Another Deja Vu Page (Patreon)

     The Deja page seemed to go over well last week, so here's another from the same story. Looking at these two pages--which I like, by the way--I'm reminded of how I came to feel trapped by the "Boneyard style". So many people said how much they loved the "clean" art style of the series that I felt obliged to maintain it. This made drawing certain things, certain textures and surfaces, much more difficult, because essentially I was rendering in a style that wasn't mine. I'd seen other artists use it to great effect, and thought it would be a good look for the series. But it really wasn't me, and it took quite awhile to get used to. That's why I started experimenting a bit with the Boneyard shorts--the gray tones, etc. I am not nor will I ever be able to do what Mike Mignola does: I need mid-tone values; I like details. That's why I think these Deja Vu pages work so much better. Mind you, it helps that I was drawing cornstalks and scarecrows; all the fine, scratchy rendering helps with the overall feel. But I think actual gray tones (pencil shading) are even better. And of course, this is all relevant only if you're working in black-and-white, and who the hell is doing comics like that anymore?

     Have I said all this before?