Character Sketches Today

As I’ve mentioned in this blog before, I’m thinking of adapting some of my stories into a web comic format. Unfortunately for me, I lack the skill and talent required to produce a compelling and interesting visual style. I wish I had the knack for drawing. The scenes in my head as I write, especially when I’m working on fantasy work, are so vivid and cinematic. I think my writing style reflects this generally, but it’s hard to give the kind of impression I want in a succinct story. That’s why I think the format of the web comic would work well, giving the visual information directly, allowing me to focus on plot and dialogue.

I know that the web comic format works for the fantasy genre. If you’re not familiar with the work of Rich Burlew, Robert Balder, and Xin Ye, then you are definitely missing out! Rich Burlew is the creator of The Order of the Stick, and amazing story of D&D characters and their adventures. Burlew employs a fairly minimalist style for his lines, but uses stark and vibrant colours to make the world really pop off the screen. Robert Balder and Xin Ye are collaborators on Erfworld, a story which blends classic fantasy with quantum mechanics and turn-based physics in one of the most creative and compelling pieces I’ve ever read. I actually need to get back into these works, as I’m behind in their narratives. The art is rich and detailed, and you’ll love every panel of it!

Check out The Order of the Stick here: http://www.giantitp.com/

And Erfworld here: http://www.erfworld.com/

So I’m flying a little bit blind on how to proceed, but I think the best thing for me to do is to write up physical and character descriptions of my characters. I’m hoping that will give an artist something to work from.

Well, enough procrastination. Time to do some work!