Scripting It!

the full script in all its glory

Air-Heads! (Nick name for fans of Air-Heart?)
Welcome to another all-new edition of the same old blog. As I mentioned last time, I'm in the scripting phase of the new book. That being the case I thought that I would share a little bit of my writing process with you. To the left you can see what will mostly likely be the full script for the entire story. Say what?! It's only one page long man! It's true. I am just not a full-script kind of guy, sure I've worked from a full-script in the past, but seeing as I'm an artist first and a writer second, I find myself wanting to keep the spontaneity of working in a more visual way. Baring that in mind, my script (blurred out to prevent spoilers) is only one page long. On it I specify a few essential things such as; the principal characters involved in the story, the motives of said characters, a break down of the acts and plot, subplot and designs I'll need to develop for the story.

Having completed this "micro-script" I'm just about ready to start working on some thumbnails. The only thing stopping me is that while this script provides an overview of all of the most important information, what it doesn't cover is what each scene will be about. I usually create another one or two page document in which I break down the story just a bit further into the individual scenes that make it up, so that I can make sure I have a clear direction and pacing before I start sketching out my ideas. Otherwise the artist in me will just go wacky trying to cram every visual idea in my head into every scene.

So, as it stands right now, I'm about to start working on the scene breakdown. After that I'll be able to break out the pens and pencils and start thumbnailing away. You can expect to start seeing some drawing for the book coming up very soon. If all goes well I should be sketching by the next time I post. The story is coming together slowly but surely, and I'm ironing out some of the issues I was having earlier on. It's a challenging process as always, but the payoff is oh so sweet.

Well, that's about it for this time, check back soon to find out the latest! Also don't forget to like us on facebook (Air-Heart) and follow us on twitter at @airheartcomic!

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The Poster, Posts A Poster

click for larger view

Hey peeps! As promised, new artwork! It's been far too long as I'm sure most of you know. This image is a trinity of Amelia, Joey and Cap. If you've been following Air-Heart for a while, you may notice a few of the subtle costume changes and stylistic improvements. I'm shooting for a slightly more streamlined look along the lines of one of my biggest idols Bruce Timm. If you're unfamiliar with him, check him out now! In some of my more recent work I felt that I was going a bit overboard with details and ultimately setting myself back as far as productivity is concerned. Coinciding with my "fresh start" I'm trying to get back to the swift lines and less is more style that got me excited about working on Air-Heart in the first place. React with comments below if you like!

Regarding the development of the next Air-heart book, I'm currently in the writing / planning stage of the process. I have a solid direction for the story, but I'm working on narrowing down the specifics and getting everything organized. At this point, I'm still not certain if I'm going to work full-script or from a tighter outline. The writer in me would definitely like to explore the possibilities of dialogue that come out of scripting a story from top to bottom, but the artist in me would rather work looser and focus on letting the story develop organically. It's a bit of an internal struggle at the moment, but I feel like the answer will fall somewhere in the middle. The plot is also a bit up in the air as I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate all of the elements that I'd like to see come together in the new book. There are certain characters and plot points I'd really like to explore, but sometimes those things can be crammed in to the detriment of the story. I want to walk the line between cool action, interesting character development, and a concise story. It's an interesting adventure to be sure, and one I'm looking forward to exploring further in the months to come.

Before I go, a quick reminder to leave a comment below if you have a chance, I always love hearing from the people!  Lunch is calling so I'll leave you for now, more as it develops!

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A Fresh Start

So... It's been an incredibly long time since I've dusted off the old blog. For those of you who may not recall, a while back I started a Kickstarter project for the next Air-Heart book. Unfortunately, the project did not raise enough funds to be supported, and I never really moved forward with that book. There was a good period of time where I felt let down and disappointed about that result, and it kept me from producing work.

Fast forward a few months, and I'm at my best friend's wedding, and recieveing a ton of questions from people regarding my artwork. Sometimes it takes some outside interest for you to find your spark again. After thinking it over for some time, I think I'm finally ready to start moving forward once again. I have a clear idea of what I want to do next with Air-Heart, but I want to take my time so that the project can really shine before I make it public. That said, you can be sure you'll find character sketches and updates here on the site in the months to come. I won't make any promises about the frequency of the updates just yet, but I think I'm aiming for once a week...let's say Monday's perhaps? No matter what happens next in the evolution of the next book, you can be sure that you'll hear about it here on the site as it happens.

To give you some idea of where I'm headed, you can expect to see the following featured in the new installment:

• a single "feature-length" story
• redeveloped character designs
• continuity starting from the new book forward!

More soon... I will warn you, since I'm getting going on this whole journey again, I'm apt to overpost for a little while at first, but that just means more awesome content for you!

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