BEHIND the SCENES_THE PROMISE_PART 01_014

 

  

Colorized version (detail) of panel from TMNT: The Shredder, The Promise. Artwork by Rick Arthur.

Pen and ink on bristol paper with digital colors.

"We lost him. He's gone."

Raphael and Lucindra. In a race against time, Raph must deliver some grave news to his sparring partner. I am going to use some of my blog space to detail how this project came to be and what some of the hurdles were that needed clearing before it could be completed. For those engaged by the process of creativity, I will break down each page with explanations on how I navigated this story.

Completed BW version of PG 01 from TMNT: The Shredder, The Promise. One chapter out of a hardcover book featuring Jim Lawson. Lucindra c. Rick Arthur. Artwork by Rick Arthur. Pen and ink with digital grey tones. 

Raph scrambles over the rooftops of the city for an urgent meet-up with his long-time sparring partner, Lucindra. She hasn't heard from him in a few years and wastes no time letting the reader know about it in voice-over narration. It soon becomes obvious that Raph is holding onto some serious, emotional news.

This is the first page in my chapter which would become The Promise. It was intended to be a follow-up to a previous 5-page tale from the graphic novel, TMNT: Odyssey set in a future Ninja Turtle storyline. Both TMNT: Odyssey and TMNT: The Shredder showcase the fantastic cartooning of the legendary Jim Lawson and I cannot express how fantastic it is to be sharing some space with him in this publication. I was fortunate enough to get a chapter out of the book, primarily because my character was one that only I could write and draw.

I did have a tricky story proposition to navigate, however. While The Promise would stand alone as its own chapter, yet could not conflict with the larger narrative which I would have no involvement in. I got a basic premise but no other restrictions. I then had to write and draw something which could be inserted into a space somewhere in the larger script. Set a few years after the "flood" events of Odyssey, the Ninja Turtles would take on a new, lethal incarnation of their most powerful enemy, The Shredder. I just began to put pen to paper, sketching to see where my ideas would roam and tended to focus on the characters meeting.

Unused sketches for TMNT: The Shredder, The Promise. One chapter out of a hardcover book

featuring Jim Lawson. Lucindra c. Rick Arthur. Sketches by Rick Arthur.

Standard office pen on 8.5x11 inch bond paper.

My first concern is always "how much space do I have to tell my story?" I have a pre-disposition for world building which usually means that my stories are "too big" and too sweeping. You cannot tell the entire Galactus saga in just six panels without leaving out all the nuance and detail, for example. I also wanted to up the ante. In my previous outing, I used five pages. So, this time, I wanted to expand and create seven pages. Why not more? My working methods can be very explorative and exacting. To shoot for a higher page count might mean impacting the overall length of time on the project. I wanted something I could finish and not have smashing into other projects. After extensive sketching, I mapped out the story at a robust nine pages - which I was not sure how long it would take. I began layouts and pencil art with that page count cemented and had a few other freelance projects trying to finish up before I could start in earnest. I was about ready to begin inks, which is my favorite part, where the artwork really comes alive, and I can see how close I get to my original vision.

That's when a problem cropped up. Raph appeared in the rest of the story outside of my chapter wearing a trench coat. It was firmly established by Jim Lawson but not communicated to me until I was many weeks into the project. I wasn't about to redraw my completed nine pages of pencils. The addition of a trench coat would have ruined the fight scenes for example as the choreography had been meticulously worked out. I was stumped for a week before I decided to bite the bullet and add two brand new pages at the beginning that would transition Raph and his trench coat. My new page count stood at eleven, hefty for a short piece. Little did I know that my schedule was about to be pushed beyond its limit.

My problems were just beginning...

More "Behind the Scenes" in upcoming posts. Keep an eye open.

RICK

Billion Hero Studios

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