Here's another break from the road-trip storyline. I realized it had been a really long time since I did one of the classic Billy's snow fantasy strips, so I wanted to bring that concept back. I had a lot of fun with this one. I experimented with the linework — in the first and second panels, I only outlined the rocks and not the snow, for example. I also got to scribble rather aggressively when drawing the mountain, which is something I don't often do. Coloring this one was a hassle, given how much snow and wind swirls had to be drawn in, as well as the shadows on the rocks and mountains, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think my standards for the visual quality of this strip have gone up considerably recently, which means it takes longer for each strip to be completed. I hope the results are worth the wait, though!
Another reason it's taken so long is that my second semester of college has begun. I want to make an effort to post more this semester, but I can't promise anything because it's difficult for me to balance drawing with my schoolwork. I will try, though, I guarantee that.
I think this is an interesting way for a strip to be laid out: two small panels of dialogue at the start and finish, with a large visuals-only panel in the middle. It almost reminds me of an old Christian triptych or something, and it tells the joke with a kinda unorthodox rhythm.
I must say, this storyline is really testing the limits of what I can draw without doing pencil outlines beforehand. I've always drawn this strip directly in ink, without penciling first, which makes a panel like the second one here a daunting task. That panel, as a result, doesn't really follow rules of perspective very well, as it was improvised from start to finish without that kind of forethought. Luckily, since the subject of the panel is a warped, mangled-up car, the broken perspective isn't that noticeable or important. I still prefer to go straight to pen when I draw, but I'm starting to understand how useful pencil guidelines could be for more complicated visual ideas.
Well, it was only a matter of time until this happened. This was an intense one to draw, and very fun too. I think Billy's screaming face in the side mirror in the first panel was a nice touch, if I may say so myself. (And don't worry, this isn't actually the end.)
Ah yes, the characters' paths are starting to converge again!
In the middle of drawing the third panel, I realized that the way the car is tilting feels a little off. My idea was that the top of the car would be tilting back as a result of all the air resistance fighting against its moving so fast. However, as drawn here, that almost makes the car look like it's moving backwards entirely. It still doesn't completely shatter the illusion, so I don't mind it too much, but maybe it would have appeared more natural if the car was tilting forwards instead.
I'm not sure if the punch line here really makes sense. I had considered an alternate version where the last panel showed Harley saying something like "Maybe I should've stayed back at the hotel in case they came back..." but I felt that I had already done enough of those characters-have-parallel-thoughts jokes in this storyline. I do think it's funny that this strip is so much quieter in comparison to the previous one, though.
As if the inside of the car wasn't claustrophobic enough, now I have to cram an umbrella in there somehow. Despite that, I like how this one turned out visually. I did some weird perspective warping in the first panel with the gear stick and control panel in the foreground, which I think accentuates how stressful the situation. Also, the underside of an umbrella is very difficult to draw, just so you're aware.
Happy new decade, people! Man, it is weird typing a 2 as the third digit of the year, since it's always been a 1 the whole time I've been posting to this blog. Times change.
Anyway, back to the road trip storyline. It was only a matter of time before things really went south here. Stay tuned to see how this turns out!
Next Comic, Last Comic and Home links are up here!
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