Line art: COMPLETE
over 1 year ago – Fri, Feb 24, 2023 at 11:12:03 PM

Now, on to colouring...

Yes, at long last, the line art for the entire book is FINALLY complete.  Believe me when I say 'it was a task'.  Times were when I could cruise through 2-pages in a day, but other times, it was like drawing water from stone (puns are intended here, this is a safe space).  Nonetheless, in the end, I feel really good about the initial line art for this project, and think that when the colour is added, it's REALLY going to look great.

Here's a brief glimpse from one of the more dense pages I recently completed:

Also, if you can correctly guess who the two other people are in the drawing above, you'll get a cool surprise (my tempered admiration).  Here's a hint: they were fairly important people once.  

That's all for now.  I wish I could say this book was far more complete by this time in 2023, but our own expectations and reality are often skewed and misaligned.  I do put in a LOT of work to keep this moving forward, work that is not just drawing, but again, as I keep saying as if it were an inner mantra for peace and clarity: "All that is important is the quality of the art".  Be well and take care, everyone...

Daniel Becker~

February Update
over 1 year ago – Mon, Feb 06, 2023 at 12:11:20 AM

Gettin' there...

Hello everyone.  I hope your 2023 is progressing well.  Down here in Oz (aka, Australia), the sun's been shining, the surfs been surfing, and the art's been arting.  So much so, that the line art for LOBO is NEARLY finished!  Despite the insufferable heat that builds up in my office from this summer sun, I've been putting in steady hours on the comic, and its been paying off.  

At this point in the story, there's only a handful of images I can use to support this claim.  I feel that, from here on out, you may not see much new artwork, other than the coloured line art that's coming soon.  I don't want to spoil too much of the story for you, so you'll just have to bear with me for a while longer.  Till then, here's a few screen shots of the newer artwork (spoiler, its a lot of Seton on horseback riding across New Mexico countryside).

I'm eagerly working on the line art, because I feel with almost every panel, this story is coming to life more and more, something Robert and I have been long anticipating since venturing out to do this.  Plus, this is reeeeaaallly going to be fun to colour!  I hope that when its all finished and done, this book will stand as a testament to our hard work and perseverance.  That, and a fitting tribute to Ernest Thompson Seton and his legacy.  

Thanks again for all your support and patience.  It also makes me glad to hear from friends and fans that they're eagerly anticipating this book as much as I am.  Don't worry, soon enough...

Take care out there, everyone, wherever you are.

cheers,

Daniel A. Becker

Happy New Year
over 1 year ago – Mon, Jan 02, 2023 at 09:25:40 PM

2023 INBOUND...

Hello everyone.  Just a quick update, wishing you all a happy and joyous beginning to 2023.  The start of a new year for me is usually an event of mixed emotions.  I'm partly happy to see the end of a tumultuous year, but apprehensive about whether I will change or accomplish much over the year to come.  Also, being summer here in Australia, I'm mostly worried if I will continue to get ANY artwork done and not just skip off to the beach while the weather holds.  Having just acquired a new paddle board, the sun and surf could seriously undo any progress I've been making over the last few months  😬

BUT, I have proof that things have not only been proceeding well, but that the artwork is coming along nicely.  Take a look for yourself:

At the moment, the line art (like what you see above) is over half-way complete, and on track to be finished by the end of the month, if not sooner (weather permitting 🏖🏝🚣‍♂️).  After that, its on to the colouring, which should clip along somewhat smoothly as well, sticking to the tentative finish date around late March/early April.

Where ever you are for 2023, remember to be kind to yourself, be kind to others, and to be present with what you're doing.  For me, I want this year to bear the fruit of more focused work, personal and professional, on projects I really care about.  I hope you all can do the same.  

Cheers!

Daniel A. Becker

LOBO ON THE MOVE
over 1 year ago – Sat, Dec 17, 2022 at 05:31:40 PM

Greetings All,

Progress continues on our Lobo project. Daniel regularly sends me finished sketches and page layouts, and it’s looking great! I am so impressed with his artistic vision for this story. The panels are varied and engaging, and the attention to detail is outstanding.  I recently saw the layout for the part of the story when Seton was in New York City. The detail of the cityscape shot made my jaw drop. Amazing!

I know you are eagerly awaiting the completion of this project, as am I. However, I am grateful that Daniel is not sacrificing quality for quantity. It’ll get done, and it will be well worth the wait.

I recently had an interesting experience while visiting a friend in Eugene. As I browsed his home library (as I am wonton do when visiting homes), I came across a book I was very familiar with but had never had the chance to hold in my hands: Wild Animals I Have Known by Ernest Thompson Seton. Yes, the book that contains the original Lobo story that our graphic novel depicts. A first edition no less: copyright 1898! It was exciting to read Seton’s words in this old book, and to see his artwork close-up.

I remarked to my friend that his library was holding a treasure. The book could be worth hundreds, or thousands of dollars! Sadly, when we considered the condition of the book (see below) and researched the market (signed first editions in great condition were for sale at $350), any financial aspirations were dashed. While there may be little monetary value to the book, there certainly is historic value. I would certainly welcome such a book to my collection any day (and, no, that is not meant to be a hint Robert Curtis!...although, if gifted, I would graciously accept:).

Happy solstice and holidays to each and every one of you.

Robert

Change in anticipated completion date (and sneak peeks) and a few campaign highlights
almost 2 years ago – Sat, Nov 05, 2022 at 06:12:52 AM

Production has been productive...

Greetings everyone.  Time now to do some evaluation of where this project currently stands and update its tentative completion timeline.  When I started planning and preparing the Kickstarter campaign, I had anticipated having much more time and energy to get a lot more of the graphic novel's production done by now.  However, life and other professional obligations interfered.  This is often the way of things, and can't be helped.  Nonetheless, history doesn't remember what time was spent on a task, only the quality and grandeur of what was produced.  

With that in mind, I anticipate all line art and lettering could be completed by the end of the year or January, 2023, and the colouring by end of February or March.  Depending on how global supply chains stand around that time, printing could happen soon after, followed by order fulfilment and shipping.  In short...its gonna be a hot minute before this awesome book lands in your hands, but bear with us, and your patience will be greatly rewarded.  

Till then, lets take a little peek at what the story holds so far.  Since returning from my trip to the US, I've been busy laying out the pages for the graphic novel, enough to show off a few shots without spoiling too much. Here's some random panels from the book, roughly 'pencilled' in digitally.  I use a multi-coloured process by putting certain line art in a certain colours, mostly so I know what layer its on (blue on 'blue', green on 'green') and so its easy to edit.  The final artwork will be much more polished and in black, and of course, the colouring will influence things eventually.    

Other project highlights...

And now, as any good Kickstarter campaigner should occasionally do, lets take a look at some other active projects worthy of mention.

'IN HELL' by Pablo Rincon.

One particular project I recently backed is 'IN HELL' by fantastic Mexican artist, Pablo Rincon, aka GELADAA (an art school pseudonym he no doubt uses to strike fear in the heart's of his prey).  At first sight, I knew I wanted this comic.  The art is brilliant and surreal, and boldly wonders away from the usual archetypal concepts of 'Hell' whilst digging INTO the archetypal concepts of 'heroes'.  As Geladaa himself describes "IN HELL"; 

'Six youth awaken in a surreal landscape, unaware of how they got there, their memories hazy and jumbled. An ominous voice informs them; They are dead and this is Hell. Drama and conflict quickly blossom, and from them surprising phenomena emerge. Johnny, Barbie, Arthur, Dexter, Willow and Christine will come together, recall the history they share, and discover their destiny, together, IN HELL.'

Illustrated with a lilt towards manga-style graphics matched with a modern artistic zest, this book looks like something from a fever dream.  It's a great example of what comics can do well when proper vision is establised.  Though it's only available now as a digital .pdf, I can't wait to read it.  

'GRIZ GROBUS' by Simon Roy

Though this campaign JUST FINISHED funding (sorry!), its worth mentioning as you may still be able to purchase a copy after the fact (we comic creators are always happy to take more money).  Furthermore, its a sci-fi comedy by one of my all-time favourite creators, Simon Roy (and fellow backer of this book as well).  Roy, famous from such awesome sci-fi stories like "Habitat" and Image's "PROPHET" remake with Brandon Graham, has put together an irreverent story of life on a far off planetary colony, post stellar-age.  If you can't get a copy from the link above, worry not, you'll likely see it on comic store shelves in the near future.

That's all for now.  Thank you again for your support, the long arch of time bends towards justice...and great graphic novels.  

cheers,

Daniel Becker~