Copyright © Humayoun Ibrahim 2023 – All Rights Reserved
(And don’t forget to check me out on instagram @h.i._sketch_)
Looking back…
Graphic Novel
The Sea Forest is not dead!
Hello, all!
I apologize for not updating in so long. I’ve actually made a big move. I’m talking from NYC all the way to China! Yeah, getting used to a new job and a new country isn’t easy. Unfortunately, blogging had to take a backseat for a time.
But fear not friends; I have a lot planned. I will update you all about my life here in the Middle Kingdom as well as my future projects. I’m currently in the beginning stages of two new books which I am very excited about. They will be a different experience from The Moon Moth, I can tell you that much. Oh, and I will share my sketches and doodles too, just for kicks.
So, stay tuned for future updates, OK? Ok! And please feel free to send me a message with any questions, comments, or suggestions for future posts. I will be sure to read them and answer anything.
Peace,
Humayoun
Part Two B: Sketches
We pick up from where we left off last week with more sketches! I start with very loose sketches which may amount to no more than simple shapes. From there I progress to more complete designs. As it turned out some character designs were subject to change up until the final inking! We’ll deal with that in the part about “revisions” (-_-:) 
The Making of The Moon Moth into a Graphic Novel Part Two A: Sketches
Hello all, we will now continue the series “The Making of the Moon Moth into a graphic novel”. You can scroll down for the last installment. You may notice that in that post I mistakenly refered to this series as weekly. But in my defense it is a rather long title to write down every week… right? Ahem. Moving on:
My next step was to type out a script. I worked from both my thumbnails as well as the actual short story. I wanted to keep as much of the original dialogue as possible. Of course, the script was subject to revision later on.
So, at this point I now have an idea of how the story will progress visually. I also have a rough idea of how the principles will look like. I can now begin the next step in earnest: sketches!
Sure, I had Vance’s text to work from but his descriptions also left a lot of room for creativity. I particularly enjoyed designing the various masks and costumes. Here are some of the early sketches.
Feel free to leave comments or questions. I will continue this next week (promise) with A LOT more content. Until then stay well, friends.
The Making of The Moon Moth into a Graphic Novel: Part One
Hello all. Today I want to share with you my process for adapting Jack Vance’s The Moon Moth into a graphic novel as it may be of interest to some. And so, here is the first of a weekly series that I dub “ The Making of The Moon Moth into a Graphic Novel.”
My first step in adapting The Moon Moth was to first read the original. I found a copy in a recently released collection of Vance‘s short stories. I probably read it a couple of times. Sorry, but I have no pictures of me actually reading. Anyway, having memorized the story I began sketching thumbnails. I DO have some examples of this:
If you had read the graphic novel you will no doubt notice some similarities between the original thumbnail layout and the final version. Looking back at these I was also struck by the differences that were later made. In fact, when I originally mapped out the book it was only going to be eighty-four pages long.
I always enjoy doing thumbnails because it’s my first shot at actually “doing” the comic. I don’t worry about mistakes- in fact that is the whole point of doing thumbnails. The idea is to get down how you would like to pace your story, how you will compose the pictures, and place word balloons, etcetera. Not that there wont be revisions later on of course. But just try to imagine spending the time to draw and ink, say, ten pages only to have your editor tell you, “Nah, the layout doesn’t look right. You should’ve done it this way. Go back and redo all of it.” Or, worse still, imagine having a finished manuscript of two hundred pages only to be told to trim it down to one-fifty. I’d rather redo sketches any day!
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions please let me know. I will continue this series as well as post new stuff soon so stay tuned.!
The concept behind this illustration is “The Moon Moth” t-shirt. I think it would look neat, all it needs is the title logo on the back. What do you think? Would you want one?
The Moon Moth
This is the cover to my very first graphic novel The Moon Moth! It is being published by First Second books this Spring. If you’re at all a fan of classic science fiction then you would’ve no doubt encountered the work of Jack Vance. I had a lot fun adapting this fascinating short story. I also learned a lot along the way. My intent was to create an experience distinct yet faithful to the source material.
The book goes on sale this May (presumably to coincide with my birthday :P). You can enter to WIN a free copy at GOODREADS.COM. The contest ends on April 15 so there’s still plenty of time for you to enter. If you wish to preview some of the pages feel free to click here.
And finally, my graphic novel adaptation of The Moon Moth has been awarded “A Junior Library Guild Selection” for Spring 2012! This is a great honor and I’m very excited about it. For your convenience, you may click HERE to learn more about the Junior Library Guild.
And please visit this site again as I will be making it a point to update more often; I have post-it notes everywhere just to remind me (lol). Think in terms of days instead of months this time. See you soon.
seaforest 