Necessary Monsters, as discussed in the interview is a web to print comic to be published in 2010 through AiT/PlanetLar.

Once I received the story from Daniel Imade the ( with hindsight ) mad decision to draw the whole book in Photoshop. To this day I can't recall why, but if I ever find the bug that put the idea into my brain, it will get evicted for sure.

The whole process was hampered by technical issues, and only improved when I switched computers.

My set up is a 21'' Imac, and Wacom tablet, plus the usual software. I eventually switched to using a 17' Macbook pro, and productivity blossomed.

I make no claims to be a "natural" cartoonist. I can draw without any reference, a lot of my autobio work is made this way. I also love using anything and everything, photos, reference material, myself as a model posing in front of photo booth, tracing, 3d models. Everything goes into the grinder. As long as the result is my work, and, most importantly, tells the story, everything is up for grabs. I spent a lot of time agonising about these issues. Now i've embraced this approach, it's all a lot more fun.

Whatever gets the result that is required, get it made!

Talking of which...

The Story...

By kind permission of Daniel, here is the story for one of the pages.

Page 2

Panel 1

We see Creeping Tuesday storming angrily through the corridor towards us, a look of barely restrained fury on her monstrous face. Gravehouse’s words come from off-panel left.

Gravehouse: Ah, Tuesday.

Panel 2

Focus on Gravehouse as he tries to act nonchalant in the face of Tuesday’s clear displeasure.

Gravehouse: I take it by your tone that you’ve finally noticed-

Panel 3

Tuesday pins Gravehouse to the wall of the corridor by his throat, cutting him off mid-sentence. Perhaps work in a bit of a visual call back to the similar scene of their first meeting in the dream in chapter one?

Tuesday: What did you do to me!?

Panel 4

The two face off. Tuesday leaning in close almost snarling, Gravehouse irritatingly calm and reasonable despite a seeming physical disadvantage.

Gravehouse: I didn’t do anything.
Tuesday: I can’t change back!
Gravehouse: And?

Panel 5

Tuesday keeps her grip around Gravehouse’s throat with one one hand. With her other she punches him in the face.

Panel 6

Tuesday screams in Anger at Gravehouse, who evidences the beginnings of a trickle of blood from his lip as a result of Tuesday’s punch.

Tuesday: What did you do!?!

1.Thumbnails

In a sketchbook I would scribble out the whole script. After scanning them in, I simplify the thumbs to sketches and balloon placements.

So, I have the bones of the page, roughly knowing what will go where. This will be the same process for all the pages of the chapter.

The frames and speech balloons are then laid out in InDesign, and imported into Photoshop.

2. Photo reference additional line work.

In Photoshop further reference material is added to the page, and the line work is built on and fleshed out.

3.Finished Line art.

After lots of sketching and deleting and refining, the lines are finalized.

4. Blacks and finished page.

Blacks added and page flattened and ready for uploading.

Finally some extras. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and please drop in on the website and read the comic.

Some sketchbook thumbnails and character studies.