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How Rock and Cloud meet Flame was made. Since I'm asked about it a bit at conventions I thought it might be interesting to see the story poster creation process. I made a point to save this poster at various stages of completion. Unlike most other posters, I knew the ending to this one right away. The basic story was that Rock and Cloud visit a haunted house, discover Flame and burn the house down. Other than that I had nothing so I started with the first three panels and the last row of panels. Then I figured I'd have one of those Scooby Doo moments where Rock pulls on a Knights mace or something and triggers a trap door he'd fall into (3rd row). It was pretty clear that's where Rock should find Flame. I knew by the result of Rocks actions, Flame would be released and multiply so I put a few panels in there to indicate that, not knowing exaclty the chain of events. At this point I also added the horn element of the ending. Cloud blows the horn and calls forth an army of clouds to squelch the house fire. At this point I have no idea where he gets the horn or why it calls other clouds. |
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I fill in the Rock releasing Flame moment, moving panels to the left as I block in some panels background color. I try to give a lot of thought to the balance of color in a poster. Keeping like colors to the horizontal rather than the vertical. I think this helps with the story telling but could just be what I prefer. Also filled in the rain panels on the second to last row. As I work I'm contantly printing it out as I go and thumbnailing potential new scenes and panels. At this point I've probably already spent about 10-12 hours on it and I'm feeling pretty good because it's going well. This poster was moving along faster than other posters I've done. I think mostly because I had already done one Rock and Cloud poster and gone through the process of figuring out how to illustrate the characters expressions and body language, even as limited as it is. |
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Now I've finished Flame's release scene. I move that group of panels up a row thinking I might not have enough space after to finish the story as ideas pop into my head and I mull over the next plot elements. I also add a rain panel to the bottom where the flames continue to shrink, thinking I wanted that scene to be slightly longer. Created a panel that establishes the house is really engulfed in flames now. Just sort of threw it into the scene. I knew I needed to have it somewhere so there was as good as anywhere for the moment. I flipped a couple panels in the bottom row. Sometimes I'll flip panels in an attempt to drive the readers eye one way or another, improve the storytelling or avoid odd tangents with other colors or panel layouts. |
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Moved the Flame scene back down to it's previous placement, that didn't last long! I added a couple panels just before the Rock/Flame panels (first two of the 3rd row) that show the horn encased in a glass wall frame, not unlike a fire extinguisher. This was mainly so I could have a sign that said: IN CASE OF FIRE: I needed to start thinking about how they get the horn to summon the clouds and save the day. Maybe Cloud rushes back into the house and throws it from a window? (In the movie, this would be done in super slow-motion). I also really extended the time from blowing the horn to when the clouds show up by adding 3 additional "waiting" panels and a new long shot of the house burning, moving the old long shot of the burning house to an earlier point in the story. Oh, and Rock is blocked from re-entering the house to help cloud by falling debris. I highly recommend falling debris as a plot device. Very handy. |
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Ok, now we're moving. Added some interior shots as they enter the house. I like the red backgrounds in these panels, I think it says "old house" nicely. Since the beginning of the poster I've had these two brown panels of Cloud headed upstairs after Rock falls through the trap door with b/w portraits on the wall. (This is when things really started to come together in my head). If the portraits were the people that lived in the house and there's a laboratory in the basement with living fire, then why couldn't they be the people who created Rock and Cloud? It might seem self-evident but I really wasn't thinking along those line till this point. So now Cloud needs to find something that clue's him into what's going on and where he is. I create a long hallway to a locked room. I'm more than halfway done the poster now and have spent nearly 20-25 hours working on it over 3 or 4 days. |
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Thought it'd be cool to have Cloud squeeze through the keyhole. I know how I want the reunion between Rock and Cloud to go so I need to do that now to insure I leave enough panels for it. One of those running down the hallway, crossing paths, a hoarde of living Flame in tow kind of things. You know... the usual stuff. |
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Top row, front door slams and a reaction panel. Very Abbot and Costello. In the locked room upstairs Cloud finds and old journal chronicalling the success of a scientist to create living rock and his intent to try other elements. (Cloud & Fire?) Also made a really nice sequence of Cloud inside the burning house, breaking the glass on the horn case and crashing through a window. Very exciting! |
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Home stretch! Added some haunted house bat humor early in the story. As ideas come and go I do a lot of panel moving. One step left, right, up, down? At this point I was still thinking of having Rock just run outside and Cloud hold up at the door, realizing he should go get the horn. Now's the time where it's close to finished, I think things like, "there should be a green panel here" or "I don't want two extreme close-ups on top of each other". |
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There's always a flurry of changes right at the end. Added a library panel, a kitchen panel and a look through a window from the outside panel. Moved the last panel of the extreme close-up of Flames face to earlier in the story. Effectivly splitting up the two red panels at the end and pushing one dark blue rain panel from the long rain scene to the next line. Then I thought it'd be better to have Cloud grab Rock and carry him to safety. THEN I thought it'd be better to have Cloud grab Rock and carry him to safety by throwing him through the front door. Creating each poster is a different experience. Sometimes the story is very clear and I can thumbnail the whole thing before going to the computer. More often though, it's like this one, a basic idea and working it out as I go. |
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