SLEIGHT

Project Overview

In 2016, I contacted writer/illustrator Becky Cloonan (The Mighty Thor, Wonder Woman) looking for work. Becky put me in touch with then-independent writer and her close friend, Michael Conrad (Batgirls, Wonder Woman). Michael had a story he needed an artist for, and we set out to create a one-shot 40 page black and white comic book.

Goals

My goal was to challenge myself as the sole artist on a two-person team and act as art director, designer, and illustrator, and to deliver a professional level of quality in a reasonable time frame.

My Role

I was tasked with interpreting Michael’s script and written notes to create the overall design aesthetic, along with characters, environments, props, and effects. Once completed, I then transitioned to being responsible for all artwork on the pages.

Research

We knew we wanted a style similar to Mike Mignola (Hellboy) to evoke a creepy, almost gothic tone. To keep the style my own, I highlighted three things in Mignola’s work:

• stark contrast between light and dark images

• solid line work with not much variation in thickness

• big, bold shadows

artwork by Mike Mignola

My initial character and style sketches

Roughs and Revisions

Each week I would send Michael new pages fully sketched out. This would allow us time to make notes and any revisions before starting on the final draft.

Below are examples of a page sketch and a few revisions of a panel in a later page.

Final Draft

Once there are no further revisions, and all pages have been sketched out, I began working on a first draft of the final drafts, because let’s face it, there may still be more revisions needed.

Results

With printed copies in hand, I distributed Sleight to local comic book shops in Portland, Oregon and received high praise from friends, family, and fans.