18 May 2009 @ 11:47 am
 
so, we won the [livejournal.com profile] hd_worldcup. suppose that means i can repost my art now?

i managed to post the comic online on my own thanks to google sites' fool-proof website-building system. tried to keep it as simple as possible:

cruel language :: hd_worldcup 2009


let me know if anything isn't working!

and now, what i really wanted to post:

now, keep in mind that this isn't really a tutorial, or even an example of how i usually work. my methods change with every individual image i work on.

1. first, to show you what my rough drafts look like:



messy and a lot of unnecessary lines.

2. the next step (taken from a different panel) is cleaning up the sketch.



3. after that (from yet another panel) i added a simple shading. i liked this method so i've been using it fairly often on other pics. this is all in a transparent layer on top of a white background.



4. here i put the base colors in: hair and clothes on one layer, skin on another one. filled the background with... the background color. lineart layer on top of everything.



5. merged the base colors for clothes/hair and skin, and added the shadows the same was i did with the bases. two different layers. i prefer making new layers for nearly every step, because i change stuff around a lot, which is easier to do if you have everything separate.



6.

merged the shadow layers, so now i have one layer for bases and shadows each. i made a new layer on top of the background to begin making the forest backdrop. for the main light areas i started with a low-opacity brush, then a medium one and then a full one.

the same two-layer method was used to paint the large trees that can be seen in the panels before and after the embrace. i used an extra shadow layer to color the snow.

7.

now, on another layer on top of the previous one, i began drawing the trees...

8.

then the branches.

9.

then, on that same layer i added those highlights, which are supposed to be the light coming from between all the trees. in some other panels i put them on another layer.


now, this would be it for the background if i were working on the panels before the embrace. the last step would be to put some highlights on the tree trunks and the characters, and add minor stuff like the blood and dirt on harry, then make the color adjustments that you'll see later.

but with these ones i kept going, to add the glowing effect to the image.

10.

the next step was to merge the base lights, the trees and highlights of the background, and duplicate that layer. then, i added a box blur filter to the duplicated layer with a 14-pixel radius.

11.

then i changed the layer blending mode to "linear dodge" and lowered the opacity.

12.

now, this part is a bit confusing. i made a new layer on top of the lineart, painted the areas where the light would hit the characters and repeated the blur filter. then i painted again, this time smaller highlights around the border of the characters.

13.

then i flattened all the layers. now, since draco's hair and skin are equal or lighter than the color i was using for the light, i used the dodge tool to put highlights on him manually. then i made a new layer, set it to "multiply" and put the blood on harry.

14.

now, the complete page. all my panels were separate files, so when it came the time to make the pages, i copied and pasted them into the new page, then merged them to have all the panels on a single layer.

15.

now i can adjust the colors on all the panels at once. the fourth button in the "color adjustments" window lets you save your settings, which means that, for future pages, i can load that preset and the colors on the panels will adjust automatically.

16.

textures! the one i used comes from sundel on dA.
i drag and drop the texture between the background and the panels, then set that layer to "color dodge." now the dark background has a nice, subtle grunge texture.

17.

to add the texture to the panels, i select it from that same layer. when i have all the areas i need selected, i copy them and paste them on a new layer on top of the panels. note that the last panel went through a last-minute modification in the final version.

18.

then i set the new layer to "overlay" and lower the opacity a little. now thanks to the texture, the colors have become warmer and richer. i also clone-stamped out some of the stronger lines of the texture, which dirtied up the images too much.

that's pretty much it. the last step was adding the borders for each panel, and i fiddled a bit more with the texture layers. nothing significant.

for the red-tinted panels, i did this same process, then i filled a new layer with red and set it to... i don't quite remember anymore. it might have been one of the dodge modes. i then added more highlights on another layer set to dodge, and worked on a 3rd normal layer mixing my own colors when the blending modes wouldn't let me get the ones i needed. the whole thing was a bit of an experiment, really.

the reddish background for the pages is just an extra normal layer filled with red, with the opacity lowered.

any questions?

now i want to talk a bit about the plot. one of the big things here was draco's motives. i couldn't really go into it without making the comic twice as long, so i left it up to the reader's imagination. what *i* had in mind (which at this point is just one of many possible interpretations) is that draco really did love harry, but he was acting out of fear/he didn't really want to do it, deep down. my guess is that voldemort threatened his family again. lord v. must have known he had a connection to harry and he exploited that to get draco to do what he wanted. by the way, i didn't intend to have the death eaters that show up in the end kill harry themselves, they were there to take him to voldemort. i made draco's body language ambiguous on purpose to keep the reader guessing what exactly is going through his mind at the moment, but there are some hints that show that he's not happy with what happens, and that he hates himself for doing it. if not at the moment, the implications of what he did will sink in fully afterwards, and it will not be pretty.

in my mind harry and draco had an on-and-off thing. i'm thinking maybe draco was either passing information to the order or had sought refuge with them recently. anything that let him have contact with both sides. either way, harry obviously thought he could trust draco.

as to what happens after that, i don't know. he could let harry die, or he could have a change of heart and help him escape somehow. it wasn't my intention to continue the story beyond what's in the pages.

also, you might ask, "why didn't you have harry disapparate?" well, i think that's a potential plot hole, to be honest. i'm going to attempt to cover my ass and say his wand arm is too injured to do it properly.

comments?
 
 
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[identity profile] melusinahp.livejournal.com on May 18th, 2009 07:19 pm (UTC)
Comment: fjipafjdask;lfjdsk11§1111

That was fascinating. You put so much work into it, and it really showed. It made me want to give up on doing any art myself, ever, of course. lol.

And, yay! I love your backstory. It's pretty much what I imagined. I do want to write fic about this someday, although it will be a while. I've been working the story out in my head. :D

Oh, and Apparition takes a lot of focus and concentration. I could totally see Harry being so beat up and weak that he knew he wouldn't be able to manage it without Splinching himself.

Edited 2009-05-18 07:20 pm (UTC)
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[identity profile] spacefragments.livejournal.com on May 18th, 2009 11:22 pm (UTC)
thanks! :D i would love to have fic for it, i really would. <3

and you're right about the apparition, so i'm not so worried about it anymore. :]
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fera_festiva: H/D who would've thought[personal profile] fera_festiva on May 18th, 2009 08:57 pm (UTC)
Oh my god, awesome. *bookmarks* I'm so interested to see your technique. (And you didn't mention this in the post, but that thing of having all the colours on a separate image for easy access? The best idea ever.)

I was also really interested to hear your commentary on the story itself. This broke my heart when you posted it, and again, maybe more so, this time around. ♥
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[identity profile] spacefragments.livejournal.com on May 18th, 2009 11:21 pm (UTC)
ah yeah, my palette. :D i don't use one of those very often, but with a project like this, it certainly saved a lot of time.
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[identity profile] giddymorose.livejournal.com on May 18th, 2009 10:25 pm (UTC)
I adored this when I first saw it and it's interesting to see the process (I'm impressed since I can't do anything so fiddly and technical). I imagined that Draco didn't want to do it, but I liked the open-endedness.
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[identity profile] spacefragments.livejournal.com on May 18th, 2009 11:20 pm (UTC)
thank you! :]
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Esinde Nayrall[personal profile] red_squared on May 18th, 2009 10:52 pm (UTC)
Eh, so not a plot hole, don't worry about it. He looks like he's barely capable of magic at all, given how exhausted he is.

And the art itself, oooooh, I loves it. Will have to go through later and pick out the bits that I really really loved (as opposed to just really loved), but... yes. Beautiful work, and the plot broke my heart for both of them :(

ETA: And CONGRATULATIONS ON THE WIN! I can say that sincerely this time since I wasn't on any of the non-winning teams :D

Edited 2009-05-18 11:04 pm (UTC)
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[identity profile] spacefragments.livejournal.com on May 18th, 2009 11:20 pm (UTC)
i had completely forgotten about the apparation factor when i sketched out the idea, so it was an "oh shit" moment when i remembered it. but i think i'm pretty safe, yeah.

speaking of being in losing ;D opposite teams, i'm pretty excited about [livejournal.com profile] rs_games :D i hope there's not much of a clash for people writing for the BBB...
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[identity profile] aldehyde.livejournal.com on May 19th, 2009 07:50 pm (UTC)
oh this was such an informative post! i have yet to check out your actual hd_worldcup art but i'm sure i'll love it :P
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[identity profile] spacefragments.livejournal.com on May 19th, 2009 08:00 pm (UTC)
if and/or when you check it out, i advise you to use the google sites page instead of the worldcup post. it looks quite a bit better if i do say so myself. :p
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[identity profile] hrymfaxe.livejournal.com on May 20th, 2009 05:36 am (UTC)
This is such a well told story - very minimalistic in its expression but with a lot if emotions and mood in it.

I'm very curious how you put it up on the google sites? I'm drawing a graphic novel too, and have been debating how best to present it, and I think your solution looks like just the thing!
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[identity profile] spacefragments.livejournal.com on May 20th, 2009 03:02 pm (UTC)
thanks!

it's really very easy, it offers you several templates. i used the "web page" one and got rid of the sidebar in the site settings to have more free space. and i don't know if you've ever used blogger, but the page editor is more or less the same thing (if not, you'll have no problem understanding). it also gives you the option to switch to html.

Edited 2009-05-20 03:03 pm (UTC)
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ext_135179[identity profile] thisgirl-is.livejournal.com on May 19th, 2009 09:16 pm (UTC)
I'll say it again - I loved this so much. Although I also found the need to try and "fix" it in my head so it doesn't end badly for them (because I'm a sucker that way). And then I started writing it down. It's kind of spun off into this whole big thing, which may never be finished, but this bit goes with your art. I hope you don't mind.


He barely had time to use the pendant to signal his mother to stay at the Manor before he pulled the dark hood of his cloak back from his face. The plan was fucked. They would have needed at least four fighting wands to get away, and instead Granger and Weasel were dead and Harry could barely stay upright long enough to stumble across the clearing to get to him. There was only one way to get Harry out of this alive.

As the winter sun rose gentle and golden, Harry collapsed in his arms. Draco held him close and kissed him gently, conscious all the while of the Disillusioned Death Eaters waiting amongst the trees. It was probably the last time he would ever do so. Inside himself he gathered all the fury and self-loathing he felt at what he was about to have to do. Harry would never forgive him for this.

Crucio.

He couldn’t bring himself to meet the look of stunned incredulity in the green eyes, nor even catch Harry as his knees finally gave out from the pain. He felt so brittle he thought he might shatter into a million pieces if he so much as moved. He was committed to this. He was. He had just never imagined quite how much he would have to sacrifice for it.
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[identity profile] spacefragments.livejournal.com on May 19th, 2009 09:29 pm (UTC)
mind? ooh, not at all! i love seeing people coming up with their own interpretations of the story. :] and i totally get the need to fix the bad stuff that happens to them. ;]
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ext_6368: hp: draco (no good)[identity profile] entrenous88.livejournal.com on May 25th, 2009 02:45 am (UTC)
Oh my god! I wandered over here to see the James/Regulus you did for gryffindorj (really lovely, btw) and clicked to see what was up with this. I gasped a few times -- very powerful. Loved it -- so vivid and awful and effective. I'll be thinking about it for a while, I'm sure.
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[identity profile] spacefragments.livejournal.com on May 25th, 2009 03:48 am (UTC)
thank you! :]
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