Cypress armour design

I tried some armour designs for Cypress and found that the functional look is quite nice but less appealing than the less functionable super hero like designs. I tried to find the bridge between the two to find an ergonomic, functional and appealing design that makes her iconic at the same time.

I like the motif of the double helix so I tried to implement it where I could.

Art block

I have been trying to work on the character sheets to get ready for the start of drawing in the pencil art. I have been struggling to complete any designs which has discouraged me, resulting in art block. I found that I was focusing on the designs as art not concepts causing me too spend lots of time on the look instead of focusing on the idea. I have started to take another approach after finding success in using a bigger brush and just gesturing ideas without intent to create finished pieces of art.

intersecting existing works

For the investigative portion of this exegesis [in which we are required to provide a comparison between existing works that are similar to the project we are undertaking], I plan to reference Rick Remender and Sean Murphy's comic book series, Tokyo Ghost.
The way in which it echos the goals I wish to accomplish is in the social commentary presented in an action filled story based within a futuristic setting.
The issues Remender and Murphy tackle are based around the idea of consumers losing themselves in their material things, emphasizing the scary evolution of technology. The scope of this issue is much larger than the one of identity which I will to provide commentary on.
The scopes of our stories converge on the idea of the singular figure that dictates the power over the masses. Elements I will emulate in my comic will revolve around the great world building which is done through the art and items in the background [especially characters]. The action scenes are over the top and really appealing which capture a lot of attention. the composition of these scenes are particularly interesting and I plan to analyze these panels in particular as I feel less familiar with them.
In terms of narrative the story spends certain issues covering a particular event whereas others detail several at a time like my comic will. They do this by optimizing the pairing of text and graphics which I have found interesting as coming from an illustrators perspective, the synthesizing of large amounts of text in a way that doesn't dominate the page in an intimidating fashion is quite a marvel.
An interesting sub text I read in a review for the second issue connected the pseudo Adam and Eve plot line where one of the two lovers gave into temptation and now the other is trying to save them from the consequences of their vices. The incredible guise of this sub plot was quite a revelation to me and I appreciated how the reference of an existing text in a subconscious manner can make the new ideas/story of the author clearer. I wish to hide appropriate references that the audience can connect to in a way that makes my ideas understood clearer as well.

The use of the science fiction setting is used to emulate the authors projection of how the undermined issues of today may affect our world in the future. Warning almost. The references to modern day make it relatable and believable.

Body Type redux

I started thinking about character designs and how to differentiate the two protagonists. also their designs should be simple yet slightly technical at the same time to match the setting, but also iconic enough to pick out in a scene.

Mara's body type is more solid and compact to show her toughness. Cypress' body type is athletic but slender to present her deceitful femininity. 

I've considered an exagerated slender frame for Mara to show she is from a less fortunate background and suggest her rough upbringing, but I am conflicted with how weak it may make her appear.

I began designing Cypress' armour trying to keep it simple but technical. I have found making it ergonomic to her anatomy to help with communicating her form when drawing the armour in different views.

Here I attempted the slenderer frame on Mara to see how she would look in a different build. I referenced the female character in the girl with the dragon tattoo and liked her presence. Having light/no eyebrows is also an interesting and cool punk aesthetic that might be appropriate to Mara however it may make emoting slightly more difficult. The slender build of Tank Girl is also a reference I am influenced by for Mara's design, trying to emulate the attitude she presents.

Further Alterations

For the flashback section where they open the journal, the panels seem stagnant and I want to experiment with making that section more interesting particularly because the text is quite dense.
I wish to have the art communicate with the text more effectively to reflect the context clearer.
I plan to continue to introduce narrative elements in the backgrounds to help build the world and the society the characters live in.
I still need to hash out the navigation of some pages especially the double page spreads.
I am also going to consider foreshadowing Mara's abilities earlier in the story so that they don't feel too random at the end. Or it could possibly be a reveal of some sort.
Another possible addition I was thinking about was time stamps to emphasize the concurrent stories.


An element of the latest layout is the transitioning from page turns like when at the end of one page where Mara is leaving a room at the end of one page and on the next its Cypress walking down a hallway, as well as on another page where Mara is sitting in her room at the end of one page and on the next Cypress is sitting in her room.
the transitions synthesis the narratives but I can also foresee some complications for who the reader is focusing on. However, this may just be because of the lack of detail which I think will make a significant difference.


For the next few days I plan to work on some character and environment designs while we get software sorted.
I think the narrative is at a good point and the only thing left to sort out are a few paneling issues on some pages.

Revised layout

An issue with the initial layout [in terms of narrative] was that some of the characters intentions were not justified enough making the following actions difficult to understand.After a bit of rewriting I developed Mara's story to be stronger by having her interactions with the civilians hit her character harder. I was able to draw from experiences of ignorance I have witnessed to write these scenes and input some philosophies I have drawn from those experiences [people tend to fear things they do not understand etc].

In rewriting majority of Mara's story I was able to introduce the interaction with the Providence leader [cog] as a relevant plot point to describe the reason behind her causing mayhem [he was going to allegedly help find where she came from]. In the initial layout, that scene didn't serve that a great a purpose in the narrative, so in rewriting it I was able to cover lots of important intentions that had previously been absent..

 Also I wanted to define the action sequences more than in the previous layout, to make them more readable to streamline my chain of thought when it comes to penciling. I noticed that in the action sequences that the page can be messy and chaotic in comparison to contextual driven pages where structure flow and spacing of panels must be more deliberate. Drawing the action sequences was liberating but still required planning on how the eye will be directed and aesthetics in general. I found that I forced a lot of large drawings [particularly of/with characters] whereas after reading more comics and getting feedback, pulling the point of view back significantly is quite a common and effective tool. To clarify the characters in these shots, their designs will need to be able to reflected from a far distance.

In this revision I introduced establishing shots which had been absent in the initial layout. These help build the world along with the interiors I spent the time to refine which add story telling elements and foreshadowing or reflect on unseen events.

I have recently been referencing the comic from Image, "Tokyo Ghost" written by Rick Remender, drawn by Sean Murphy and colored by Matt Hollingsworth. The Science Fiction tale deals with the issue of hmans obsession with the digital world and the evolution of technology. I used techniques like storytelling past events inside smaller panels behind the character [which I implemented during the journals entry on the twins past]. The grittiness of the world in Tokyo Ghost is great reference, and the way they deal with the issues in an effective way is something I will continue to analyze as I progress through the books.

Reflecting on the missing elements of my first layout helped me also refine how to develop the existing elements to be more focused and impactful. 

Keeping in mind that each panel is a piece of art in itself makes the rest of the process feel a bit daunting but I feel the current layout is a great foundation. I am pleased to have spent the extra couple of days on this refinement stage.