Beat Comics Studio

Karl Mostert's Masters of the Universe

2008-04-24T04:10:00.000-07:00

Well as promised here is some more art by the Beat crew. Karl Mostert has recently been on a Masters of the Universe spree... here are his visions of He-Man and Battle Cat, Skeletor, Teela and Evil Lyn.

AC

Unicity Collection cover

2008-04-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

This is the cover for the complete collection of Unicity - the comic I coloured for Mshana Magazine until the studio was shut down.
Art by Karl Mostert

So sad...

2008-04-03T03:10:00.000-07:00

Well no sooner do I post a pic of the studio but then we hear that we are being closed down *shakes fist*
Well fear not, the spirit of Beat Comics will live on... stay tuned to see what I mean.
In the meantime I will try and keep posting artwork from the Beat guys here for all to see.

The Studio

2008-02-15T03:31:00.001-08:00

This is the studio. I tried my hand at making a Panoramic pic... turned out ok I guess.
-AC

Pages from Unicity #9

2007-12-04T01:44:00.000-08:00

Chase scene

2007-11-05T01:52:00.000-08:00

Some pages from Unicity #7

Out with the old, in with the new...

2007-10-10T23:43:00.000-07:00

Out with the old and in with the new. As we say goodbye to our Mzansi Beats Illustrator; David Blaine; we introduce the FNG (F&*%ing new guy), Nicolas Rix. With his cool illustration style, Mzansi Beats rocks on.
-MH

One of David's last pages

A page from Nicolas Rix

Some Lettering tips...

2007-08-20T23:56:00.001-07:00

A quick look at colouring an Unicity page

2007-08-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Well, firstly I will be the first to say that I will probably suck at trying to put together a tutorial but what the hell... here goes.

INK/LINES
First of all comes the scan of the pencilled page which is tweaked in Photoshop to make it nice and clean with no smudges, specks or grays. I do this by upping the Brightness and Contrast until I get the desired result. If there is some gray/shadowy bits from scanning I will brush over the guilty areas with my Dodge tool set on Highlight with a soft edge brush and the exposure on something like 12%.

FLATS
Next I duplicate that layer so that I have two layers with the linework on it. The top layer I will set to Multiply (and rename it to LINES... just to avoid confusion) The bottom layer will be my flats but I adjust the levels slightly so that the linework on the bottom layer becomes thinner than the top Lines layer (that way colour will fill beneath the lines on the LINES layer and you wont get the gray "scunge" pixels)
Choosing your colours is important too! You want your page to be realistic and easy on the eyes!
Flats layers are handy for selecting whole areas of colour so its a good idea to lock the layer... that way you won't accidentally work on it.

RENDERING
Right... with me so far? I hope so (Im taking into account that peeps who look at this have some knowledge of Photoshop...)
Next we come to the fun part and that is Rendering!
There are many styles of rendering... 2-tone, airbrushing, gradient fills etc... my method is a mixture of airbrushing and using lasso selections.
Duplicate your Flats layer and rename it RENDER (again... avoiding confusion) This is the layer that you apply all your highlights and shadows etc.
Some people render using more than one layer ie: the backgrounds, shadows and highlights each have their own layer. Whatever suits you best.

SPECIAL FX
Sometimes a page calls for extra effects like glows and colour holds. A colour hold is a term used for colouring the actual lineart! If you want to try this here is a quick way to get the lineart as a selection...

Alt+click on the eye icon of the LINES layer (this will make only that layer visible)
Go to your Channels and CTRL(Apple) =Click on the Cyan channel
Invert the selection (this will make the black lines selected)
Save the selection and voila! You now have the lines available as a selection if need be

Here you can see where I have coloured the lines of the fire...
This layer will obviously be above the LINES layer

Special effects such as glows are usually done on a layer above the LINES layer and the layer is set to Screen...
A soft edge airbrush will usually do the trick

On the top panel I added a haze to get the effect of depth and distance. It was merely a new layer on which I airbrushed the hazey atmosphere. Just set the opacity on your brush very low and you can gradually build up the desired effect

ALTERATIONS
Sometimes a page might not work out as you thought it would. In this particular page's case the Unicity logo was covering too much of the cool buildings that Karl had illustrated. So, I had to flip the top panel. "ARGGGH a nightmare with all those layers!" I hear you roar... not so. All I did was duplicate the whole page, flattened it then cut the top panel out and pasted it on a new layer above everything. No problem.

FIN
And there you have it! I hope this helps someone as I sometimes take for granted that people know what Im talking about! LOL
Here is what my layers looked like just in case anyone was wondering... gah! Looks like I didn't even name my layers properly... oh well!

Happy Colouring!
AC

Tips and Tricks

2007-08-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Karl, Ryan and Andrew recently paid a visit to 3rd year students at the Cape Technicon in connection with some comic projects that they are busy with so coming up on the blog will be a few tips and tricks of the comic trade to help out our up and coming comic stars!
Stay tuned!

KasiWash pages

2007-07-18T03:20:00.001-07:00

Here are some KasiWash pages by Ryan Carolisen and coloured by Andrew Cramer

Unicity #5 & #6

2007-07-11T23:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some pages from the latest issues of Unicity

Mzansi Beats pages

2007-06-07T00:57:00.000-07:00

Check out some of David Blaine's Mzansi pages.
Colours by Mahlon Haupt

Laduma!

2007-05-09T05:09:00.000-07:00

What's a SA comic without soccer eh? Here's a scene from issue 4 of Unicity...

Issue 3 out now!

2007-05-09T05:07:00.000-07:00

Unicity Easter Eggs!!

2007-04-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

So... did you spot them? Every issue of Unicity has a few easter eggs lying about, waiting for the eagle eyed reader to spot. Some may be releatively easy some not so much...

Haha, one more thing about them eggs - there a few LOST fans here in the office so watch out for the numbers too!!
(like the winning Lotto numbers in the Pyke Gang easter egg!)

Here are the easter eggs from issue 1 of Unicity.

ISSUE 2 coming this month!

2007-03-15T04:17:00.000-07:00

Here is the cover for Issue 2!

Mshana Taxis hit the roads!

2007-02-19T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Just to keep you updated. The Mshana taxis will be appearing around Gauteng in the coming week.
This is a list of the areas in which they will operate.

I’ve also attached some pictures. For those in Gauteng – I hope you see them!

Regards
Zanne

Germiston 5 (covering Katlehong / Thokoza)
Soshanguve 5
Baragwanath 5
Noord Street 5 (covering Empire Road)
Randburg 1
Alexandra 2
Midrand 2

MSHANA Website goes live!

2007-02-14T04:47:00.000-08:00

The Mshana website is up and running! Check it out, there's loads of info on all our characters and stories!

MSHANA WEBSITE

Mshana Magazine Video!

2007-02-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

Press release for launch issue!

2007-02-02T02:32:00.000-08:00

YOUNG UPSTART CHALLENGES CONVENTION AT MEDIA24

In this age of BEE and MTV, Black South African youths are left to find their own way to a future with plenty of opportunities but no guarantees. This is exactly when a comic book superhero flies in and offers these Generation Newers guidance through the maze of fake bling and quasi role models.

Beat Comics, a division of Media 24 Family Magazines, is proud to introduce Mshana magazine. It’s an informative publication that is somewhat of a hybrid, very much like these 16-24 year old urban youths. Mshana is packed with: entertainment and fun stuff such as trends, profiles of rising and established South African music artists and CD reviews; collectable posters and lyrics (remember when your adolescent bedroom looked like your fantasies were displayed on the walls?); insights into topical issues such as train surfing and initiation; real-life inspiration; life skills and career information that your everyday majita needs to know; and 40 pages of comics as authentically South African as Voetsek! Readers will love the action, drama and crime-ridden realities of inner city life, as seen through the eyes of a young newspaper reporter in Unicity, share in the dream of becoming a super kwaito group in Mzansi Beats, laugh at the highs and lows of owning a car wash business in Kasiwash - all enthusiastically served up by Mzansi’s most talented writers and artists.

At only R6.95 and with an initial print run of 60 000, Mshana is set to become the hottest monthly magazine property in South Africa. Look out for this innovative magazine due on shelves around the country, including selected spaza shops in Gauteng, by Thursday February 22nd.

Issued by: Mpho Nkomonde

On Behalf of: Beat Comics (Media24 Family Magazines)

"Stick em up...!"

2006-12-12T23:24:00.000-08:00

Here is a scene from Mzansi Beats' second issue. Who is this guy with the piece and what is he doing with Bonisa? Guess you'll just have to check out issue 2 eh...? :)

Concept sketches

2006-12-12T23:21:00.000-08:00

Ryan Carolisen will be handling pencilling duties on one of our stories "Kasi Wash". Here are some of his character concept sketches!

Street Beat

2006-11-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

A very cool by-product of Ryan's tag stencil!
I'll probably use this later for something... ;)
A.

Tagged!!

2006-11-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

We recently had our year-end function and Ryan thought it would be cool to tag our shirts with the logo. Mahlon was one of our lucky tag-rats and recieved a sweet spray-on logo.

In defense of Moray's paycheck

2006-11-22T02:31:00.000-08:00

In case anyone wonders what I do at Beat Comics, I thought I'd give you a for instance of what some of my job entails using an actual example from one of the stories we're working on. So it's a deleted scene...

Before the script even gets to page illustration stage, Eddie Maluleke (the editor) triple checks everything from dialogue to plot structure and scene transitions. I then check page to page and panel to panel (as well as structure) and the script might go backwards and forwards a few times until we're all happy.

Karl Mostert - the penciler - then does thumbnails of all the pages which we discuss and then he proceeds to do pencil layouts.

Excerpt from the script by Wayne Robbins:

FRAME FOUR
SCENE
Close on the getaway driver – gangster 3 – as he takes a bullet.
GANGSTER 3
Yaahhh!
GANGSTER 2
Sbu’s hit!

Karl's initial illustration (BEFORE) had the driver and passenger swapped (most likely a result of doing to many american comic book submissions). It's my job to pick up such anachronisms and get changes done to correct it.

In the AFTER version: Karl swapped the characters. I also asked Karl to add in a section of the steering wheel to just ensure that the reader is absolutely clear that it's the driver that got shot. In addition - bullet time is slowed down so that the reader can see that the bullets are coming from behind. All this might not be necessary as the preceding and following panals on the page clarify the action, but I'd rather not have the readers lose their "suspension of disbelief" at all.

Mike Crafford inks from the pencils and Andrew Cramer ads colour and lighting effects -and I get to interfere with every process along the way, which is why I am still smiling.

END

Thanks,
M.

Scenes from Crime Reporter/ 'Unicity'

2006-11-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

Here are some sneek peeks at the Crime Reporter/ 'Unicity' story.

What have the duo discovered? You'll have to wait and see...!

Who is this nasty character!?

What are Ayanda and Neo up to...?

Scenes from Mzansi Beats.

2006-11-10T08:35:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneek peek at some Mzansi Beats artwork. Stix has some rough encounters on his path to fame.

Mzansi Beats!

2006-11-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

The popular group are back, new and improved! Here are Stix and Bonisa...
Pencils: David Blaine
Inks: Ryan Carolisen
Colours: Mahlon Haupt

Some character designs...

2006-11-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

Here are two characters from the crime reporter story...
Pencils: Karl Mostert
Inks: Michael Crafford
Colours: Andrew Cramer

Meet the team!

2006-11-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

First up we have the editorial team, from left:
Eddie Maluleke, Zanne Cronje, Moray Rhoda and Anita Pyke.

Next we have the team working on the crime reporter story (fondly referred to as Unicity), from left:
Karl Mostert, Michael Crafford, Andrew Cramer and Wayne Robbins.

Finally the team working on Mzansi Beats: David Blaine, Niq Mhlongo, Mahlon Haupt and Ryan Carolisen who also pulls double duty on a 3rd story along with Lucas Malambe (seated).

Brainstorm!

2006-11-08T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here is the team doing a little brainstorming for some plot and story ideas.

Welcome to Beat Comics!

2006-10-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

Beat Comics

It’s not that easy to define exactly what Beat Comics is … the simplest “box” we can put it into is possibly to explain what we hope Beat Comics can become:

Financially successful SA Comics with a pure entertainment focus. Nothing more, nothing less.

Beat Comics is plugged into the financial support and distribution infrastructure of Media 24 – thereby creating a situation where creatives can finally concentrate on creating and not get stuck in the thousands of problems associated with printing and distribution of comics in SA.

So, does Beat Comics hope to become the saviour publisher of all the unwanted ideas that are gathering dust in drawers all over SA? No. Initially we are working on 3 in-house projects that are all very diverse in content and style, and also two freelance projects with artists based in Johannesburg and Durban respectively. The projects that are in-studio are fiction projects with a local focus – so no superheroes (...yet! :-D - AC), but on the flipside also no soccer.

At this point we won’t be adding extra content but we are very happy to look at portfolios, so please feel free to contact us with any questions or to submit artwork.

Stick around – we guarantee it’s going to be interesting.

- Moray