New Concept Art, and New Concepts

Alright, I'm going to spare you the explanation on these two new images. Basically, if you've read my last post (wishful thinking), you'll know who these characters are and what they're up to.

What I want to do here is share some of my specifics as far as the story goes. So... here goes.

Basically, this is a story of witch hunting. A story of a man who finds himself an outsider in a world of the mundane. Wizards exist. They do not, however, sit next to kings and advise them as they might in many stories of high fantasy. In this world, they are heretics, at least to the ignorant. Unfortunately, the ignorant populate most of the world.

The wizard in this story was born and raised in an elven village. Peace-loving and forgiving, the elven monks can be discriminatory, but never cruel. When the true nature of the wizard is revealed, he is banished from their settlement, and out of love, his family goes with him. They move to a human village rich with peasantry and honest work. For years, things go smoothly without any incedents. Then, something happens that triggers his fire. Probably something really insignificant, like being snuck up upon and scared by a local boy, causing him to jump and shoot flame from his mouth. Or something.

This will either result in the potential stoning of his family, or the potential burning of his family. There will be fire either way, because he's going to fall victim to his own primal power and torch the fucking place into oblivion.

He'll be burnt up, confused, and there'll be one of those typical aftermath "OH GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE" scenes. He'll wander into the forest, and eventually meet a woodsman who will kindly treat his wounds and take the boy under his wing, and probably help him learn to control his power.

---

What's probably going to happen after the flashback is a scene in which Itch gets saved from death by some sort of forest beast. The wizard will torch said beast, and some douche will be there to see it, and most likely run and scream to the locals, resulting in what will lead to the wizard being burned at the stake. Fun!

Tell me what you think if you actually read this. Really, any input would be appreciated, as I'm trying to have the story down BEFORE i start drawing this time around.

Until next time,

- Maxburg out.

OH MY GOD.

So I'm absolutely certain that ink brushes with cartridges are the best thing since sliceable cookie dough. We'll get to that in a bit, though. First, here's some more character design for the wizard in my tentative HATCH 2 comic.

As you can see, I still love the long arms and peg leg. The long arms do now have an explanation. He is an elf. Since it's fantasy and I can do whatever I want with my own little universe, I've went ahead and did a little sketch of what more fortunate members of his race look like (meaning, not burnt the fuck up).

I think they might be a race comparable to Buddhist monks, living peacefully in self-contained villages in forests. Wow, going out on a limb there. Elves that live in seclusion. Oh Max, you're so original. I do mean they might be monk-ish. Since they have a pretty long reach, martial arts are probably the best bet for their on-foot defenses. I probably won't need to get into this stuff too much, but since a flashback involving the wizard's past might be in order, I felt that not-so-crispy elves needed a design.

I also did a sketch of what could end up being Itch's tavern-ownin' foster pop.

As I've conveniently noted within the image, I did fuck up his face. This was my first experiment in using an ink brush on pre-drawn pencil lines. From that experience, I learned not to trust myself with a brush when dealing with intricacies like faces. It's okay, we all have to learn somehow. He has a look that I strongly associate with dwarves, even though he is quite large and definitely not a dwarf. I really like the rough, pierced look of the Warhammer Fantasy dragon slayer Dwarfs, and I couldn't help but rip that off a tiny bit when I drew him. I'm not 100% certain that I'm happy with the design. That's probably gonna change a bit before he's finished. Who knows.

Now for the bestest bit of the bunch.

These brush pens are so great. Seriously, I highly recommend going and picking one up if you're going to even entertain the idea of inking with a brush. They're easy to use, self-contained, not too messy, and not too pricey. They're also just so fun. I'm almost positive that I'm going to use a brush to ink most of my comic. I feel like I've been missing out. Obviously, this is Itch and the wizard having a stroll. Bonus speech bubble for charm.

The story is still being fleshed out little by little in my head. If I get any sudden bursts of inspiration, I'll probably post it here, and nobody will read it.

I probably won't cry, though.

- Maxburg out.

I fIgHT foR My FrIEndS

Post-hurricane Ike comic, actually done during the power outage. The last panel was a pretty clear prediction of what happened in the end, regardless of it being drawn before it actually happened.

I really didn't feel like coloring it, and I feel like I should just post the fuckin' thing already. So here it is. ENJOY!

- Maxburg out.