Click here to read the comic! I’ve added links after each instalment back to the corresponding blog post, so it’ll be easy to find your way back here.
I warned you, didn’t I?
When I started this blog, I wrote that I’d be experimenting as I went along. Well, the first big change is here: I’ve decided to continue Fantasy Story in black & white. As much as I wish I could say this was solely an artistically-driven decision, it mostly comes down to practicalities. With my current time constraints (a toddler at home, other work that needs to take priority) and after looking into pricing for printing (which I do plan on doing) it just made sense. Colouring takes me a long time. Maybe one day I’ll be able to hire a colourist, or revisit colouring myself on future projects, but for now, for this comic, greyscale it is!
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Some Pros & Cons
As a reader, I often find it takes me a minute to mentally adjust to reading a black & white comic if I’m expecting colour. Colour is so seductive and exciting, and my eyes want it! But one I’ve made that shift, there’s something I like about reading in black and white. Maybe it’s that, in well-done black and white comics, I tend to focus on the story and ideas more than gazing at the art.
As a creator, there’s so much that thoughtful application of colour adds to the storytelling. However, it can also be a crutch for sub-par linework, and now that I’ve made the switch I’m looking forward to focusing on value contrast, shape design, and other aspects of the art that need to be on point without the pretty colours to keep readers sticking around.
I’m going to leave the pages I’ve already posted up in colour for awhile before I convert them all to greyscale. If you’ve been reading since the beginning, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on how you felt when suddenly the world went black & white. Confused? Betrayed? Wondering if there’s some tie to Oz you weren’t expecting? And if the change didn’t totally turn you off, did you notice any difference in the way you read the story once it wasn’t in colour anymore?
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A Few New Faces
Hopefully, the lack of colour wasn’t the only thing you noticed in this instalment. Two new characters were introduced, and though we still don’t know much about any of them, I’m excited for their stories to begin to unfold over the ensuing pages. I wish I could publish more at once, but as it is, I hope you’ll come back to see what happens next!
Oh, by the way: I’ve been posting some detail and WIP stuff over on Instagram @jlprentice in between posts here, if you’re into that sort of thing.
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So that’s it for today. Hope everyone had a great weekend, and the Monday Blues don’t getcha down tomorrow.
Thanks for reading,
Jessica
Fantasy Story 