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. 

Law and Enforcement

   The law in the city of Leur is skewed. The Police use a powerful tool to control the sectors of the city through power, fear, and technology. Nothing can stop them once they are under an order and only those with power can grab the attention of the police.

 After being appointed the guardians of the city, the police have done a good job of being manipulated by anyone with enough power and money. They could easily take control of the entire city of Leur, both rich and poor, if they were not bound to the system. 

The system can be described as a brainwashing process to expunge any form of rebellion and replace it with an unending loyalty to the job and to the duties that come with it.

Police Force by Thomas Sigwalt

The Wealth of Leur

 Dracula

I wanted to make a picture that symbolizes the wealthy in Leur. Their greed, their thirst for power, the way they control the city through fear. All of these things reminded me of vampires (NOT Twilight). I drew a modern depiction of what Dracula would look like if he lived in Leur.

Modern Dracula: by Thomas Sigwalt

Wealthy of Leur

The Wealthy of Leur are the ones in control of the city. Nothing happens without them knowing and anything that they wish to avoid does not happen. The rich are primarily corrupt, power hungry, and partying. 

Location and Feeling

Today I thought I would post on the location of where and when this graphic novel is going to take place. I then will go over describing the overall feeling I am trying to portray in this graphic novel. I have posted a picture to incorporate these topics and I will describe what I was trying to do in this picture.

Contrast Liquor (Thomas Sigwalt)

In this picture I tried to illustrate what I have been talking about in this post. I wanted to add some contrast between the characters and the bar so I made them blue and the bar red, with orange liquor spilling on the mustard floor.

I also tried to add a story telling element in this be  having the reflection show the guy drinking his liquor while the others have been beaten up.

The Steps I Take

Hello world! This is Tom again and if you are reading this you are helping me finish my life long dream of making a graphic novel. Thank you :) .  Today I figured that I will show my viewers the process I go through when I am making an artwork for my graphic novel, then show some new things I have been working on.

 Making my artworks:

I first like to sketch out what I want. I usually use mechanical pencils and big erasers while I'm sketching. The results I get are unpredictable and full of graphite smudges, however, the freedom of adding and taking away with graphite allows my creative juice to spill out on the page. I scan or take a picture of my work and I upload it on my computer.

Step 1: Drawing the scene (by Thomas Sigwalt)

Hello World!

A Midnight Snack by Thomas Sigwalt

Hello, my name is Thomas Sigwalt. I am starting a blog to follow the progress I make with my first graphic novel. I have posted a sample picture to hint at the direction I want this novel to head. I currently am doing everything. I am the author, artist, editor, and writer.