A break in routine. Emily showing her playful impulsiveness. From here, we have a change in scenery. I can only draw two folks sitting at a cafe table so often before getting bored! More soft shading here, and conventional panel borders are about to take a back seat. 😉
Initially, the plan for Emby was comic using strictly black and white ink with narrative-driven elements of color. However, as I was cleaning up the pages for digital presentation, I began experimenting with subtle shading techniques for added depth. On this page, I decided to incorporate a little soft shading, similar to page 11 – “Just trust me”. One theme you’ll find in The Emby Chronicles is elements being added over time, so the comic feels like it’s evolving along with Emily as her journey unfolds. Now, let’s continue…
Em is sparring. JC is typing, and panicking over whether or not to message ‘Em on the Link. It’s only been a few hours… is that too obsessive?? We’re Link buds now, it’s no big deal… right??
JC is excited to share more of her tech and asks Em to bring defensive gear tomorrow… aaand pop! right to the cheek. Whoops!
Hey! Look! The Lynk is green! Emily and JC are officially friends!
in the city of Metro Bay, denizens have opted for a more active lifestyle, ditching phones in favor of a new wearable device. Wonder what else it can do?
With this page, I wanted to play with the panel norms and have JC subtly “breaking” the borders as the reader follows the dialog. I sort of achieved that, with her looking up in top panel at Emily climbing down from the cafe rooftop, looking down in middle panel at Em as she’s re-tying her shoes, and finally her pulled back coat sleeve revealing a wristband similar to Emily’s… Oh and hey! Now they’re formally introduced. ^^
“This is my robot!” Emily’s way of saying she’s about to show off her passion! I wanted to keep a continuous flow of Em’s acrobatics and verticality, as well as maintain focus on the alleyway, so I decided on a large page spread of movement, capturing her at every pivot. As the comic goes on, I’ll be playing with perspectives and maintaining this format whenever Em is traversing the city’s topography to try and convey her daring maneuvers. ^^
