Status Update 01
The Phantom Pleasure Newsletter
This is some promo art I’m working on for Episode 1.0 of THE PHANTOM PLEASURE. It’s not quite finished yet, as some of the details are still blurry; but I wanted to share it with you anyway! I’m impatient like that. I was going for a much more realistic feel with this one, almost as if were a piece of promotional art for a live action series. Pretty fun to imagine that. The next episode starts with this image, as Echo vaguely remembers what Halo did to her the night before…
Thanks to everyone who reached out to me with feedback after reading the prologue! I’m glad you enjoyed the characters and set-up to the main narrative. I’m currently hard at work on the next release, still putting in 10-12 hour work days most of the time. Episode 1.0 is a bit more traditional in terms of storytelling, less abstract than the prologue. But I suppose that makes sense, since it takes place IRL and not inside Echo’s corrupted dreams.
I’ve been testing and pushing my boundaries as a comic artist lately. I feel extremely humbled by this endeavor… I always knew that comics creation is a difficult process, but my goodness. I won’t lie, it’s been a bit of a battle so far! But I’m slowly finding new ways to work smarter and faster without sacrificing the art quality. I hope you all think so too, once you see the next episode.
And now I’d like to share a tiny bit of art analysis for anyone who might care…
In the prologue, I sprinkled in some silly subliminal ‘verified checkmarks’ to emphasize the presence of the Gogg Republic in Geo-City One. Here is one example, on the dream-invading projection of Halo:
And another one, which some of you already caught:
Back when Echo was a premium user in the Upper Levels, she put 4 shots in the shape of a verified check into Gobo’s chest. Very Fist of the North Star of her to do that, haha. (More about that incident will be revealed later on).
There were also a lot of little easter eggs and nods to old internet technology or peripherals, but I’ll explore that topic another time; if anyone is interested. Lastly, I want to share this panel because it took forever to create, even though it ended up small and insignificant on the page:
This is the corridor leading to Katja’s secret multi-player room in the Upper Levels. None of this was 3d-modeled. I did a line art rough (to get the perspective right) with simple greys filled in, then spent hours creating textures and grime. I used a bunch of different techniques to get it looking the way I wanted. Considering what it is, I think I got a bit carried away. But I have to admit I had fun.
Well, that’s all for now. I’ll end with some links to music that I’ve been listening to while working. Maybe I’ll go into the backgrounds of the main characters in the next newsletter, and share some sources of inspiration. New episode coming soon! And again, thank you to everyone who has subscribed and supported my work. I’m honored and humbled.
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