B & W Zine

SO, These illustrations are from a little zine I made in about 4 days. (I was going for 3 but my housemates had a buffy marathon) I need to test myself, train myself back up and mostly regain some of the fun that stress has been stealing.
I've combined inks and pencil here for my lines but I still need to find a process to show their personalities better in their digital state. I'm thinking layers and multiply. I haven't had a night out with them in a long while.

The b&w element just allowed me to focus on the lines and process more as well as getting closer to the ink feel. I am a big fan of crazy contrast b&w fun.

I had a bit of a 'face ban' in my illustrations for a while as my face styles are influenced by anything and everything and differed drastically but I feel like the mask kind of bypasses it by not letting you see the eyes. 

Below are a bunch of initial sketches and the inspirations involved. 

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A Thousand Nights

I'm currently working on a short 'comic' commissioned by my tutor who worked with me on my dissertation to be published in an anthology. As my dissertation was all about the illustrated map within literature novels he suggested I explore the maps effect of taking the reader on a journey, acting as a contents page for the novel to follow.  Here I am looking at presenting a story via a non-linear narrative told solely through pictures. 

At the moment it is based loosely on Arabian Nights or A Thousand and One Nights, suggesting the inspiration or origin of each fresh nightly tale.

I'm still trying to refine my technique of combining my chunky infant school pencil drawings with digital colour. I want lovely textures of the final image but without loosing he freedom of the colour tests from the middle two images. It's difficult to find the middle ground. But so, so much fun!

Deciding on colour is hard too. I love the back and white roughs but I'm too much of a sucker for brash rub your face all over colour! Perhaps I'll go back and greyscale the finals?