Graphic Novel Artwork

Chapter 2 (Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 4 and the first two pages of Chapter 6 posted previously)

InDesign document, computer drawn

characters by Philip Hogg

©2010 Charlene Brown

The production and layout of this graphic novel has become much less random since I’ve got Philip Hogg doing the figure drawings. I hope you’ll be able to pick up the plot, until now barely detectable, now that you’ve seen the Prologue and first two chapters. We may even do Chapter 3 next!

The action in later chapters takes place in the former Soviet Republic of Kyrgyzstan, which has been in the news again lately. I’ve resisted the temptation to make the characters in this story, which is taking place in 2003, even more prescient than they already are – but I’ll admit I was considering adding lines like “the Kyrgyz government that takes over in a couple of years will probably be overthrown in about April 2010.”

I’ll be away from my computer on another painting trip, beginning in a couple of days. You may remember that I mentioned after our family trip to Mexico in February that I didn’t find the time or a place to spread out the supplies I listed and took along for ‘studio’ painting Well, I’m taking all the same stuff this time – because we’re going to be in the same place for three weeks! The ‘place’ is a cabin on a cruise through the Panama canal, so I won’t be spreading out much, but there will be plenty of time and no end of things to paint!

Virtual Paintout in the Canary Islands

Looking south from GC-210

Watercolour and crayon

©2010 Charlene Brown

I love this Virtual Painout blog, and so far I have participated in seven paintouts. Two were in cities, Halifax and San Francisco, where I have been for real, but the rest, including this month’s Canary Islands paintout, were brand new adventures for me. Navigating on Google Streetview is marvellously entertaining, and finding a great location is always exciting, whether or not a city is familiar.

I’ve finally learned to avoid the problem of 'losing’ a wonderful painting possibility by following this advice from Bill Guffey, the founder of Virtual Paintout. He says, “The easiest way to get back to the same place is to email a link to the view to yourself. Go to SEND in the upper right corner of the screen and a box will pop up that allows you to email it to yourself or anyone else.”

I emailed myself the link to GC-210, Tejeda, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Canary Islands, and it’s a good thing I did – GC-210 is the number of a highway that goes all over the place!

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