Wizard First Draft Page 8

 

And now we come to the plot point!

Uh-oh...Richie's pendant broke.

Wizard First Draft Page 7

 

Richie behaves as any normal little boy does; he goes off to play, jumping over rocks, climbing trees, swinging from branches and so on.

He is meant to be someone the young readers can identify with.  He is a fox but he is still a child.

Wizard First Draft Page 6

 

Picking up from where we left off, Richie heads off to play.  

This is a rough concept.  When it comes time to do the final color artwork, I really want to make a beautiful page that's full of colors, wilderness and energy.

Wizard First Draft Page 5

 

Richie eagerly runs out to play.  See those two figures above?

Those were two backers from the first Hilda & Richie Kickstarter; they pledged to get a cameo in the upcoming book as a background character.  I am still hammering out their designs so you'll have to wait to see those.

Wizard First Draft Page 4

 

This is why the pendant is important.  Hilda makes it clear to Richie that he is not to lose it.

While the two have a casual relationship, Hilda does make it clear that she is the one in charge as she is an adult.  She makes rules that Richie has to follow, which should be obvious if you've read the first book.  (If you haven't, go buy it!)

Watch for more pages soon!

Wizard First Draft Page 3

 

First, some news before we get started on the commentary: I got back the first draft of Hilda & Richie's Wizard from my book doctor.  It will be getting a MAJOR rewrite so the final version of the book that will show up on Kickstarter in January will be very different!

In the meantime, I hope this draft about what could have been whets your appetite.

That said, we have the item that is considered this book's MacGuffin; that is, an object that drives the plot.  Hilda has a pendant to give to Richie.  That will figure into the plot that is about to unfold.

Second Draft Page 15 and 16

 We are back with more updates!  Onto the next pages!

This page is all text but for the later draft and the final cut, I was told to forgo this.  A picture book needs to have it text and its pictures work together in order to achieve maximum effect, not unlike its brother medium of comics.

This drawing is one I'm proud of.  Both foxes are eager to see who can blow a bigger bubble.  This also further established Hilda's character; while technically an adult, she has her sense of fun as she is eager to demonstrate how good of a bubble blower she can be.

If you like my work, buy me a Ko-Fi!

Poison Ivy Gulch: Launching on June 1!

My next creation (developed concurrently with this Hilda & Richie picture book) is ready to launch.

It's titled Poison Ivy Gulch.

Poison Ivy Gulch is a webcomic that I will officially launch on Monday June 1.  It will be updated twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Set in the old West sometime in the 1870s, the story is set in a frontier town with an eccentric cast of characters.  The two you see in the above color mockup are the main characters:  the redhead woman is Lotta Doler, a professional gambler.  The boy there (with the snakes on him) is Ace, her sidekick.

If you liked Blazing Saddles, you'll love this comic. 

Be sure to read Poison Ivy Gulch when it launches on June 1!

Meet Richie Preketzian

And now to meet the other star of our story...

Richard Preketzian, better known as "Richie" for short, is the other protagonist of our story.  Richie is 8 years old and lives with Hilda in her spacious mansion.  Richie is just like any other little boy - he goes to school, he plays sports (he loves soccer) and he likes playing video games.

Because Hilda has so much money, Richie can have anything he wants likes toys, electronic gadgets, fantastic trips.  In spite of this, Hilda will set limits and say "no" to Richie if she has to.

Richie has been taught the basics of etiquette too by Hilda as she is a proper lady herself.  While he is casual with Hilda (referring to her by her first name), he has been taught to address adults as "Mister", "Ms", "Lady", "Lord" and so forth.

Richie often accompanies Hilda to social functions like balls, dinners, parties, etc.  While he dresses casually, he does have suits and fine clothes he'll wear for special occasions.  Richie doesn't like wearing them but won't complain since he cares a lot for Hilda.

Meet Hilda Otejekker

I believe introductions are in order.  Let's meet the stars of this children's picture book.

Hilda Otejekker is a 20-year-old vixen who resides in the European micro-state known as Foxville.

Hilda is a very rich woman.  Her family, the Otejekkers, are a very old family known for their wealth.  How rich is Hilda?  We are talking Scrooge McDuck levels of wealth.  She has no day job but puts her vast wealth to work for her with all sorts of investments like stocks, bonds, commodities, index funds and so on.  

Hilda's home is a giant mansion with many rooms as well as all kind of amenities like huge gardens, a tennis court, stables with horseback riding, a big library with vast bookshelves, a grand ballroom and even an indoor swimming pool (something Richie enjoys).

Hilda is the legal guardian of Richie.  She is not related to Richie, by blood or by marriage.  She pretty much provides all his needs - food, clothing, healthcare, shelter and so on.  That's no problem considering her vast wealth.

Hilda is responsible for Richie, but tends to behave more like a friend than as a parent.  Of course, if the situation calls for it, Hilda will pull rank.

Sketch of the day: Richie's Shower

Don't ask - I just work here.

Sketch of the Day: On the Right Track

Looks like Richie might be on the right track here.

Sketch of the Day: Richie's Sub

I had fun using my 2.00mm Rapidograph pen here.

Sketch of the day: Richie in robe

Yet another sketch, this one with grey wash.

Sketch of the day: Richie Scared

I wonder what scared Richie.

Anyway, this was sketched in a Moleskine sketchbook.  I did this in pencil while relaxing with an iced coffee at Atomic Coffee in downtown Fargo, North Dakota.  The grey wash was added in later.

Sketch of the day: Richie Face Studies

I did the same thing as I did with Hilda before - this time for the little fox pup, Richie.

Sketch of the Day: Hilda Face Studies

When it comes to the medium of illustration and comics, it's good to know your character and get a feel for them.  I took Hilda and did many drawings of her with different facial expressions.  This is a good way to do a character study.

Sketch of the Day: Richie At The Table

Just a simple pen drawing of Richie standing by the table - I drew this with most Rapidograph pen.

I find the technical drawing pen like the Rapidograph gives a less organic line than the nib pens I like drawing my comics with.

Sketch of the day: Mansion

Today's sketch is a simple pencil study of a mansion.  This was intended to be the study for the mansion that Hilda lives in.  I did study online photos of mansions and worked this up by combining elements of various photographs.

Sketch of the Day: Mercedes SSK

Today's drawing is one I did with chiefly Rapidograph pen.  This car that Hilda (the female fox) is driving is a Mercedes-Benz SSK.

The Mercedes SSK was a German roadster made from 1928 to 1932.  Boasting a top speed of 120 miles per hour (or 190 kilometers per hour) and a supercharged 7.1 liter inline-6 engine, this was one of the fastest cars in the world when it was in production.

These cars are extremely rare today.  About 100 replicas exist and only 4 or 5 original vehicles still survive, fetching millions of US dollars.  The fact that Hilda owns one of these is a testament to her wealth.