New Ballpoint Sketches

Here's a few more ballpoint pen sketches for an upcoming page of The Underground #2.

I really enjoyed these ones. The Shock Troops Bios had recently been written for Twisted Studio's website, and this really gave the characters alot more substance. And these pics were a great opportunity to demonstrate this. I hope you enjoy, and stay tuned to http://www.twistedstudio.ca/ for the completed pages that these sketches will be used in.

Sketchy McSketch Sketch

I just thought I'd take a moment to show what I'm sketching right now for Bad Seeds. It's rough so don't mind the scribbles. It's a neat shot of my process though, the rough lines in red pen are a part of my first step, then I usually go back over the image with blue pen to start flushing out the lines and textures that I like. Today I didn't have a blue pen within arms reach so I was using black. After this I'll scan it into the computer for digital inking and colouring. For more concept sketches and artwork from Bad Seeds, check out: http://www.twistedstudio.ca/

Oldie but Goodie

While looking over the site, and deciding what graphics to add in order to break up some of the heavy text spots, I remembered an image I drew many years ago that would be perfect. So I ventured into the dungeon, cracked open the archives, blew off some dust, and pulled out this image of burning candles that I had drawn back in 2000? 2001? It was used on the introduction page for The Underground #6: Revelations (That's right, the original series), and I knew that with a little polish, it would fit in nicely.

I have to admit that I was a little concerned to see how an older image would hold up to the newer art posted on the site. And the truth of the matter is; It looks pretty cool! I had drawn this when I was really getting into my artistic groove, and after a fair hiatus, I can feel that I am now reaching that groove again. So, all in all, I consider it a pretty good match. I even used it as my Facebook profile picture! Why? Because I'm THAT geeky.

The Underground Machine

Posts here have been a little more sporadic than I would like, due to the amount of work we've been putting into the Twisted Studio site. It's amazing how much has been involved in developing that site on all levels. There is a constant buzz of activity between the three of us Twisted members. Whether its bios or artwork, structuring or functionality, the Underground machine is in peak production right now, and the outcome is stunning!

As a team we are finding our groove, and the resulting work being produced is some of the best that this project has seen. This, of course, is only the beginning. We've got many plans for where we are going to take this project, and what we'd like to bring to our readers. There is a facebook contest coming up, we've started looking into a forum for the site, and other considerations for expanding our product line.

I was even approached by another artist who would like to offer his free time to the project. So be on the look out for some additional Character Image Galleries, which will feature additional artwork, some of which produced by various artists. We've expanded our reach as a project, we have readers worldwide, and the site has surpassed 4000 views in just over 3 months of activity.

You know that infestation we keep talking about? Well this is it! Thank you all for your support

http://www.twistedstudio.ca/

A Blast From The Past

Today at the Twisted Studio homepage, we uploaded the beginnings of our image gallery. Many thanks once again to Dave Rocha for making this possible. To kick off the gallery, I wanted to show some pictures from the original series which correspond with where the story is at right now. As a team we've been putting alot of work into ironing out the story and flushing out the characters, the end result I believe is evident in the new pages being posted, but also the amazing support material being released in conjunction. Ofcourse, in order to truly appreciate where we are today, we must completely understand where we were before. Below I've taken a few moments to give my thoughts on the older images released today, and how they relate to the story now.

The Decimation of The Amicable Plains
In The Underground: TOS, The Amicable Plains were completely annihilated by the Hive. Doesn't sound too different does it? In the original storyline, there was literally an armada of bees and wasps laying seige to the Ladybug home. Baron Tarq himself was present. Given the pitifully defenseless nature of the Ladybugs, this did not make sense. So in the present story we've taken the opportunity to introduce the Shock Troops, and bring the 'battle' to a more appropriately personal level.

Cyrus Meets Gretta
In issue #0 (Unearthed), Cyrus is visited in a dream by the mystical Silkmoth, Gretta. It's an eerie and ethereal sequence in which Cyrus is released from his captive bonds. In the original series, Cyrus is visited in 'person' by Gretta and she instructs him most directly to travel to Coryn. The biggest problem I found when reviewing this section of the story/artwork was the relative size of Gretta when compared to Cyrus. Gretta should be a giant compared to a ladybug! In order to emphasize this, and her mystical nature we use a dream sequence which was originally used in issue #3 of the original series, but this time we also made Gretta speak in a more whimsical, and mysterious way.

Cyrus Versus The Hive Scout
As if having his home destroyed, and being left for dead wasn't enough for a ladybug! After dusting himself off and heading out for Coryn, Cyrus is attacked by a patrolling Hive Scout. The scout battered Cyrus around a bit before being taken out by Styx and the Zealots Elite. Kind of an bland entrance for our heroes. This time around we planned a monster size enemy for the Elite to lock mandibles with! Enter the Mole Cricket! In issue #0 (Harvest), Cyrus found himself in a Mole Cricket egg chamber before being rescued by our valiant ants.

Cyrus Meets The Elite
In the original series, Cyrus didn't pass out infront of our heroes like he does in the present story. In fact he kind of bickers with them, even sticks his finger in Lor's face! Looking at the big picture, and what our plans are for Cyrus we really couldn't have him being so self-confidant and full of bravado so early in the story. So we've made him a little more wimpy, and less secure in himself. I think we're going to have plenty of opportunity for some comic relief, and a much more satisfying journey for our unlikely hero.

Well that's it for today's history lesson! I hope you`ve enjoyed it. Be sure to keep checking back for more insights into the creative world of The Underground! And be sure to check out the Twisted Studio homepage for the latest content and updates!
www.twistedstudio.ca

The Power of a "Like"

So we just finished our first official calendar month over at www.twistedstudio.ca, and the results have been staggering. When we first looked into Wordpress, and I agreed to start releasing The Underground as a webcomic, I just thought that this would be a one site answer for all of my buggy rantings, inspirations, and images. Well, with the highly appreciated help of my good friends Chris Walker, and Dave Rocha it has turned into so much more! We are actually developing a consistent internet following, and our reach is expanding. We can track our views, our referrals, and more!
It's becoming a project in itself to maintain the site, but one which I feel we are handling admirably.
For over a year now, we've been trying to find some sort of system or routine to bring new exciting content to fans, and would-be readers. Many of these plans have fallen apart, due to insufficient planning, inconsistent maintenance, and less man power. Wordpress has given us a great tool to reach our potential audience, Chris and I sat down and discussed our visions and plans, and decided it necessary to bring in another body to help. Enter Dave. The three of us have fell rather comfortably into a great work ethic, and schedule, and have been able to pool our ideas and efforts in a much more efficient way.
And that's where we are now. Over a 1000 unique views in one month's time, and we're far from slowing down. From here our intention continues to be reacher a larger audience, and getting The Underground into the right person's hands to bring us to our next level of success. So what can you do? Well if you are an Underground enthusiast, it's easier than you may think. We are constantly updating our Facebook posts, and Twitter...tweets...to reflect the happenings of our new mega-site. Everytime someone shares our post, likes our comments, or retweets our...tweets, our site views jump by 20 to 30! Awesome and easy. Everytime someone does this it cycles the information into the new news, and brings it to the attention of a completely different audience than we would have reached on our own. So what do you say? You wanna like us? Comment on us? Or retweet us? Believe me, we can't wait to hear from you.

The New Home of The Underground!

Howdy, howdy, howdy.
As mentioned last month we were re-evaluating our business stance, looking at our priorities, and trying to find the best ways to reach our desired readers. We've made the decision to produce The Underground as a webcomic, and we've put our nose to the grindstone to make this a reality. It's been a busy...an insanely busy month for all of us, on a personal level, and when it comes to the new site; www.twistedstudio.ca
By now many people have checked out the new site, and yesterday we posted the very first completed page from The Underground #2: Bad Seeds. While this is still a work in progress, I've got to say how happy I am with the project so far. We've decided to utilize Wordpress and Comicpress for producing the site, and it has allowed us the opportunity to put together a portal for our readers, unlike any other we've had before.
Now at one location you can read about your favourite characters, you can join in group discussions, check out key locations in The Underground, not to mention read the current releases! We've got plans for ordering previous issues, for incorporating the Sponsorship program in order to work towards printing the next book, and so much more. We are merely scratching the surface, and I couldn't be happier.
As I said, yesterday we posted the first page from Bad Seeds, and we saw the site take over 100 unique hits! And today, we are on track for the same total. Is it a sign of things to come? I sure hope and honestly believe so. The positive energy that the team has managed to capture, is bound to attract more and more positive energy, and The Underground will only continue to gain momentum! Next week we'll be posting preliminary sketches for page 2, along with more supporting content.
So check it out if you haven't already. And if you have checked it out let someone else know! Spread the word, join the infestation. And if you see Dave or Chris let them know what a phenomenal job they are doing with the site, with the content, and with their energy. Thanks guys.

Let's Get Viral

The last month or two has been very busy for The Underground crew. We've taken a few steps back and tried to pay closer attention to what we are actually doing. Both physically with the book, but also digitally I guess, with promotion. We've evaluated Twisted Studio, what it does...what it's meant to do. And we've looked into all other aspects of our current structure, and begun to ask some very tough questions. We've forced ourselves to give some tough, but honest and unbiased answers. This has been an exciting process because I can see that we've begun to handle ourselves more responsibly and realistically. Looking at veiwer traffic, listening for feedback, evaluating time spent. Twisted Studio has begun to take shape finally after more than a decade of fanboy dreaming, the studio is forming. As exciting as this is it has left a surprising question on our plate. What is to come of The Underground?
The Underground is my brainchild. There has been no project which I have been as passionate about, and Twisted Studio excluded, I doubt there will be another. The downside is the workload. It takes so much time, and indeed time-management to complete all of the artwork myself. Not to mention trying to work on promoting, finding printers, trying to build the studio, and so many other related projects. I've been wearing so many hats, I"m bordering on schizophrenia! Even so, I'm not ready to throw in the towel. Merely, re-evaluate our plan of execution.
Our goal is exposure for The Underground. And work load aside, when the costs of printing is considered for such a small run project, something just doesn't add up anymore. Right now at our current juncture we've decided that the best way to get the most exposure for The Underground, is to release it as a web comic! What does this mean for you? Well let me tell ya!
More new content! Free uploaded comic pages every two weeks! Supporting material released weekly! And an easy way to pass on The Underground to your friends and family. We will still work towards releasing the next and subsequent books in print, but for now, we're going to give our readers something to follow much much more often. And if that's the case...
...I call it a win.
Stay tuned. We're working hard to have our first page posted on a newly revamped website in two weeks! That's Monday, December 20th for anyone who's counting!
Thank you all for your continued support, of this beloved project.

The Filth of the Fly Federation

The completed concept for the Fly Federation, to be used in T... on Twitpic

So despite spilling coffee on the sketch, it is complete! Alot of thought actually went into this one, but it was really enjoyable. This is a part of a three or four panel page, this being the last panel. I was intrigued by this panel, and the opportunity to show what the culture here feels like, what the living conditions are, the filth, the grime. This ofcourse is only the beginning, we haven't even put the actual flies in there! So far, we're just looking at the backdrop.
It should be quite interesting to see how the residents live here, how they view their surroundings, eachother...
I think the flies will be a shifty bunch, just like the Skaven in Warhammer, or the Ferengi from Star Trek. Time will tell.

Next step. Midground drawn. on Twitpic

Next step. Midground drawn. on Twitpic
Here's the next step in the Fly Federation's design. With the midground complete, all that remains is the filth in the far background!

The Underground Web Album

The Fly Federation, scanned with the foreground blue-lined. on Twitpic

The Fly Federation, scanned with the foreground blue-lined. on Twitpic

Filthy Drawings!

One of the first images of the Fly Federation. My wife can&#0... on Twitpic

As mentioned before, this new instalment in The Underground series brings us to places unknown, new locales, new species, new dilemmas. Chris and I wanted to make sure that every location has it's own feel, and inspiration. To this end we would ensure that readers would get a distinct feeling for the place they are reading about. Perhaps at a glance they will be able to discern where the buggy heroes are travelling.
This sketch is very rough, and it's dark (as it's a photo of my sketch and not a scan), once the blue line is complete on the original, I'll upload a decent shot. But until then, and without further adieu, I present to you...
The Fly Federation.

The X-men sketch after printing, and going over with red and ... on Twitpic

The X-men sketch after printing, and going over with red and ... on Twitpic

In Unrelated News!

So I took a break from The Underground yesterday, and threw this quick sketch together, using Alias Sketchbook. A wonderful program for the tablet, which I must thank Mr. Ryan C. Kipp for introducing to me. It works really fast, and smooth, without all the fancy features of Adobe Photoshop. Can it do everything I want it to? No. But it is alot more handy when it comes to doing quick sketches, than the beast which is Photoshop. I plan to do my sketchwork in Alias, and on paper with pen, then send it to Adobe to do all the 'painting' and fancy stuff. I think it's going to be a pretty neat piece when it is complete.
The piece in question is an X-men themed piece, with a few of my favourite characters...getting ready for the gasps of amazement as this is an X-men team-up with no Wolverine, Gambit, or Cyclops! My apologies to all fanboys that I may have just outraged! lol.

Building The Queen's Chamber

The third instalment in The Underground series gives the reader a glimpse of the ant colony, Coryn. More specifically still, Queen Azulon's Chamber. When it came to putting the scene together, I really wanted to make sure that this chamber stood out from other areas, this is the Queen afterall. And a Queen to an insect is the most important part of their existence. So I decided to start designing the room wall by wall, soon afterwards I'd realize that the chamber would be so tall and expansive that these walls too would have to be drawn in sections.
When all the wall sections are drawn, I'd like to piece them together as a 3Dimensional dome. After this, I plan to place my camera inside the dome and do a full internal rotation. This way I'll have a great view of the chamber, from any angle. I'm actually pretty excited about this, and kind of surprised I thought of it!
So here's the first of the wall sections. This one will be located directly behind Queen Azulon.

The Underground gets Twittered!

A wise man once said to me, "Paul, it's all about exposure right now not profit".  So with hopes of maximizing The Underground's exposure, I've started a Twitter account dedicated to the book's progress.  Followers can find out at anytime what's going on in Twisted Studio's think tank, and get sneak peaks on the book's new artwork.
When you check out the sketches, you're bound to notice that I've completed all of them in ballpoint pen.  This is just one of the recent changes in how I get the artwork completed, and how WE complete the book.  Surprisingly, we've managed to find a number of ways to complete work quicker, and more effectively.  Stay tuned for more info, more pics, and more vids all in the near future!

Queen Azulon. Completed in ballpoint pen for The Underground... on Twitpic

Queen Azulon. Completed in ballpoint pen for The Underground... on Twitpic

The infestation continues! Check out The Underground on Twitter. As a special treat we've uploaded a few concept sketches from the next issue, "Bad Seeds".

The Sponsorship Program

   This is an idea we've been ironing out for some time now, and its finally ready for the public! The Sponsorship Program is designed to promote The Underground, fund a portion of its production, and attract attention to local businesses, and supporters of this project.  Ideally this program can raise almost half the projected cost of printing our next issue 'The Underground #2: Bad Seeds'.

   Great strides have been taken during the creation of this book, and it is shaping up to be the best one yet!  The planning has gone beyond the story itself, and into the business of Twisted Studio, and a sustainable plan that may allow for the release of additional studio projects in the future.  This moment we are in right now is an initial stepping stone in a very exciting journey, and I'm inviting all of my fellow Windsorites, comic book lovers, art fans, and storytellers to take part.

   For more information on this awesome opportunity, follow this link;

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/note.php?note_id=10150250793635094

   Or feel free to contact me @

paulreaume@hotmail.com

Underground intro 1