Moving on with adding colours to the Inktober pieces. This was the second one I did I believe. It's a more realistic/futuristic/cybernetic take on my character Koru from my short comics story, "The Spirits & The Woods". I tried a new to me inking approach and was generally pleased with the way it turned out.

In terms of colours, I kept up trying more saturated colours, along with some coloured line work and more detailed lighting effects. Since this is all stuff I don't normally do, it took more noodling and I may have overworked things a bit. I normally try to stay conscious of that in order to keep things moving along at a decent clip, but since I experimented more during Inktober, I think the colours could use some experimentation too. Since new things are also scary, I probably did more second guessing than was needed, but I really need to shake up some routines and try to learn new ways of doing things.

Labels: cyborg, Fablewood, Inktober, Koru, Samurai

I've been thinking a lot lately about my character from "The Spirits & The Woods". When I originally wrote the comic, there was no back story to her (who I've been unofficially calling "Koru" for a while now). As I thought about why she would know so much about the spirit world at such a young age (I guess 19), why she would be travelling alone etc., a whole large world started to grow.

As with most things like this for me, once it got to a certain point, I became a bit overwhelmed and shelved the idea for now. I tend to think my capabilities as an artist will hinder a story, and keep holding out until my skill "catches up" to my idea. Obviously this is hindering me creatively, as I think big on ideas but short on my abilities and it all plays out with a stalemate of me not doing anything. Vicious cycle I know, but something I'm working on.

At any rate, I wanted to try my hand at re-designing "Koru", as I pictured her older than I initially drew her in Fablewood, and given that she walks the ghost haunted countryside with a samurai sword, she should probably look the part a bit more. In this picture, I also tried my hand at using grey brush-tipped markers as shading and to add a bit of texture. I will explore this more, but for now I'd say it's not for me. Other great artists out there are much better at pulling this off convincingly, but I may need to just keep practicing.

Labels: Fablewood, Koru, The Spirits and The Woods

I've decided to post my published comic stories online. I would like to continue to create short comic stories as time permits, and post them here. Perhaps when I have enough of them, I can scrounge together a limited print run or something. At any rate, here they are:

"The Spirits & The Woods", originally published in Fablewood Volume 1.


"The Last Voyage", lettered by Thomas Mauer and originally published in Popgun Volume 3 from Image Comics.

Labels: Fablewood, Popgun, The Last Voyage, The Spirits and The Woods, webcomics

I keep forgetting to mention that you can now order Fablewood online, as well as at your local comic shop. You can get it at Amazon.com (sorry, none at Amazon.ca), although their stock seems to fluxuate a bit. You can also always snag a copy directly from the Ape Entertainment online store. Also, here's another review from Sequential Tart.

Labels: anthology, comics, Fablewood

Fablewood is available in better comic stores everywhere! I have a copy myself and it looks great. It's still very surreal to see my little story published, let alone along with so many talented artists and writers. Here's hoping it's a sign of great things to come. Thanks so much for everyone who supported the project, and to William Ward for all the hard work he put into making this project a reality. Here are some more reviews:

Wednesday is My Sabbath
Ain't it Cool News
Comics Bulletin

Labels: anthology, comics, Fablewood, fantasy, review

Just thought I'd post a few Fablewood related news items. The media ball has started to roll, and so far things seem to be pretty positive. I've got another interview in the hopper, so I'll post that soon.

First off, you can check out the Fablewood trailer at:


There's also a review over at Fantasy Book Spot.

Interviews with the following Fablewood creators:

Scott Hallett (Me): Jazma Online
William Ward: Wednesday is My Sabbath, Jazma Online, Newseed Comics
Joe Infurnari: Jazma Online
JP Ahonen: Jazma Online
Joe Suitor: Jazma Online
Jonathon Dalton: Jazma Online
Axel Medellin Machain: Jazma Online

Remember to order your copy (NOV07 3306)!

Labels: anthology, Fablewood, fantasy, interview, review

The first volume of the Fablewood Anthology, which includes my story "The Spirits & The Woods" is available to pre-order, and appears in this month's Previews. It should be in stores around January 30th, 2008. I cannot express how utterly exciting this is for me. The stable of talent in this anthology is really phenomenal, and it is an honor to be a part of it. Here's the official word:

FABLEWOOD GN VOL 01
NOV07 3306 (Page 208. Page 16 in the order form Catalog.)

Softcover, 144 Page Full-Color
$19.95

FABLEWOOD compiles the talents of up-and-comers like Ryan Ottley (Invincible, Superman/Batman Annual #1), Manny Trembley (Panda Xpress, Sam Noir: Samurai Detective), Joe Infunari (Oni Talent Search, Borrowed Time), J.P. Ahonen and Sarah Mensinga (Flight 4) with talented newcomers like Chris Studabaker (Howard E. Day Prize Nominee), Kevin Crossley (Event Horizon), Axel Machain (Metal Hurlant), Joe Suitor (Popgun Anthology) and more.

Our longest FABLEWOOD story “Under the Midnight Sun” was nominated for the prestigious Howard E. Day Award. Comic legend Dave Sim (Cerebus) stated that "through a balance of pencil and ink on the interior pages and Christopher Studabaker's evocative, austere and expressionistic dialogue and narration, it's a very successful experiment."

http://www.ape-entertainment.com
http://www.fablewoodcomic.com

Labels: anthology, comics, Fablewood, fantasy

So I've been sitting on this news for a while now, but I've been given the go ahead to make an official announcement. The story that I've mentioned working on, now called "The Spirits & The Woods", (here and here) has been officially accepted into the Fablewood Anthology from Ape Entertainment.

This is a tremendous opportunity, as it means my first published work will be included in a fantasy anthology compromising quite a stable of talent. Some of the artists involved include Ryan Ottley, Manny Trembley, JP Ahonen, Chris Studabaker, Sarah Mensinga, Joe Suitor, Kevin Crossley, Joe Infurnari, and a host of others. The book is scheduled for a Winter 2008 release, and I'll keep you posted as I know more.

Labels: anthology, comics, Fablewood, published