Hey there ,

Hope your December holiday times are falling into place. It's a crazy month for me. But I'm gradually getting some stuff done.

While working on comic book pages: concept, plots, scripting, artwork etc. I run into some interesting pitfalls and quirks about using what's essentially 'still images' in sequence. Stuff you'd normally not think of like a slamming door or kick-starting a motorcycle engine just aren't easy to show in a still image, without the cartoony 'puff' of clouds around the door frame or warped door edge. And how do you show a heavy body of a biker stomping down heavily on the kickstart?

But... one really easy 'sell' if you will in comics, one thing that really really works well visually in still images is:

broken glass.

Every time I've drawn an image of someone/thing being flung through a glass barrier with the shards flying in all directions, it's like heaven. I almost don't need to use a sound effect with it; the scattered chaos of glass flying everywhere is enough to sell you (the reader) on something dangerous, violent, dramatic and important happening. Plus it can be done in one panel, one shot.

So, if you're writing a comic book script with a fight scene, say or your hero entering the room, try to work in a huge plate glass window being shattered. You'll get a huge bang for the buck!

You want a piece of me?

From NOW until midnight December 25 get a FREE original hand-colored piece of artwork from the world of Mayfield Eight slipped right into the comic. It's for a limited time so HURRY!

Mayfield Eight, a gritty, 1970s fueled motorcycle grind-house biker tale can be purchased on my new online site! Get it today!