Long John

I figured enough time has passed to throw some details and information at you with regard to the eagerly anticipated next chapter in Long John’s story.

However, some things I won’t reveal quite yet are the release date, the chapter title, nor the cover––those are worth a post on their own at this point and will likely be posted before the year is done.

What I can tell you is that, in terms of drawing the thing, Chapter 4 is nearly done. I have about five pages left to draw and ink. After that, it’s all about coloring, lettering, and compiling the book as a whole before sending it off to the printer. I’ve got a good headway on the coloring––I’ve been throwing down colors when I’m away from my table but still have down time and access to a laptop––but there’s still a bit of road ahead of me for that. However, once all the pages are drawn and inked, coloring is not nearly as taxing (though still quite a process) and will likely go relatively quickly.

I can also tell you that this chapter is a bit of a standalone chapter in addition to ostensibly starting the second “book” or “act” of the story; so it’s a bit of a new beginning albeit clearly building off of what happened before, especially in Chapter 3. Though the plot thickens and some new characters are introduced (some of whom have been revealed already on this very site), it’s mostly a study in the psychology of Long John himself as he gets put (or puts himself?) through an even tighter ringer than what he has been through already.

Continuing what started in Chapter 3, Chapter 4 has seen me pushing myself even more artistically, playing with tools in ways I’d only dabbled in before. Specifically, I’ve become more acquainted with the correction pen in a manner more than just using to fix errors I make on the page (the physical equivalent of the beloved Ctrl+z aka “undo” of digital art), instead using it to create effects that elevate the tone and focus of a panel and page. And it’s a lot of fun to make a mess.

So, I am continuing to get this book done with a release––with hope––before the end of the year. If not, then it will easily be available at the beginning of 2020. But, as the guy that puts this thing together, I am only writing this post because the end is feeling very close at this point and I’m excited to get Chapter 4 to you as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience and continued interest. To keep up-to-date with my artistic experiments, be sure to follow me on Instagram where a lot of art is posted.