Here is a first version of the booklet. The pages are a low quality because: 1. I scanned them at a low dpi and 2: I didn't bundle the image files with the inDesign file I made the booklet on. Because of this I didn't take to much care cutting the book down and was using a broken guillotine, this means the pages are a little uneven. I didn't cover enough of the front cove page in black ink and so had to cut off some of the title to stop the white of the page from showing. This is easily rectifiable though by putting more ink on the original cover. I put text boxes over Herbs narration as I had made some spelling mistakes, but also wanted to change some of the wording slightly and wanted the narration to stand out a bit from the rest of the comic (Like how breaking the 4th wall always stands out in a movie). I think they may stand out too much and not fit in with the rest of the comic. I don't think it's too bad however and part of the reason is the difference in quality which will disappear when the images are printed to a higher quality. I believe slightly yellowing or greying the text boxes should solve this issue. I may resize the back cover image so that it takes up most of the page or at least expand on the ink shading over the top so that it blends into the background a bit more. I'm also playing with the idea of putting the image into the inside back cover and leaving the back cover blank maybe black.

I've hopefully finished all the parts to my comic. All that remains is to scan the last pages in and start putting the comic itself together. I have a session with Stephen tomorrow to do that so hopefully my comic will be completed soon.

Here is a mock up of the cover with all the information (only my name and chapter number). On the right are sketches of ways to lay the writing out. I'm going to go with the bottom left sketch which is similar to the mock up but the name and chapter number are switched. This is because  I didn't like how prominent my name is and most comics I've looked at the creators names are more understated. I really like the look of the white ink on the black background and the crude lettering that comes with writing with a brush.

I've just realised my name and possibly other information should probably go somewhere on the cover, I'll look at other comics and graphic novels and ponder this.

 Here is the design for the back cover of my comic. The first image is an initial sketch and the second image is more fully sketched out (although the legs are too small which is annoying me). The image is supposed to go into the corner of the page. I realised that if this image was going on the back cover however then it would have to be in the bottom left corner and not the right corner, which I had designed it for. This is so that the image will be separated from the front cover. I wanted the corner of the room that Cherry is in to correspond to the corner of the page the image was in. This means that the image needs to be flipped to fit properly. After drawing out the first composition so many times I found it a challenge to draw it facing the other way. I managed though and actually prefer the new composition. I had the idea of putting a wash of grey ink over the drawing and think that it is effective and makes the piece quite emotive or atmospheric.
Below is a very rough version of what the front and back cover would look like when the comic is opened. I decided to give the front cover a black background to better convey the tone of the book. The back cover in this has too heavy of a wash.

Unrelated to my current projects I've found a video that I really like the style of. I don't know how it's made but I'd assume it is filmed normally and then given some sort of painting effect over the top. Anyhow I really like the animation and visual effect (and music) and would be interested in seeing if I could make something similar.
 Video- Fight Like Apes-Tie Me Up With Jackets
source:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9KFT5ImlxA

This is a good resource that I've used now and again while making the comic. I often forget about it though and don't use a lot of the techniques perhaps as much as I should

Admiral Boom= Sgt. Shot

(Source: http://marypoppins.wikia.com/wiki/Admiral_Boom)


In the film Admiral Boom is known for shooting off a canon at certain times. He also still acts a lot like he's in the navy. I've adapted him into Sgt. Shot (obvious name change) an army veteran from an unspecified war. He keeps his flat similar to a military barracks the way Boom keeps his house like a ship. I've took Boom's eccentric behavior and put it down to some kind of ptsd. This makes Shot a darker character. Instead of shooting a canon he either screams or shoots his gun at certain points in the day.
While Boom is friendly and talkative with the neighborhood, Shot keeps to himself and treats Herb with disdain when he tries to socialise with him. This is in direct contrast to when Bert and Boom talk in the film. This modernisation is to show how there is less of a sense of community today and you can't really strike up a conversation with a stranger anymore.

There are other subtle ways of making my comic contemporary compared to the film. The first is when Herb is busking and everyone just walks past him. I've drawn the figure looking at something in their hand like a phone etc. In the film Bert is surrounded by people giving him their undivided attention. This is less likely to happen today.
On pg.2 of my comic Herb walks past a hobo with a trolley full of cans whereas in the film Bert walks past some sort of food cart. This is to present a darker world but also I never see food carts around today, (not the kind in the film at least) probably because we have more supermarkets and chain stores, meanwhile their seem to be more homeless than there are in Mary Poppins.
These sorts of touches pretty much stop however when I stop using shots from the film as direct references and come up with my own compositions.

Jane and Michael= Jade and Mike

 (Source: http://marypopppins.wordpress.com/jane-and-michael-banks-the-characters/)
For Jane and Michael I simply gave them names that seemed more modern but were close to the originals.
Appearance wise I made them look less formal and more casual as these days there's less of a concern about looking proper. I've also aimed for a bit of a scruffy look to suggest a lack of care to them (also shown by the state of their room). At the start of the film they don't behave too well as they are always running off and have got through a series of nannies. I've exaggerated on this by making them close to nonviolent juvenile delinquents. Instead of running off to fetch a kite like in the film, they run off to steal from a kite stand. I've dressed them in a way to make them look a bit 'no good', Jade has a large coat for shop lifting.

There seems to be a very strong focus on kids behavior these days being down to the parents. I've tried expressing this by portraying Mr and Mrs.Stock as distant and almost unconcerned about their children. Mr.Stock for instance rather than disciplining the kids himself says he'll hire a nanny specifically to keep them under control but ends up hiring the first nanny he meets (who is actually a danger to the kids). Mrs. Stock meanwhile is too concerned about her protests to really care and even wants to keep a nanny who keeps losing the kids. This lack of attention towards the kids would these days be cause to the kids petty criminal behaviour.
They think magical things happen to them but instead they just get into Cherry's drug supply.

Mr and Mrs Banks= Mr and Mrs Stock

I assume that in Mary Poppins the name Banks is a reference to Mr. Banks job as a banker. In my version he is a Stock broker so his name is Mr. Stock. I made him a stock broker as I think it is closer to what Mr. Banks seems to do than a modern day banker.
 Mrs Banks is a suffragette but obviously in a modern version this isn't possible. I made her a modern day feminist instead. In the film however she seems to not quite grasp the true nature of the suffragettes and I've tried to reflect this by making Mrs.Stock  the kind of feminist who hates men and seems to want superiority instead of equality. There is also hypocrisy in the film as she doesn't seem very feminist or progressive in her way of dealing with her husband and running the house. (Source: http://www.quotesworthrepeating.com/quote-by/m/mrs-banks/53-mary-poppins-movie-quote-by-mrs-banks/)
I've also shown this in my comic by trying to make Mr. Stock seem patronising to her and physically tower over her. The way I've positioned panels with Mr.Stock is supposed to make him seem powerful and somewhat fearful and contrast Mrs.Stock to him. You can take the reading that he abuses his kids and wife in some sort of way considering the dark tones of the rest of the comic but it's open to interpretation. 

  












(Source:http://www.aveleyman.com/FilmCredit.aspx?FilmID=12276



A lot of Mrs.Stock's character is based of the 'College Liberal Meme' especially ones concerning feminism, here's an example (http://doblelol.com/22/hate-them-grumpy-cat-meme-funny.htm)

This meme influenced me a lot on the character's point of view and appearance (mainly the dreadlocks). As it is a current meme it also made sure that Mrs.Stock was a modern character and not too like the now outdated Mrs.Banks

Bert= Herb

For his name I first looked at what Bert could be short for and I settled on Herbert because it could be shortened to Herb which can have drug connotations. (Image source: http://www.riggsconstruction.com/tips/cleaning-the-chimney/bert-mary-poppins/ ) Bert has a number of jobs in the film such as: one man band, chimney sweep, street artist and kite salesman. I've parodied this by making Herb a: busker, drug dealer and graffiti artist. I believe these three are a lot more likely to be seen in the streets today than Bert's professions and they fit into the bleak world of the comic more naturally.
Bert is like a narrator in the film and breaks the fourth wall on several occasions to talk to the audience, this is reflected in the comic by Herb explaining things through narration in text boxes, he is the only character who's thoughts are shown.
Like in the film he is the only one other than Mary/Cherry who knows of 'Supercalifragilisticaxpialidocious'.
Herbs appearance is largely based on a person I know personally who fits many of Herbs characteristics and ways of life. I have roughed Herb up a bit to try and show a harder life and perhaps suggest at homelessness.

Character profile: Mary Poppins= Cherry Robbin

Like most of the names in my comic the name Cherry Robbin is adapted straight from it's original Mary Poppins. I thought the name change had a more modern ring to it and was hopefully different enough to get rid of a direct link but keep some sort of association if you looked for it. Where as Mary is magical Cherry id drug filled, due to all her drugs things often seem magical but in fact have a sad reality. (Image source: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/mary-poppins-vs-dr-doom-712037/)
Where as in the film Mary makes wind blow all other nanny applicants away in the comic Cherry's fowl disposition drives them away although due to her being high at the time she sees them being blown away. Also in the film Mary stays as a nanny until 'The wind changes', this is parodied in the comic by he having to stay 'until the stock market turns' (when the family will be able to afford a better nanny).
In the original Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is a word that Mary uses and is a running motif throughout the film that characters use when they feel great joy and learn the true lessons that the film promotes, importance of family etc. In my version the word is a name of a drug that Cherry helped create and likes, I planned for all characters in the film who started to use the word to take the drug in the comic thus putting a dark spin on the seemingly innocent, good intentioned motif.
In the film Michael and Mary talk about her bag made of carpet, in the comic a similar conversation takes place except Cherry's bag is made of hemp.

Cherry's appearance is based on the visuals of girls today but mainly ones who come up on tumblr if you search: hipster girl, grunge girl or indie girl. Here are some examples of images I used to inform my depiction of her to make her contemporary.
(Source:http://greatdreamsfordreamers.tumblr.com/post/77208641895)
(source:http://berlinunpredictable.tumblr.com/post/77629782483)
(source: http://somehowunoriginal.tumblr.com/post/77542678295)
(http://indiegrungefashion.tumblr.com/post/77074997233)
(http://juliebratteng.tumblr.com/post/76946247202)

I've decided to go more in depth about my reconstruction of Mary Poppins by doing character profiles on every character that I have adapted for my comic and how they have changed from their film version to suit a contemporary audience and the darker more nihilistic world of my comic.

For now I'm done with creating new pages of my comic. This is mainly because I've reached a poin which I think works a a sort of ending. This is with the introduction of a drug called 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'. I've had the idea of turning the famous word from Mary Poppins into the main drug of my reconstruction of the film almost since I started the comic. I also think it would make a good title to the comic as there is a clear link to the film yet the fact that the title isn't just a variation of Mary Poppins (like calling it after the Mary Poppins character in the comic, Cherry Robbin) hopefully suggests a certain amount of removal as well from the original source.

 Here is a reference photo I took of myself for the final panel in the comic in which the drug is introduced. I used a pound coin as it's the same shape and a similar size to what I imagine the drug to look like. I needed a reference for this panel because it's important so I didn't want it to look overly crude or awkward. I'd have also had trouble drawing the hand and getting it correct in relation to the face without a reference .
 


Here are my designs for the drug and a practice sketch of the above. I settled quite quickly on the face that I wanted to go on it. I made sure it was a simple design and could be easily replicated. I then decided I wanted it to be in colour so I tried it in a range of colour. I finally settled on using red ink which actually comes out pink. I've decided that in every appearance the drug will be in colour. This is something that I may do with most or all drugs in the comic. Similar to how in Sin City comics certain objects/figure have touches or colours on them to draw attention to them or show them as somehow important or dangerous.
I also think that the pill design could work for the front cover of the comic which is something I've been thinking about recently. It is simple and I'd hope for it to be iconic. When coming up with front cover ideas though I realised the reason I'm so drawn to this idea is because it's like the cover of the graphic novel 'Watchmen' by Allen Moore, artist Dave Gibbons. I've posted pictures of both the iconic symbol (source :http://www.comicvine.com/forums/gen-discussion-1/what-was-a-better-flim-watchmen-or-the-avengers-686407/) and the front cover to the complete graphic novel (source: http://www.amazon.co.uk/WATCHMEN-TP-Alan-Moore/dp/0930289234). As you can see there are some strong similarities between that design and mine. I think this is even clearer if you look at one of my ideas for a cover where the pill is only partly on the page (not a great concern though since I'm not using that idea). I think that while the ideas are similar I can still go on with mine, especially as Watchmen is known as one of the all time greats of the comic medium so it would be natural for another comic to be seemingly paying some sort of homage to it.

A major problem I've had with designing a cover is that Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is such a long word that it doesn't really fit straight on the page. I thought of several ways around this: I could call the comic 'Supercalifragilistic' or split the 'Supercalifragilistic' and 'expialidocious' part of the word. I didn't want to do this because I wanted to keep the whole word and all the connotations that come with it so that my comic can play upon them.

This left me only one option. Figuring out how to put the whole word on the page without it being really squished. My solution was very simple, I scrapped my idea of only having some of the pill on the cover and instead put the whole thing on so that I could write around the top of the circle the name of the drug and it could fit with ease.

 Here are some sketches I did to try and figure out how to depict the next drug hallucination scene. This is the scene in the movie where all the nannies applying for a job at the Banks' get blown away in the wind. I tried a range of methods using felt tips, pens and inks. While I think there are problems with either the: intensity, clearness, psychedelic feel or abstractness of each of these sketches I thought that if I combined a few of the techniques I used then I could achieve my desired effect. In the actual panel there are several potential nannies blowing away but for these sketches I concentrated on just one.


For the final panel I went for a style much like the second picture here, except I used a wider range of colours to create a more hallucinogenic experience. I also used a black sharpie and some other felt tips to help define the figures and some other aspects of the panel (the lamp post) a bit more.

Here are some snapshots from the original scene in the movie

 Source:http://amandanowyhed.blogspot.co.uk/2013_01_01_archive.html

   Source:http://500daysto50.com/tag/mary-poppins/

 Here I've tried two different ways of putting in block black sections into panels of my comic. I tried once with ink and once with a black sharpie pen. While the ink was blacker it also varied in tone more and was a lot harder to control than the sharpie. The control was a big issue for me as I didn't want to ruin the drawing that I had already done because I placed an excess of ink on the page. I'll use a black sharpie to add a back layer to certain panels or when I want just pure black backgrounds of panels.

 I also experimented with borders. I tried using sharpie for the panels but feel it clashed to much with the pen work of the rest of the panel. I also tried colouring the spaces between the panels black. While it made the page bolder I don't think it necessarily improved the page. It was also more time consuming so I wouldn't do it on every page. This would be a problem since there are a lot of comics which use a black page to connote flashbacks or other disruptions in continuity/chronology. To avoid confusion I've left the idea for now.
I've also been messing around with colour work. I didn't try full on colour because I thought it would take away from the dark atmosphere I was trying to create and it would also take away from the drug induced scenes. Due to this I tried different ways of putting in suggestions of colour. The method I thought worked the best was colouring the clothes of figures and using different tones of black ink in the background. I thought the colour added some life to the characters while the black ink tones in the background kept the dark atmosphere I like. If it wasn't for time issues and wanting to progress further on with the story I may have used this method throughout.

Here is my copy of a page of 'Black Hole' by Charles Burns. I liked how the figures were at angle to create an unsettling, disorienting atmosphere. I also took note of the POV panels. Most of my similar panels are over the shoulder shots so putting in an occasional  POV panel may make things more interesting and add another dynamic to my comic.

Here are some pages of my process, from the rough sketches of what needs to be in each panel (and more roughly each page) above to a more finished page to the left. This was also one of the first pages composed complete from my imagination, while some of it works well and it condenses a lot of storyline there are things like the emptiness of the bottom left panel that really bother me.

I was having trouble working with A2 sized paper so I decided to go down to A3 paper, to work on an A4 space to finish up with A5 pages when scaled down. I was thinking of making my comic A5 sized in the end anyway. This is because when I was looking at graphic novels and comics to inform my work I realised I really liked the general layout of the Scott Pilgrim comics by Bryan Lee O'Malley, so I want my comic to be a similar style.

I also think that the way I've been doing the comic -taking shots directly from the film and adapting them, is taking too long and I may not get to the point in the story where I want to. Since then I've been coming up with my own compositions too quicken the pace of the story. This gives me more freedom when drawing the scenes but I need to think more about how everything is laid out so that it flows and works for telling the story, it can also be hard if I want to do something complex as I may not have a source to work from. While the tempo of the story has increased and I'm moving through the film quicker it's taking me some time to get used to this method while keeping the quality of the images up and the story coherent. At the moment a lot of the panels are a lot more empty and less detailed than some of the earlier ones.

I've started scanning my pages onto the computer in preparation for making my final booklet. I tried starting to put it together using inDesign but realised I don't no anything about putting together a book on there so I've made an appointment with Stephen so that he can help me do this.

I've looked at a range of comics to inform my project and copied a few pages of some such as: Scott Pilgrim, Y the Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan (main artist- Pia Guerra) and Black hole by Charles Burns. I did this in hopes of learning things from their style to inform my own practice. With Scott Pilgrim, as I said above, I took the general structure and size of the book but it (and all the other comics I've copied from) also helped me (at least a bit) with general comic conventions such as sound effects, how to compose panels, how to panel out pages and when to leave out or put in a background and with how much detail.

The pages of Y the Last Man and Black hole that I copied both had panels where everything was at an angle, slightly askew. This gave either a chaotic, energetic feel to a panel or an uneasy ominous feel depending on the context. What I also liked from drawing Y the Last Man was the way that shadows were done, especially when combined with the pen I was using. I'm going to use this technique in my own comic and think it will work well with the dark tone I'm trying to create.