Saturday 15 August 2009

REDRAWING DEFOE 1666!

Sooo....DEFOE 1666 is OFFICIALLY out today, even though it's actually been on sale early all week! I noticed yesterday that AMAZON UK were actually down to their last TWO copies, but have since restocked! By the way, you should really check out the Amazon review we have there....I'M A GUY DAMMIT!!!!!

Which brings us to this post. When I first found out that Defoe was getting a collected edition, I asked the Mighty Tharg if he would let me go back to the earlier work and redraw certain things that made me cringe looking back at it. I like to think that I've progressed as an artist over these last few years, and to be honest, there's something wrong if you can't look back over your work and see flaws. Thankfully he said yes (after he made me clean his toilet) and so a week later, I had redrawn/retouched Twenty-odd panels throughout the book.

What follows are some of the more obvious redraws, arranged in useful "before and after" panels. Enjoy, and don't forget you can find out more about DEFOE 1666 and where you can purchase it HERE.

Bye bye, and thanks to all those who have bought it up to now!
L


11 comments:

Graeme Neil Reid said...

All worthwhile changes, it must be good to get the chance to do that and certainly makes you a happier bunny. Interesting to see the alterations and in some cases the 'before' drawings don't even resemble what we've come to expect from you. Top marks!

Leigh G said...

Cheers buddy. i honestly can't believe how poor some of those "before" faces were...
At least this should add extra value for those that have already read it serialized in 2000AD.
L

dylan said...

You're as bad as bloody George Lucas!! ;)

Leigh G said...

I just wish i could grow a beard as nice as his...sigh...

Simon B said...

I think the "before" shots were better.

Leigh G said...

Ooooooo....you're asking for a bitchslap Bowland....

Simon B said...

Slap away, bitch!

Gravity boy said...

I think in some cases it really was splitting hairs on your part. The faces were fine before, and in some cases better than your redraw - more stylized. Sure, some of the new drawings looked more realistic, but in my opinion that takes away from the art.

Leigh G said...

In some cases, yeah you may be right about splitting hairs. I know full well that nobody else looks at these panels as long or as intensely as me--in fact they probably only see it for a split second.

But making these changes, it was more for my benefit rather than everyone elses. I mean c'mon, this stuff is 2-3 years old. Obviously some of it's not going to be as good as the stuff you're doing now. Even some of the panels that were redrawn was stuff that even back then I wished was better, but there's only so much you can achieve under deadline.

This is the first proper collection I've had of my work--I wanted to look at it with a bit of pride, not wince every time I saw an iffy panel that I wished I could've done better.

Cheers for chipping in dude.
L

Bob Byrne said...

That's great to see, I really get off on that stuff and I'm sure everybody else does. We all love out takes after a life time of 'It'll be alright on the night'. Will buy Defoe thru Amazon soon

Leigh G said...

Hey it's the famous Bob Byrne!

Thanks alot man. I'm saving the outtakes with Defoe walking into a tree, and messing up his lines with hilarious results, for the Special Edition.
L