Sketches!
Here are the sketches that were drawn up for the supporters that commented or tweeted us after we reached a certain amount of favorites during the Zuda competition.
Page one process:
Here’s the art process for page one:
After Mike sent me the script and the character designs were finished I started the page roughs, laying out the panels on each page and sketching in basic info.
From there I tightened up the layouts and finished the pencils.
The next step was to ink the pencils. This is where I think the page really starts to come together.
I wanted to give the comic the appearance of an old worn and read print comic. To achieve that I distressed the art with textures, placed it on a worn paper background and used color halftones like you would see in an old comic.
FINAL WEEK: Show Your Support with the Rally Monkeybot!
There’s only one week to go, and Bernie’s BOT needs a big boost to take the title!
Besides voting and recruiting others to vote, the best way you can show your support is by replacing your icon/avatar with the official Rally Monkeybot.
Simply right click the image and choose “Save Image As…” Save it to your desktop, and then upload it to the right program.
Facebook, MySpace, etc.
Zuda Comics
Twitter, DeviantArt, etc.
Remember, this is only temporary. You can revert to your old icon on April 1 with no damage done. Thanks for your support!!!
Rough stuff…
Here are the roughs/ layouts for the first eight pages to Bernie’s BOT.
Working in the horizontal format and finding ways to make the panels flow and move the readers’ eyes through the page was an interesting challenge.
Interviews!
Mike and I were interviewed by Rocket Llama, and I was interviewed by the Common Good Press (an underground style magazine put together by students at the College of the Desert (COD) in Palm Desert, CA) about my background as an artist, why I left the desert, what projects I am working on, what upsets me about art and life in general.
Rocket Llama interview:
Writer Mike Farah and artist Zane DeGaine have created the comic Bernie’s BOT for the current Zuda Comics competition, that monthly battle to see which of ten creative teams can win a contract to keep producing their story for DC Comics’ online division.
Read the full interview here: Interview: Michael Farah and Zane DeGaine, Bernie’s BOT (Zuda Competitor)
From Billy to Bernie
Originally, the character of Bernie was going to be a boy named Billy. Here’s the design evolution of our main character…
Bernie’s BOT: The Trailer
Trailer and music created by Charles R Thompson.
Tawros: Concept to Final Design
Mike wanted Tawros to be based off of the taurus zodiac figure. For the most part, designing the characters for Bernie’s BOT came pretty easy, with little revisions needed. For Tawros, the midsection wasn’t working and the arms were too puny, so I bulked them up and vois là!
Best Review Ever
Comics maven David Harper took a look at all the competitors in the March 2010 Zuda contest on his Multiversity Comics site. He had some amazing compliments for Bernie’s BOT:
This competitor is flat out, wall-to-wall awesome. Mike Farah creates a world in which robots are every day things and something kids have like video game systems (except they are kind of like pets…or are actually pets in the case of Bolts). The story starts off with a showdown between two robots, but that is quickly revealed as a something that we’ll eventually get to as a 3 months earlier page introduces us to our lead Bernadette.
The characters are rich, with Bernie being a very intriguing and complex lead and her dad being a loving father who just wants to give her everything she deserves. In just 8 frames (7 really), the two creators gave us two characters I genuinely cared about.
Zane DeGaine cannot go unmentioned, as the visuals are astoundingly good here. From the throwback coloring to the frayed edges of the frames, it looks like and feels like a comic from the 70′s uncovered today. Artistically, it’s a kindred spirit to the recent work of Javier Pulido and Marcos Martin, and I am enamored with it.
This is a massive success in my mind, and I find myself eagerly anticipating more with the competition not even a third through. Without a doubt my favorite this month.
Thanks for the kind words, David!
Welcome to the BOT Spot!
We may be a little late setting up our headquarters, but stick with us! This blog will bring you all the latest Bernie’s BOT news and special features, including sketches, fan art, videos, behind-the-scenes commentary and more.
To start, we have a wicked piece of fan art depicting one of our main characters, Thursday!
Thanks to the talented Nick Justus for the tribute. Keep ‘em coming!
