Meghann Doyle's Blog

Hey everyone! This is a little reflection on my process, chatting about where I find inspiration for End’s Shadow Caste. I’d love to hear your questions and feedback!

Jump on board and be a part of something great!

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

   

Soooo happy! There were a lot of stylistic decisions to be made. Then there was all the inking. EVERY page in the rest of this book should be easier and much faster to produce.

Hey everyone,

I haven’t forgotten about all of you blog fans. I’ve been off having grand adventures. No really, I’ve been using the time to develop a nice teaching biz here in my home town. I’ve been sharing my love of comics with amazing kids from 7 to 17. They’ve allowed me to share a few of their pages. There will be a student gallery coming soon to my new site!

I’ve been working hard on the pencils for End’s Shadow Caste. I’ve shortened the issue, again, so I can get it to you much sooner. I haven’t shortened the story, if anything it’s gotten more dense, more surprising, more all things good.

Here’s a little peek to wet your appetites while I set up our new home at Brain Case Comics. Still owned and operated by me, just a fancier name.

You may have noticed I missed last week’s post… I’m not posting on the right day here either. Things have been changing here. Some of it has been exciting.

l have proposed and been granted a contract with my municipal recreation department to teach art classes. My favorite is a drawing class called ‘Saturday Morning Cartoons’. Yay! :D

With that in mind I’ve also been needing to do some major updates to the site. So, naturally the busiest time is the right time for renovations. Will start back with a new day, Wednesday! and a fresh attitude :p in the New Year. Don’t fret. No one’s far away on the internet. I’m still available for questions and comments! ;) Of course I’ll have a heap of new work to show off too! (…except the top secret stuff, naturally.)

I always have a pad of paper and a pen with me. This is the reason. :D

To infiltrate the heart of the Downfall, Mena disguises Sich and Gazh with charcoal.

…can’t wait to draw the rest of the gang and this scene!

Just poppin’ in to say, ‘See you Saturday!’!  …for my fave day of the year!!! :D

The gunwale aluminum is icy under your hands. Inky waves push themselves up the hull. Sound is swallowed by two hundred thousand tonnes of glacier shearing off.

I’ve been concerned with adding detail to my story. Subtle inclusions make the world interesting and real. The more information you can fit in, the richer the plot.

In editing of course it’s the opposite. The goal is to remove every distraction. Only leave the essentials. Engineers don’t design unnecessary parts into their machines. Storytelling can seem like more is more, but extra inclusions in a story are like windshield wipers on a blender.

l touched on this subject in Editing Isn’t Done Until the Book Is….

“Subtle details can make the most drastic changes to a story.”

Details are important. So is what’s excluded. Think of movies like Alien or

Cloverfield. What we couldn’t see told us infinitely more than what we were shown. The power of not-knowing is a major tool in storytelling. Secrets entice us. They can amplify the effects of what we do reveal to our audience. Those finite details are just the tip of the iceberg.