From The Edge Of The World...

Air-Heads!
Hello once again. This week I'm writing you from the sandy beaches of the Outer Banks, in North Carolina. As I had mentioned last week, I wasn't sure what my Internet access would be, but as it turns out the house we're staying in features all the modern convinces one could ask for.

This week's drawing is a sketch right out of my personal sketchbook, featuring a poster like design of Amelia and Cole. I'm still really liking the design I've arrived at for Cole, he looks menacing, but has an experienced look about him gained from all of his years on the battle field. I think this image also shows off the stylistic changes I've made to Amelia, who I think is looking kinetic and edgy.I may wind up fully finishing this one when I get back home to my studio. You'll have to forgive the shotty digital reproduction, I only had my cell phone camera available to get the image up online.

Even though I'm on vacation, I've been taking time out to work on Air-Heart and think about the plot of the book. At this point I'm awaiting some reviews on my plot outline before I move forward to the thumbnail stage. Last time around, I didn't wait to get feedback before moving ahead, and I regretted it a little bit, as the comments that I received would have caused me to change a few things, so this time around, I'm waiting it out.

Lastly, we're celebrating my Mom's 50th birthday, so feel free to send your birthday thoughts and wishes as well. I'll post again when I get back to the mainland, hopefully with some thumbnails. In the meantime, sound off in the comments section below!

 =D=

Villain Spotlight: Cole

The menacing Cole
Hey Air-Heads!
I hope all is well with ye. I've been quite the busy bee this week getting ready for vacation, and unexpectedly getting ready to move as well! It's been quite the week as you might imagine. All of that aside, I crammed in some time to stay focused on Air-Heart. Most notably I hammered out the concept sketches for Cole over here. The finished image to the left is the fully realized final design in action.

Cole was the leader of The Skyrates during the war when Amelia was just a child. He was a terrible dude, guilty of destroying many a skyland in his day. He's about to come back in a huge way for the new book, tentatively titled "Return Of The Skyrates." With Cole back in action, you can bet the The Skyrates are going to be a force to reckon with once again, and with all of the personal drama Amelia has tied up with their organization, things are about to get heavy.

Interestingly enough, Cole is actually one of the first villains I ever designed for Amelia to combat. Through some odd circumstances, however, I could never find the right story to bring him in on. At long last, largely owing to the fact that this book will be in a longer full-story format, Cole is about to have his day in the sun. I always wanted to make sure that when I finally told a story with Cole, that it was heavy-hitting and full of drama and personal baggage for Amelia, and I think I've finally reached that platform with Return Of The Skyrates. I'm incredibly excited about giving him his due, and I'm going to strive to make sure that I give him plenty of room to shine and kick butt. Good news for you, but very bad news for our favorite pilot.

On a more general story note, I've finished up the detailed scene outline and I'm awaiting some reviews before I move forward to the thumbnail stage. I'm very happy with the direction that things are headed in, and I can't wait to start the visual part of the process to see what inspiration will conjure up.

That's about all for now my friends, I'll be MIA for about a week while I try to relax at the beach. If I can I'll drop you a line... Until then!

=D=