Pages 3 and 4

the page to the right I am thinking will actually be a splash for pages 5 and 6. But then I have to think of something to fill between Peder standing with the drinks and this...

Perhaps more of the boys misbehaving in the airport.

Here is page six almost complete. The text space is considered above. Signage will be my next phase. I had a lot of fun with the background passengers and foreground surf dude. I went through tons of images of airport passengers. When I found what I needed I did some redrawing, trimming and some filtering.

page 6 scolded at the baggage claim

Page 6 is well under way before 5, 4, and 3. Sometimes I skip around. Not far. It's all airport setting. I have dropped in some color and will have to line those background colors with page two airport gate. I drew a luggage carousel and used vanishing point filter for the floor and ceiling tiles. The ceiling will probably faded out under text. You can probably make out some text floating around. Those are some Norwegian translations I found for lavatory, resteraunt, car rental, customs, visitor center. Haven't decided where or if I will use them, but I have them for just in case. I still have to draw the crowd behind them and perhaps some monitors and vending machines.

page three to six sketches

On page 3 the boys spot Peder holding drinks. I decided to go with plastic bottles because he could hold four drinks in a welcoming way by their tops. I will draw the rest of the airport terminal in illustrator. (vending machines, phones, bathrooms, other travelers, and various signs.) Also included in the frame is page 5 showing one of the boys complaining about how long the luggage is taking to come out.

Next is a screen shot of page 4 with some color dropped in on the characters. They are really thirsty. There will be some great background onlookers included later. I have a lot of plans for this page with some effects on the bottle movement from Peder's hands to the boys

This sketch shows page 6 where one the boys is shoving the other at the baggage claim. I want to show a very busy place with lots going on. I plan on having one of the smaller boys riding the luggage treadline (if that is what it is called) Darn more research!

Close up of boys running in detail. The shadows and blur were the final part in the process. You can see how it adds drama and depth. As I was making this post I noticed I forgot the last boy's headphones for his little handheld game. And the lips of the boy riding his brother's back are a little too thick with blackness. (note the changes in the next post)

close up of plane and mountains detail. This was a very fun scene.

progression of page 2

I am having trouble deciding on airport gate interior colors. The window and it's view was the most fun. The glass is a light blue layer set at about 40% opacity. The marquee with New York, Ankomster(arrivals) adds a great "terminal" look.

Gwen, here are the four archetypes I want to work with. I don't know which one should be Nicklas, Sievart, Edvard, or Bjorn. I leave that to you.

Heres a screen shot of page 2 progress. Check out how I recycled the background mountains from page one and flipped and downsized the plane. I filled the boys in with brown just so I can see them better. I also liquified the original sketch so that I could add some chubbiness to Nicklas in the middle. Can you tell the difference from the first sketch? Also can you tell I moved the foreground onlookers to the right a little bit?

sketches

page one

after the dummy book and researching norway, fishing boats, airports, tunnels, fjords, waterfalls, the design process begins. I have to design a special boat for magnus which has gone through 4 or 5 changes in design so far. I have design different looks for each little cousin and a new look for Peder who is now older. I also design airports, scenery, magnus's home, etc. The biggest thing that was holding me back in starting this book, besides, working, coaching, parenting, and going to school, was technique. I was determined to do this book completely digital. This is what has gotten me in trouble. I am learning to paint digitally and am having fun but it has been a much slower process for me than anticipated. I also had some hardware problems. Had to replace the power source on my Mac and my scanner is still down.

But I am absolutely positive it will all be worth it. Here is page one and the beginning stage of page 2. The cousins arrive!

Oofta!

OOFTA is like Homer Simpson's Doh! I was suppose to be a lot further along on Magnus 2 by now. I told Gwen I would have it done by Xmas. There is no way, honestly. I apologize publicly to you, Gwen.