It's about time we take a deeper look at how far Madeline Harbour has come.
This past month, I've been working on the first part of Heroine Rises Chapter 2: To Become a Heroine. Before I get into some commentary on it, the pages are available to read in the 'One-Shots' section until it is completed.
Follow this link to read the first 11 pages of the remastered Heroine Rises Chapter 2: To Become a Heroine = https://www.ezequielespinoza.com/one-shots/5/0
To Become a Heroine
Back in 2018, I started drawing the first ever panels for Heroine Rises. Day to day, it’s nearly impossible to see the incremental progress and that can sometimes be discouraging. Luckily for me, this remaster project has been great for seeing how far Heroine Rises and my art have come from the day I first laid down pencil.
In Chapter 1, I had to learn an all-digital workflow so my focus wasn’t on comparing my art, rather I focused on what inking styles and brushes I needed to use to keep the original feel of the comic. There also wasn’t a focus on comparison because the scripts were different and very few panels were direct redraws.
Chapter 2 however, allowed for more direct comparison to where I was and where I am now. With the whole ‘new workflow’ thing out of the way, my focus was on remaking the art and dialogue to better fit the story I had in mind. There are plenty of redraws and upgrades on what I originally wanted to do but couldn’t. I made the setting clearer and more refined while improving the motives and feelings of Madeline and Julian. I feel pretty good about where I am but I recognize there is still so much left to learn. I’m so happy I started this project and stuck with it. I’ve learned so much and hopefully someday at least one person can find joy in what I create and that will make it all worth it. For now though, I’ll happily take on that role!
Development still in Development
Let’s start off by talking about how inefficient I was (you know, the usual). I managed to start off strong by finishing most of the pencils within the first two weeks but as always, a roadblock dropped in to derail promising progress.
It seems that every time I get the confidence flowing and a proper schedule, something comes in to disrupt. Last year it was the pandemic and the fall semester. By the time the Fall semester was over, I still had to finish the long overdue Chapter 1 Remaster. By the time I finished that up, school had started up again.
The Spring Semester started off slow so I was able to devote a good chunk of my time to the series but assignments and readings caught up and all of a sudden my fragile comic routine fell victim to inconsistency. Despite this, I managed to get this part out one week behind schedule. Progress? Let’s hope. I’ll give myself until Mid-March to get the rest of this chapter done.