Jack Magic

Pere Noel Day 09

2009-12-25T17:22:00.000-05:00

That's it! And submitted on Christmas Day, no less! I hope you are all having a great Christmas!

To clarify, their fear of soldiers are real and refer to the redshirts usually sent by the story's main villain.

Jack Magic (C) me

Pere Noel Day 08

2009-12-23T19:37:00.003-05:00

Madame Paisley collects so many kinds of textiles, it's almost obsessive, and because the caravan is her's, the inside is padded with countless seas of drapery and rugs.

Pere Noel Day 07

2009-12-20T18:43:00.000-05:00

That IS Jack keeping Yvette company for the night. And yes, that IS a Jack pillow that he magically materialized.

Another member of the troupe is a blue-skinned man so mysterious, none of the other characters know his name. Like a horse, he prefers to sleep standing up, against a wall or something like it... not very calming to anyone who happens to walk past him.

Pere Noel Day 06

2009-12-19T21:30:00.000-05:00

This one of the pages I had immediately envisioned when I first started this one-shot comic. However, it took way longer than the usual page. Jack was modeled on the personality of a comedian anyway, so it seemed only natural that he'd give a speech before the dinner. He also subtly makes a reference to his own life history too.

Jack Magic (C) me

Pere Noel Day 05

2009-12-17T16:53:00.001-05:00

Madame Paisley's full-body page. We've seen her before in my past pages. She's the founder and backbone of the whole troop of magicians, and is only one of the few original magicians from the golden age, right before the era ended.

Kedgeree is a real dish with Scottish origins dating back to the 18th century, usually used as a breakfast entree.

2009-12-16T22:51:00.001-05:00

Intro to Stephane.

As stated on the page, Stephane is a big, burly man who, for reasons not yet revealed, is delusioned into thinking he's a knight. Knights, in the world of 'Jack Magic' have become replaced by a more modern French-like government centuries ago.

Pere Noel Day 03

2009-12-15T17:44:00.003-05:00

Here we take a break from the story and show some more chemistry between the main characters.

Pere Noel Day 02

2009-12-13T22:39:00.001-05:00

Intro of Burt, Gunthrie, and the acrobats.

Burt used to be a normal guy with dreams of becoming a magician until a mistake during practice left him with uncontrollable goat transformations. He plays the lute.

Gunthrie is a muscle man dwarf who used to work in the circus, but now serves as Paisley's right-hand man and the leader when she isn't around.

Jack Magic is (C) me

Pere Noel Day 01

2009-12-10T13:27:00.002-05:00

First page of the Jack Magic Christmas comic. This comic takes place somewhere in the middle of the canon storyline, so a lot of characters will be seen in action for the first time, but treated like you knew them for a good while now.

I expect this to last about nine pages at the least. I was also gonna wait until I finished the whole thing to upload it, but as usual, I have on patience.

Jack Magic Halloween 2008

2008-10-26T10:46:00.002-05:00

I did want to continue doing the tradition of a Halloween pic, since I have been having fun doing it in the past. I DIDN'T want something I seen before (yes, yes, yes, the pumpkin's stem is phallic- I get it). So here we have them all as zombies, taking off their masks. The Mystery Man in the far back still has his on- it's not that clear.

There is also Burt, who has not been introduced in the story yet, as well as Gunthrie, Madame and Yvette here. Burt's design was one of the many driving reasons why I discontinued the comic as of now, as he was REALLY HARD to pin down. Hopefully, if I continue, you'll get to see him in his normal clothes.

This also marks the first time for me using custom brushes.

2008-08-18T07:02:00.001-05:00

Although it may not look it, these characters are actually from Jack Magic, a webcomic which I have not updated for at least a year. This piece is the first one from this series to come in many months!

The gnomes and fairies may not be the most memorable because they aren't even among the main characters! They do appear on the sidelines now and then though. If I had gotten way into the comic, the Intermission mini-comics would features these miniature characters in adventures of their own! The gnomes were inspired by the wax candles you would see at novelty items in shops. The fairies even have names: the red one's CRAG, and the orange one's Ivy.

Why a cheese race? Despite it not being the most intelligent of jokes, I find random humor to be funny. And the fact that these two races who downright hate each other would be serious about something as bizarre as carrying different kinds of European cheeses across 50 miles of land! But hey, they're pretty different than us, so they COULD have their reasons for their stange rituals.

Mystery Man

2007-09-18T07:37:00.001-05:00

This character will appear in the coming chapters. I know I've been on-break with the updates, but I am stressed with job searching after this one ends, and I'm making all the rounds.

071

2007-08-26T21:59:00.001-05:00

Dion's intentions are vague here on purpose. We'll find out more about his plans later on.

070

2007-07-28T21:39:00.000-05:00

069

2007-07-25T21:13:00.000-05:00

I wanted to have Jack narrate this middle panel, but decided against it, since I also wanted this chapter to have a mood all its own, and Jack's character would distract from that. So the text may be a bit disruptive, but it's fine.

068

2007-07-20T22:05:00.001-05:00

067

2007-07-14T22:19:00.000-05:00

066

2007-07-03T21:36:00.002-05:00

I had a lot of red-headed twins in my childhood days. >:

'Find The Lady' is actually a swindler's trick which involves a sleight-of-hand, and which can financially hurt any player who is tricked into playing. Morgan's version is for children, even though it still involves cards.

065

2007-07-03T21:36:00.001-05:00

064

2007-05-30T22:02:00.000-05:00

Morgan's pretty dominating when she's getting into her "actress" mood. It's part of how I'm trying to show what she really likes in playing magic tricks. It's basically the only way she feels she has control over her environment, and that fact that she feels most comfortable somewhere other than reality is pretty discomforting.

WHY doesn't she like mimes?! DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUUUUN!'

Next page will be in: color.

063

2007-05-28T18:16:00.000-05:00

The joke here is that Morgan's mom (unnamed) is not getting what's going on at-- ALL! :) This is all building up to what exactly Morgan's conflict will be for the remainder of the story- it's still developing- and it has to do with her parents. I don't want her parents to be clueless, that's used way too often, but rather, be in disagreement with her in some issues. I love how her character is developing slightly too.

062

2007-05-26T21:52:00.001-05:00

2007-05-24T21:56:00.000-05:00

Oh yes. :D

Dion and Nicholas aren't designed to appear past this chapter, and yet I still had to design and name them. The things I do for my extras.

060

2007-05-24T21:55:00.001-05:00

059

2007-05-13T21:38:00.001-05:00

058

2007-05-12T21:11:00.000-05:00

I know what you're thinking. "Andrew can't make weekly due dates, so he must sacrifice color to compensate!" Well-- you'd be right. :P But this is only going to be for a while. I will always color pages that introduce new characters, major props, special effects, backgrounds etc... - this particular page doesn't introduce anything new, so it's okay here. I really believe that color is one of those things that separates this comic from others, so you will be seeing color sometimes, and black and white other times. It's for me to make the sheer amount of pages faster, and to save me time. Hope you enjoy this page.

057

2007-04-20T21:20:00.000-05:00

That rabbit isn't Jack. It's just some random rabbit. Very mysterious...

ARTBREAK- Madame Paisley and Miss Leader

2007-04-20T19:21:00.000-05:00

Here are the two pieces featured in the Jack Magic comic. Both reflect Morgan's conflicting views toward different forms of magic entertainment. I posted them here cause there are some texts that didn't make it into the comics pages. Madame Paisley, as some of you may recall from about a year ago, will soon be one of the major characters in the story later on- this illustration shows how she was in her prime, and comes from one of Morgan's oldest children's books.

056

2007-04-20T19:19:00.000-05:00

This turned out to be one of the better pages to utilize color beautifully. It helps that there isn't any dialogue. Anyone who can read what's in her diary gets bonus points!

055

2007-04-02T21:08:00.000-05:00

We now have Morgan's dad. Both her parents are unnamed right now, and I frankly don't know if they ever will be named. This is Morgan's story after all. I created two quick and very different illustrations for this page. They will be more prominently featured on the next page, as they are very crucial to Morgan's character.

054

2007-03-26T21:10:00.000-05:00

053

2007-03-18T20:01:00.000-05:00

The third panel contains what I think is the best drawing of Morgan yet. I'm trying to remember what I did differently- it may be that I actually sketched out her facial features and shape in the rough draft, rather than left it to the final drawing. Her hair makes a really good shape there too.

She has a Zidler ad hanging in her room. Judging from her decor, and the dialogue, you get the sense that she's a street magic fanatic.

052

2007-03-15T08:11:00.000-05:00

051

2007-02-07T22:33:00.000-05:00

I was going to submit this yesterday, but the background was the last thing added, and the format and composition didn't look right. There were too many places that were spacious, and the balance was off. I went in tonight and put some more texture on the grass and added more trees (the trees added yesterday are both from Norm & Cory). I still think there's too much white space, but it'll have to do for now.

I'm not sure he wears this costume when he's singing it in the film, but eh.

050

2007-01-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

049

2007-01-25T22:46:00.000-05:00

048

2006-12-28T10:58:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

047

2006-12-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's THIS kind of ending. :P

046

2006-12-03T17:11:00.000-05:00

There's my Frank Miller panel in the middle there.

045

2006-11-28T23:09:00.000-05:00

044

2006-11-16T21:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dem prison pillows arn' make em like they used ter'.

I tried a new effect for Jack's teleportation trick, and it came out marvelously! I will use this from now on!

043

2006-11-08T22:24:00.000-05:00

042

2006-11-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

041

2006-10-27T20:24:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween! Here's a really orange and black page to rein in the holiday! The one thing I wish I had done differently was leave Old Jack whiter, like the current Jack. With the pink halo around him, he looks a bit awkward in blue.

040

2006-10-21T16:25:00.000-05:00

There are always details that I most possibly can just skip to save time and energy, but those details make all the difference. Of course, I wanted to have Jack trapped in this classic, Houdini-like manner with the chamber, etc., but the locks look almost like a stone eye, which, by the way, is one of the symbols that stand for the villain Perout, and his philosophies. You can see traces of it here and there in the architecture of Grandville, but they are all just sneaked in there quietly, so the reader can be subconscious about it. Clouds, of course, are another symbol of Perout, because they stand for prosperity and the "line of progress" that he believes in, and his wig also mimics a cloud.

In this montage, Jacks is doing everything in his power to try to thwart the scientific inventions that are all invented by the scientists of this city. It's fun trying to think up just WHAT LIMITATIONS Jack has, as opposed to being an apparently all-powerful creature.

039

2006-09-30T12:41:00.000-05:00

038

2006-09-19T22:11:00.000-05:00

Here we go. I love how this whole story has turned into this psuedo-science-fiction comic! The other half is, of course, the unexplainable, magical elements. This is one of the reasons why it takes place in a fantasy world, because then, I have more freedom to create more imaginative inventions of Grandville, and be a bit more loose with the types of characters and creatures.

There was once a moment where I considered placing this story in a real time period, but I really wanted to do these things, so I nixxed the idea.

037

2006-09-09T21:54:00.000-05:00

036

2006-08-29T21:01:00.000-05:00

035

2006-08-23T21:35:00.000-05:00

The doctor, still unnamed, needed a full-page panel like Perout did. I wanted to present her to give the reader a sense of appeal and uneasiness at the same time.

034

2006-08-14T21:03:00.000-05:00

Here's a new character, the yet-unnamed, smarmy and sultry doctor. They are in Perout's room, but thankfully, they are not alone. In the next page, you'll see that his parents and a few of his staff are there as well.

033

2006-08-07T20:57:00.000-05:00

This page was fun to paint, but ironically, difficult to write. There was this obstacle as to how much conversation Zidler and Jack should have, in what form they should argue, and how to contrast their own problems with the problems you will soon see with Morgan in the next chapter.

Kappa Mikey by day, Jack Magic by night

2006-08-05T19:20:00.000-05:00

Since I am just starting the next page, I will also use this blog to post news and my own opinions on entertainment. First off, you may not know that i am one of the many animators on the Nicktoon Kappa Mikey. Never heard of it? You need to watch just one episode of this show in order to get the whole thing! The premise is fresh, but since the studio is still small and never previously produced something as big as a television show, the quality starts out fair and keeps on improving a bit episode by episode. Read reviews on it from critics, and you'll better understand what I am talking about.

Here's my own take on the characters from the show in a wallpaper. There are many official KM websites, but the site that WE manage is http://www.kappamikey.com !

I would gladly discuss opinions on the show with anyone who is reading.

032

2006-07-26T20:09:00.000-05:00

....aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand HERE IT IS!

Sample painting

2006-07-26T06:59:00.000-05:00

Here is a sample page for how I do the backgrounds. I use Corel Painter 8.0, mainly with the Fine Oil Brush, Smudge Tool and Eraser. I plan to add much more detail to the middle panel, and the bottom ones aren't even done yet! I have to do this everytime I go to a new location, so that is one of the reasons why these comics are updated weekly instead of daily.

031

2006-07-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

The one challenge of creating a conflict that a magic rabbit has to face is that... he's magic. He can do just about anything to stop evil from happening! So in order for him to be defeated, I had to set some limitations on his magic! This is not the first time a character with superpowers had to be limited to them: the Aladdin's Genie was always restrained by the order of the Lamp and his Three Limitations, and even the Parrs in The Incredibles could not fly, and they actually COULD get hurt! So Perout is right in that Jack is just like any other rabbit, with the exception that he can talk and has magical powers.

030

2006-07-12T19:01:00.000-05:00

This ends all the archived strips of Jack Magic that exist. From now on, I will upload the pages as I complete them, instead of uploading almost daily.

029

2006-07-11T07:20:00.000-05:00

And the premise becomes clear!

028

2006-07-10T07:16:00.000-05:00

027

2006-07-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

I have a feeling we'll be seeing Abigail again very soon! Ain't I a STINKER?!

026

2006-07-08T18:12:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah. By the way, did I mention that this comic MAY be a bit more MATURE than what I usually do? I didn't? Well, how ABOUT that!

If the artwork I've been doing to prepare for this story didn't give that away, I don't know what will! This is another goal I am trying to achieve with Jack Magic: stepping foot into the deep end of subject matter a little. This page is mainly the first time this kind of subject matter is introduced, and as a result, it was the longest and hardest one for me to write! I was pondering how sexy she should become, and hours were spent on trying to find the right balance of what is appropriate for this kind of story. Does she retain her original outfit? Does MORGAN go on-stage instead of Abby? What does Zidler think of this? Did he plan this, or is this another of Jack's shinannigans? What is the citizens' attitude toward sex and women? Will they enjoy or despise this? Ugh. I think I came up with something that works, though.

025

2006-07-06T08:23:00.000-05:00

This does not bode well.

024

2006-07-05T08:22:00.000-05:00

Jack's transformations weren't in the original drafts. That is what's fun about writing for him- I can think of those extra visual gags later, and focus on where they come from! He's very much like the Genie that way.

023

2006-07-04T07:58:00.000-05:00

It's nice to be doing warm, radiant colors in this comic again! Whether or not they INTENDED the old lady reappearing from a failed trick a few moments ago is up for you to decide.

Morgan Sketch

2006-07-03T11:44:00.000-05:00

I realized I had submitted concept art of Jack and Zidler, but none of Morgan. Here is a quick sketch I just made, with the main inspiration for the character: the photo of Natalie Portman from The Professional, although she doesn't look ANYTHING here like she does in the film.

Photo (C) Columbia TriStar and Buena Vista International

022

2006-07-03T10:20:00.000-05:00

Yes, those are photos of crowds altered to death. Big whoop! Wanna' fight about it?! One thing I don't have enough of is time, so I did the best I could with this. I suppose I will make crowds from scratch one day. One thing I love is that once I DO finish a piece of scenery, I won't have to do all over again!

Getting more into Morgan's pleasant side, and what she is interested in. The face on the last page had really big eyes, because the first thing I want people to notice about her is her eyes. Her eyes won't be that big everytime we see her.

The personality of the kids I took from memories of how me and my own siblings used to act. We wouldn't refute ourselves to each other in arguments, we would just say, "YOoou!" Good times. Good times.

021

2006-06-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

Morgan's introduction.

I'm very proud of this page, for obvious reasons. I decided that whenever Morgan is in a scene by herself, or something like that, there will be NO DIALOGUE! It will be a stark contrast from Jack, who is all about flaunting himself and using his voice to the fullest, and will also be more of a surprise when they... oops. It's a surprise!

You can find various hints of other story points in this page too.

020

2006-06-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

Perout's parents were (or WILL) first seen in the upcoming publication of a fantasy anthology that I participated in! I changed their design here so they don't resemble too much like the certain parents of a certain Victorian herione in a certain stop-motion, Tim Burton film!

So many characters so far have been 60+, white-haired, stiffy, smelly grandpeople! Never fear, for the youthful Morgan will make her official comic debut next page!

019

2006-06-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

I was ending the page when I realized, "Oh no! I didn't fit anywhere in the scene to show another side of Perout's character!", so it begins at the end of the page. Yep, he's a momma's boy.

018

2006-06-21T15:15:00.000-05:00

Irrational Recreation is a real term that WAS actually used in the English and French Englightenment Period, and it had around the same connotations as Perout is explaining here. Even though this is a FANTASTICAL setting, the rules still apply. To show what a change has come over the city, I plan to draw 17th and 18th century machinery to be added among the cityscape, clashing with the older, classic architecture.

017

2006-06-20T07:03:00.000-05:00

No, that is not Norm, although it IS a version of a chipmunk done in the STYLE of that character from my OTHER comic, Norm & Cory. The eyes are different, and the fur sticks out a bit more than usual. Knowing that people in the Enlightenment still used animals for tests, I couldn't resist putting a chipmunk in there and drawing him as though he belonged in the Norm & Cory universe! He COULD be his ancestor!

016

2006-06-19T11:31:00.000-05:00

I consider the pages of this whole meeting scene to be the best layouts of the entire series so far! Probably because there's a good balance on both sides of the pages, and the occasional use of breaking out of the panels. I wanted to get a full-body shot of Perout, since this is really the first time we see him in action.

015

2006-06-18T06:42:00.000-05:00

Nothing much to say here. Perout is referring to events that took place in a mini-comic I did for the fantasy anthology, which will be published in a few months.

014

2006-06-17T09:07:00.000-05:00

013

2006-06-16T09:59:00.000-05:00

I am really excited and satisfied with this, even though I will inevitably make better pages in the coming months!

012

2006-06-15T16:05:00.000-05:00

The purpose for this moment was to show a lot more about who Zidler is. He's definitely past his prime, but he's still in the business whether he's successful or not, and he's actually in GREAT shape! He and Jack can beat guys up if they wanted to! Especially if they are confronted by a man of lesser constitution.

That notice he uses to illustrate Perout was based as much on the old French 18th Century drawings as possible. I did a lot of research to get that look.

011

2006-06-14T08:32:00.000-05:00

Just by looking at this page, it's obvious that I am going to try to do very different things than what is in Norm & Cory! I am going to try to draw REAL crowds, in a real, detailed, lush environment, but render the shading and the lighting effects on the characters AS IF they are really in that space. Not just paste them on some painting, like in Norm & Cory. And also there will be details in the page that may not be obvious but are fun to catch, such as the bum in the corner, to emphasize that this is a really competitive city with a clear hierarchy, and the map of the entire city in the background.

010

2006-06-13T07:34:00.000-05:00

When you write a story, it's especially difficult to introduce everything that is at stake when you have SO much history of the world going on. This page doesn't really begin to touch why Zidler is so uptight about not going against this so-called "Magician's Laws", but we get a sense of what they are like. And not only does the world's history have to be introduced, but you get the sense that Zidler himself has a life story all his own. More will be revealed soon!

009

2006-06-12T10:05:00.000-05:00

008

2006-06-11T11:12:00.000-05:00

Yes, that is Zidler from the sample pages you saw.

007

2006-06-10T16:18:00.000-05:00

Hooray! Two updates in one day!

Here is the first page of the REAL story! This comic will include painted backgrounds, but however much of a burden they will come out to be, only time will tell. The backgrounds will also be more stylized than in Norm & Cory- the trees will have more definite shapes. I am trying to channel a bit of Turner's paintings here.

006

2006-06-09T21:51:00.000-05:00

This is the prologue. It's a contemporary setting right now, but the actual story takes place in a fantastical Enlightenment Period- consider this a bookend to open up the narration.

This song is an original. It's supposed to be sung to a tune much like those old Las Vegas songs of the 40's. I had to write the whole thing before I even started the first page, but it was a lot of fun!

005

2006-06-08T09:52:00.000-05:00

004

2006-06-07T10:28:00.000-05:00

003

2006-06-06T16:08:00.000-05:00

002

2006-06-05T19:28:00.000-05:00

001

2006-06-04T09:50:00.000-05:00

Yep, I'm starting this out now. This is either the beginning of the first issue, or the prologue- I'll figure it out when I get further along. It's a contemporary setting right now, but the actual story takes place in a fantastical Enlightenment Period- consider this a bookend to open up the narration.

Off-Limits

2006-06-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

Just a little something I felt like making. Jack and Morgan. I may color this sometime later.

It is interesting in that the part of the story I look forward to the most... is in the MIDDLE, where most of the characters are introduced, all the conflicts are exposed, and the comedy can finally kick in. I won't give away any spoilers, but for now, you have this.

Morgan. Ah yes, this character has changed a LOT since her first appearance on paper! I altered her backstory quite considerably to the point of being practically un-Andrew-like. Let's just say that the line on her face... is a scar. She wasn't responsible for it, but in order to find out more about it, you'll have to wait for the future pages to be added!

I'm sure that if it weren't for Jack's inscrutible ego, and that the story is named after him, this would be Morgan's story. In fact, Zidler the magician, (who you see in the sketches I posted in the last post) wasn't even IN the story in the earliest version!

Some sketches

2006-05-30T06:22:00.000-05:00

I'll start the actual comic here soon, but FIRST, some sketches of developing the look of the two characters.

A bit of a history....

2006-05-27T07:48:00.000-05:00

There's something you need to know about me. I love to write stories, but I also wish that they would all be animated traditionally, and since one man cannot get animation done quick enough, I decided a long time ago that I would transform my favorite original stories into comics. This would make up for there being more movement, and I would set each panel out like a fully-rendered drawing in a storyboard instead. This would become the way I would make my comics, starting with Norm & Cory in 2003, and UNTITLED School of Art in 2004.

Jack Magic started as a simple idea for a fantasy contest held online at an artist community, and I never planned for it to become one of my major storylines. At the time, I predicted it would be about five pages, and nothing much had happened when the worst threats were tiny knomes in need of a blood sugar test. Morgan didn't even have a name yet. Here are a few samples:::

And here's an early design for Jack.

Promo

2006-05-25T15:45:00.000-05:00

2006-05-24T11:04:00.000-05:00

Testing...

2006-05-24T10:44:00.000-05:00

This will one day be the official Jack Magic website, hosting a comic of mine I have just started. This is just a test to see how this blogger works. I have never had a blog before, so I am just learning the ropes.

However, I am by no means new to the web world. I also have my own site ( http://www.sketchesandsquirrels.com ). as well as a Deviantart account. Check the website to see what I do! Hope to post soon!