More from 'Flag Me Down: The Story of Wildwood's Tramcar' - Pencil layouts!

For my second batch of preliminary penciled pages, I wanted to share my focus more on some of the entertainers (Cozy Morley and Al Alberts) in their own page spreads. These pages are a lead-up to their eventual tramcar race that happened in the late 1990's/early 2000's for three years.

I'm excited to share not only the many situations and people involved with the tramcars that perhaps the majority of fans and well, riders for that matter, don't know are associated to their beloved tram. 

With these two gentlemen though, it's also the songs I want to make a reminder of. ...A tram car song you say?... Al Alberts cut that one too!

The majority of the people I'm highlighting in the graphic novel, play crucial roles into the real history or are in a placement of fiction to depict in some cases, a degree of human nature.

 As the tramcars were first accepting male drivers in early 1980's Wildwood New Jersey to a long-standing, all-female fleet... I wanted to depict an animosity with anonymous characters... therefore, the drivers herein on page twelve are entirely of my own creation to depict a changing tradition that was probably not too easy to accept... and certainly didn't warrant my depiction of such to a tramcar driver living or dead. 

The curves and turns of the limitations involved with creating non-fiction works is ever fascinating. 

More to come!... and thanks for checking these out.

-MJ

Penciled page previews from 'Flag Me Down: The Story of Wildwood's Tramcar'

 Here's some pencil preview pages I wanted to share/capture here on the blog!...

The funny thing about a pencil version of a comic page, is that today, there are so many ways to go about finishing it. You can of course, scan the pencils to then digitally ink the lines, making them that much closer to a digital coloring or further reproduction experience. Another way would be to make a copy of the penciled page and only ink the photostat... Of course, there's also the placement of vellum paper that can be used as a reproduction option. Where, only scanning the vellum actually preserves the penciled page, as the photostat does... 

Call me raw, but I like to ink right directly on the top of my penciled comic page. I guess what's running through my mind: knowing that there's only one that you're ever going to draw... giving myself one shot to make every line as purposeful as possible with the ink. Whereas a pencil page doesn't necessarily compare... there's an honesty here in every line I've forgotten and every line I plan to re-work in my ink process... making the penciled page a mere glimpse into what will become of a page and its hopeful lasting effect. 

I've been writing and drawing this feature simultaneously... as its creation is very much a living organism of an experience... hopefully, an immersive one for my audience... 

Here's pages 2, 3 and 9 for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!