We Are Not In Kansas Anymore

Hello everyone. I'm back with a progress report on Hugh Manatee and a few photos I added more color and detail to.

Sparky eating a fish-jelly sandwich (by:Thomas Sigwalt)

Blue Basement

Blue Basement (by: Thomas Sigwalt)

I have talked about Hugh Manatee and his friend Doll Finne, now I am going to focus on the place where Hugh and Doll live, the Blue Basement. The Blue Basement is a city at the bottom of the ocean where fish and sea mammals live. 

Doll Finne

Doll Finne (by: Thomas Sigwalt)

Back with more Hugh Manatee! Today I'm going to introduce the lead female of the story and the location of the story. After that, I plan to cover an interesting progression to Hugh Manatee as a series. Now, I reveal the character Doll Finne and the city of Blue Basement. 

Hugh's on first?

I have returned from a long hiatus to talk about what I love: graphic novels and other comic-related topics. On my break I put a lot of thought into the many projects I am making for myself. I made a decision to change my focus from my graphic novel to an animation: Hugh Manatee.

Hugh Manatee (by Thomas Sigwalt)

Hugh is a character I mentioned in a previous post. Hugh is a manatee with the job of a private detective who solves aquatic crimes for a price. The story is set in the current day, but the old trash in the ocean from the 1950s sets a noir tone. I originally wanted to make enough work for a video or two this past summer. It was much more work than I realized. 

Super Fuel and Terrorist

Dichrome in the mind of Icarus (Thomas Sigwalt)

This week I want have my post be on the terrorists group in Luer known as Dichrome. Dichrome began popping up around the city of Luer shortly after the introduction of a new fuel to run the city’s demand for power. The fuel was called E-33. The E-33 had high cost to supply and manufacture but it self-sustained itself after a few weeks of starting the generators.

The Cover in Color and Hugh Manatee

Last week I posted a black and white picture of a chapter cover for my graphic novel. I wanted to revisit that picture and see how it would look in color. I like how the picture turned out. Adding color is another layer of flavor that I love in my artworks. However, making a colored art piece takes much longer and requires a lot of patience and looking at color swatches.

Colored cover art: by Thomas Sigwalt

Chapter Cover Art

Black and White cover art: by Thomas Sigwalt

This week's artwork was a challenge for me. I never have done a book cover before so I had to do some more research to inspire me. One of my inspirations was Drew Struzan. Drew is a well-known artist who has made posters for popular movies, like Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade), Back to the Future (I, II, and III), Star Wars (episodes: IV, V, VI, I, II, and III) and much more.