Hello!
I think the thing that would benefit my pitch for the comic, PAIN, the most right now would be a sketch of the protagonist, Pain. Unfortunately, I'm extremely poor at drawing, and need the help of a talented artist.
If I was a talented sketch artist, I'd be interested in sketching Pain because the character looks interesting, unique, vicious and cool.
Here's an extremely detailed physical description of the character:
Pain wears a leather mask kind of like The Gimp from Pulp Fiction except without the zipper covering his mouth. There's holes torn from the leather for his nostrils. The mask is sewn to his face, so there's stitching around his eyes, mouth and neck to keep the mask from coming off easily. He looks like he's been in a lot of fights, so his nose is broken and looks pretty flat under the mask, almost like he doesn't have a nose as though his head is just a skull. There's also a lot of random stitches in his mask from where he's been cut by knives and such and the leather has been repaired.
Around his eyes and mouth you can see a some of his skin which has been burnt by lightning. You should google "lightning burn" for reference. Lightning burns kind of look like lightning as they leave a wavy jagged mark on your skin. Pain's burns are darker than most.
Pain's teeth have been replaced by sharp metal teeth. Similar to Jaws in the Bond movies, but they look more like a bear trap. His teeth are a little too big for his mouth, so even when he closes his teeth, his lips can't quite fit around them. His lips and tongue are also cut and scarred from accidentally biting them.
Though he generally looks pretty deformed and scary, he has sad light blue eyes that make him seem human and depressed.
He wears a black biker style leather jacket, torn baggy blue jeans and black leather combat boots. His jacket, like his mask, has a lot of stitches all over it from where he's been cut and the jacket has been repaired. Underneath his jacket, overlapping strips of leather have been sewn to his body. The leather on his chest looks a little like Edward Scissorhands.
His jeans have some stitches in them too, but there's also a lot of holes especially around his knees. The skin you see through the holes also has a lightning burn pattern. His boots are old and worn.
He's muscular like he works out, but he's not a huge body builder. He's got big biceps and shoulders. He's also a little hunched and slouches. His knuckles are big from being broken a lot and his hands are covered in scars and stitches.
Pain also has a form of CIPA so he never sweats.
For more info on PAIN, check out the pitch at: http://www.zeros2heroes.com/pitch/544
Let me know if you're interested in making a sketch!
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mike Jack
Comments
19:24 Tue Apr 8th, 2008
Thanks for the advice. I guess I haven't worked with comic book artists before, so I don't really know how much detail to give. When I've made films, the story border and concept artists wanted a lot of detail, so that's what I gave. Basically, in the script and back story he's been struck by lightning, been hurt in lots of fights, and has a leather mask sewn to his face. I guess those are the essential parts.
21:23 Tue Apr 8th, 2008
That is usually all you need for some artists. i personally am a fan of creative expression so i dont like a lot of details about what it is i am drawing with regards to a concept. with story boarders, however, it is very understandable as to why they would want details. it can be difficult sometimes when trying to envision the characters in a specific setting that has to be filmed. anyways, im glad i could be of help. good luck with everything!
10:02 Wed Apr 9th, 2008
I don't know, Nick... You have some good points, but then again Pain's look might be extremely relevant to the story at hand. When it comes to being specific, there are levels to take into consideration. Having read a few scripts in my time, you can grab a script by Gaiman and see a lot of leeway in there for the artist to work with, as long as the symbolism and everything else in space is solid. Then you grab an Alan oore script and you can't ever get more specific than that... The common ground is that everything serves a purpose. Some writers just have *more* purpose to be shown on the page than others.
18:07 Wed Apr 9th, 2008
yeah, i agree with you there. i've just found i enjoy some free space to work in. if someone isnt satisfied, i have no problem goin to back to drawing board to work on another version. but i definitely see where you're comin from.
06:39 Thu Apr 10th, 2008
well I always say more is better... especially when it comes to main characters and their looks. After all, it's better to give too much detail than too little. Either way, though, it's always good to leave some room for the artist to work but that doesn't mean you can't give a lot of specifics. Just make it known that you are open to interpretations. :P But yes. That's probably the biggest difference about a paying project as opposed to just some sketch or free request. When movie is involved you usually want to have things precise down to the letter if you really have a vision for something... but if it's just for fun... then leavineg it open ended a little does allow the artists to have fun themselves. : )
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nickp17
18:33 Tue Apr 8th, 2008
hey, i both write and draw, and i would say that you might scare away some artists with such a specific outline of your character. you will prolly get better results by just posting general physical descriptors supplemented by a description of what the character is like (or what he's supposed to be like). this allows for greater creative freedom by any potential artists. you also dont want to be married to the physical concepts of your character b/c they will most likely change as your story develops via the editing process. granted, you dont have to listen to me at all. its just a little advice.