Comic page & Character art, Soukei Baku Options

[Spirit_Master_X]

I've began a new original japanese series and I was hoping to turn it into a comic series. Here is the first page:

[Show/Hide] Comic Page

Here is the main guy.

[Show/Hide] Soukei Shin (Main Character)

[Show/Hide] Banner Art

For more information about Soukei Baku, please visit Soukei Baku (Art & Literature)__||Traditional Japanese||

Also, feel free to comment. I'm always looking for criticism.

[Spirit_Master_X]

||BUMP||

The link for the blog has been updated. If you visited the blog and enjoyed reading the stories, then you will enjoy Episodes 9-10 that has just been posted. Also, if you enjoy reading the series and wish to keep updated join the blog through Google Connect. Post your comments on your favorite story and let's really get a fanbase going.

This thread will be bumped again everytime the blog has been updated.

For those who haven't visited the link but is curious about the series, here is the first written episode that ties in to the comic page that is in the original post:

[Show/Hide] Soukei Baku Episode 1: Last Bout

Through generations, countless brimstone has been shared amongst the
Amaretsu and the Makato clans.
The foundation of the Amaretsu has always favored honor.
Their mastery in Kenjutsu, forced into them the blood of the samurai.
Those gifted unto the Makato favored death.
They were trained under the ancient ninja. Built with quick response,
quiet stealth, and unbelievable speed.

What started it all? It began with just one battle...

"Takamori!" shouted Yhemae, third queen of the Amaretsu. She was the
wife of Takamori Amaretsu, king of the Amaretsu, and one of the greatest
Kenjutsu warriors known to history.
Facing the great Takamori was ninja assassin, Hsou-Saijin of the Makato.
Both men stood outside the presence of the Makato temple.
Located at the peak of a mud covered mountain.
The mud was the result of heavy rain that poured around them.
Takamori's loose, dark blue, samurai clothing was drenched with water and mud.
As well as Hsou-Saijin's, all black, tight, ninja uniform.

Each family utilized a different style with the same weapon.
The Amaretsu often held their katana with both hands. Their tactic of choice was
usually fueled with powerful sword strikes and blocks.
The Makato held their katanas with only their right hand in a reverse angle,
allowing for the length of their katana to scale up their back, the sharp end usually
pointing at the sky.

As both men narrowed their eyes into one another, Hsou briefly glanced
over at Yhemae. A quick smile appeared under his black mouth wrap.
Yhemae could feel his eyes burning into her very soul.
Before the final battle, Yhemae has always distrusted Hsou, but also
felt a sense of fear as well. She often consulted Takamori to never allow
Hsou within the borders of their temple...but he didn't listen.
Takamori thought the two families could come together as one...but soon he
realized that Yhemae had been right the entire time.

"You should listen to your wife." Hsou said with a smile.

Takamori rolled his eyes at Hsou. Especially after what he did to Yhemae.
She was half beaten when Takamori arrived. Her dress was cut all over...
more so around her breast area. Cuts ran across her chest, arms, and face.
It was clear Hsou wanted to do more to her than just kill her.

Yhemae sat on the mud covered ground, her back leaned against a statue of
Hirekuzo, heir to the Makato's fortune three hundred years before Hsou.

"Takamori! please..." whispered Yhemae.

Takamori growled and halted his wife from speaking any longer. He knew it
would do nothing but hurt her continously.

"Oi!" he paused for a bit and then continued..."Yhemae...you should not speak, or
you will upset your wounds! This will be over soon. I promise..."

Yhemae's eyes watered in on themselves, as her eyelashes fought to keep the
pouring rain from falling into her eyes.

Hsou smirked and sent his left foot flying forward until the bottom of his foot
hit the dirt. With his legs spread apart, he decided to use the leverage around
his left foot to keep his momentum as he launched himself in the wind.
His right hand kept his katana at bay behind his back as he tucked in his knees
close to his chest. Both arms wrapped around his legs, curling himself into a ball.
His body spun forward, converting into a rapid front flip like a cannon ball.

Takamori stood there waiting in his usual stance. Both legs spread a part, and his knees
slightly bent. The length of his sword stretched the dirt in front of him as the
very tip of the blade nearly touched the mud. A firm grip held tight on the hilt of the blade.
His eyes were closed, as Yhemae looked on in desperate anticipation...Once Hsou
was in range, Takamori rotated the katana while bringing his right foot around in front
of his left. His arms arched upward, as the sharp length of the blade aimed to cut
through Hsou's hurling body.

Hsou came out of his front flip in time for his feet to push down on Takamori's sword.
His weight was able to dig the sharp end of Takamori's katana deep inside the mud.
As Hsou came down, his right arm arched to the side, his wrist curled to the left,
and his sword came hurdling down on Takamori's left shoulder.
He aimed to finish Takamori, by driving his blade diagonally through the man's torso.
Yhemae yelped as she saw the immediate situation her husband was in.

As a last resort, Takamori decided to release his left hand that had been wrapped
around the hilt of his sword. He curled his wrist until his palm faced Hsou's
incoming forearm. As his hand wrapped around Hsou's arm, he was able to stop
the fatal blow. However, Takamori and Hsou stood there in a tight struggle. Both
men using the tension of their muscles to attempt to overpower one another.
Takamori fought to keep Hsou's sword at bay, while Hsou struggled to proceed
with his attack, using both hands to force his blade down. Hsou looked deep
in Takamori's eyes and saw defeat.

This put Hsou in a position of victory in morality. He could feel his opponent's soul
slowly draining from his body as his sword inched in closer toward his left collar bone.

"Erm...! The world can only carry one family at a time. The Amaretsu...are cowards!
Honor is only subject to man when he realizes that one day his death will come
sooner than expected! It is your last resort...However...the Makato never allow such
an easy way out...! We only subject ourselves to our ultimate goal...victory!"

Hsou pressed down harder on Takamori's grip. Takamori's knees almost gave out
from under him. Within seconds, his right knee was forced to find a spot on the
ground. Hsou's strength was exceeding his own. At this rate...he knew he was
defeated. His eyes began turning red, veins began popping out from his skin.
He greeted his teeth...

"Urrrgh...! Honor...is already a form of victory...! What you seek...lies within your
ambitions...! That is why...the Makato will never win!"

"Pest...! Utter peasants defines your family! You misconfigured one thing...This
situation is in my favor!" Hsou bantered back.

Hsou released his left hand from the hilt of his blade, curling all fingers into a fist
except both his middle and index. The tips of his fingers shot forward quickly
just above Takamori's adams apple. Hsou felt the infiltration dive pass the
flesh, hitting a nudge bone attached to the apple, which sent it flying to the back
of his throat. Takamori was forced to release his grip on Hsou's arm. He held his
neck as his body began tumbling to the ground.
His katana fell to the mud, while Hsou continued with his vicious strike.

The power of Hsou's blade sliced cleanly through Takamori's torso, two pieces
of Yhemae's husband lay before her. She yelled as she watched Hsou slowly
rise up to both feet. His eyes slowly looked over at Yhemae and knew his mission
had not been complete just yet. A wide grin appeared on his lips.
Yhemae's dress became stained with dirt and mud as she slowly crawled away
from Hsou. Being that her left leg was the most injured, she had no choice but
to crawl on her right side...which made it difficult for her left arm to help guide
her body away.

"...What have you done...?!" she screamed at Hsou.

Once Hsou was within range, his left hand reached down and grabbed a hand full
of her dark silky hair, and forcefully lifting her up by her bangs.
She hollered once her left leg was forced to straighten itself back out.
Hsou held her face close toward his lips as he bent down toward her. He kissed her
passionately, though she continously resisted. After he was finished, he slowly pulled
away from her lips and whispered...

"...Looks like your husband was right...it is my honor to end your family's legacy.
Victory is finally mine!"

With that, Hsou instantly drove his katana through Yhemae's heart. The steel
snapped the blood flowing to her heart and left a harsh river of blood spilling
from her chest. She died instantly.

Others of the Amaretsu families around the world heard of Takamori's defeat.
And even though the family lived on...Hsou made sure, that before the time of
his death...the Makato would always be a force to be feared.

Welcome...to Soukei Baku.

Thank you.

This post has been edited by Spirit_Master_X: Feb 2 2012, 02:44 PM

[Spirit_Master_X]

Update ||2-03-12|| - The drawing phase of the first comic has been completed. Phase 2 has begun which will swing the comic into full inking/coloring production. The blog has also been updated with a news update link which will show all current updates.

On a personal note, I'am really excited about this!

This post has been edited by Spirit_Master_X: Feb 3 2012, 02:20 PM

[X-M-O]

It's looking good; can't wait for the full inking/production bit.

[Spirit_Master_X]

Thanks. Myself and a friend of mine were actually discussing why there isn't any backgrounds in the comic. We decided to exclude them from the first book precisely because it is a flashback and so we figured that leaving the background anonymous would have a sort of a flashback feeling. But I'm glad you like it. We're well on our way of finishing it and in the meantime I'm just waiting in anticipation for completing the second.

This post has been edited by Spirit_Master_X: Feb 3 2012, 04:23 PM

[Hirei]

Some things I can suggest right off the bat:

1. Watch your toning: I can see toning leaks.
2. Panels: You forgot to erase some lines
3. Text; Spacing needs a little more work and the font needs to be something easier to read than Poor Richard.
4. There is a lot of white space around the page.

[Spirit_Master_X]

Some things I can suggest right off the bat:

1. Watch your toning: I can see toning leaks.
2. Panels: You forgot to erase some lines
3. Text; Spacing needs a little more work and the font needs to be something easier to read than Poor Richard.
4. There is a lot of white space around the page.

I see what you mean. Text especially because usually I use a protractor to create my panels; and the measure I usually go for is 150 to trace each vertical line on both sides of the page. That really pacts the images inside the panels closer together, which will leave no more room for text, so I'am surely going to start looking out for those. Maybe not in this comic book as I already have everything done in regards to sketching but thanks for pointing that out. The white spaces around the panels are going to be trimmed once the book is ready to be presented. The white space inside the panels, however, is something me and a couple of friends thought would be okay since this book is technically a flashback and since this is really our first go around at creating a comic with anime we felt it would be best to get the basics out of our style first before attempting to include backgrounds and such. But surely this will be carefully looked upon as we approach the second book.

Toning leaks...I have to be honest I don't exactly know what toning leaks are...=/

Unless you mean applying less emphasis on the shadows? I'll have to be filled in on that one.

Edit:
No wait it took a while to register but yeah the toning leaks does look pretty bad around Soukei's design. I honestly wasn't paying close enough attention after I exported it. At the moment I'am using Manga Studio Debut 4 and the toning and such is something I still have to get around to, especially since this is really my first time using a drawing pad. Hopefully in time the experience will start to show itself and we'll be able to present better works of art for you guys.

This post has been edited by Spirit_Master_X: Feb 4 2012, 10:34 PM

[Hirei]

Are you using a mouse or a tablet? With a mouse it's going to be a lot harder to clean it looks like.

[Spirit_Master_X]

We use a tablet. There were a few portions on some other comic pages where we used a mouse/polygonal lasso tool combo for some coloring but the majority were done with a tablet yeah.

[Nanashi]

(Haven't been around lately) but I'm happy to see your working on a manga/comic! Well, your actually doing a lot, haha! That's a good thing, of course Your character design is nice, yet are you studying tutorials at this time (if you could make for such)? I was also wondering what program you were using for your artwork.

Last but not least, the literature~ I'll be sure to comment on that as well as your writing is just as vital and great for the story. How far have you developed it?

[Spirit_Master_X]

Thanks Nanashi. We use Manga Studio to ink and color the comics, but first we draw the panels and the scenes on paper ourselves before scanning them in. As of now, we've written well over ten literature episodes that can be found on the blog. The first ten covers the first season, the second is still begin worked on, but we're nearly finished with it as well. =]