WORK STAGES on another failed "hybrid workflow" art test, this time on THE LAST PARTY! (Patreon)

As I continue to flail desperately and so far futilely towards some viable means of producing finished comics artwork, I realized that I hadn't yet tried out an Empowered-style, pencil-based workflow with the new 8B(!) 2mm pencil leads I discovered last summer.

So, I sketched up an analog-media page rough from potential fantasy comic The Last Party featuring the first team-up of the Dwarf Barbarian from predecessor Patreon comic Party of Two and the Human Mage from other predecessor comic Hushed Half-Elf:

Oddly enough, the initial emotional core of merged project The Last Party is the wholesome and (unlike most anime and manga) actually platonic sempai/ kouhai relationship betwixt Barbarian and Mage. (No "Sempai, notice me" here, in other words.)

Anyhoo, I scanned in the page rough, opened it up in Clip Studio Paint, and tightened up the layout via Wacom Cintiq:

Then I started working over the bluelines with 8B pencil, PITT Artist pen, and Sharpie marker:

...before pulling the plug on this test after only 50 minutes or so, as my drawing hand's wrist and inner forearm were soon burning with familiar irritation. Alas, even my beloved new 8B leads aren't bold and soft enough to avoid triggering my various recurring hand ailments; oh, well.

Here's the Dwarf's rendering, isolated from the blue layer:

The results weren't that bad, but certainly not worth torching my drawing hand. Back to the drawing board, folks... or the Wacom Cintiq and/or iPad, looks like, as all-digital experimentation will have to continue after yet another "hybrid workflow" scheme has crashed and burned.

NEXT TIME ON THIS HERE PATREON: No idea, TBH, but something should be coming up in the next M/W/F slot. Let's find out together, shall we?