weather of Newfoundland gives him an excuse to wear a long overcoat that is not necessarily military standard issue, therefor hiding his Lieutenant's uniform. He only appears in full standard dress in front of his superior, the Colonel. He also rarely ever wears his tricorne hat...

In my story each side will intentionally mirror the other, this being so the Lieutenant will be the British equivalent of the Native American's Beta; Nashoba. James is also the one who proposes to talk and arrange a truce with the Native American tribe, meeting occasionally with Nashoba to exchange tributes.

James' likeness is based on that of Liam Neeson.

Private Thomas Hayworth

, Now that I've got a few of the Native American characters down, it is time to explore the British soldier characters.

Meet Private Thomas Hayworth, he is a fresh faced 23 year old soldier just out of the academy. The care of Newfoundland during the winter months, when our story takes place, is his first assignment. The story will be narrated by characters of mirroring status within their community, whether it be British army or Native American tribe, and Tom is going to be one of the narrators to tell the story from the Brit's point of view. He will be the one to introduce the story to us, as he is new to the situation in Newfoundland we will learn as he learns.
Although Tom is at the bottom rung of the party of soldiers that have been sailed to the island, he is enthusiastic and cheery, though slightly impressionable and naive, but his heart is in the right place!

His likeness is based on actor Sean Murray, aka Timothy McGee in NCIS.