Badin and the Secret of the Saami Fonts

After hours of research for which fonts to use inside Badin and the Secret of the Saami, I have settled on the OpenType versions of Silver Age and Whitechapel. I found them on Blambot. Of all the font companies offerings—free and paid—these two are the best for my needs and budget.

Since the story contains Swedish and Saami words, having typefaces with diacritical marks is crucial. I also plan to have Swedish and Saami versions of the graphic novel. So free fonts won't suffice. The situation requires purchasing professional font sets.

Most of the lettering for the graphic novel will be done in lower- and upper-case  Silver Age. Whitechapel is used for smaller—but very important—sections. Exactly what that portion is will be a surprise for you.

Act 4 Thumbnail Layouts for Badin and the Secret of the Saami

At left are the thumbnail sketch layouts of the fourth and final chapter of Badin and the Secret of the Saami. This was the most difficult act to sketch. The ending of the story is very, very emotional and I had to put myself in the shoes of all who were involved. Eye-catching composition was also critical. I made quite a few minor changes for the art direction and dialog in the script! Writing the final scenes brought tears to my eyes. I think some of you will experience tears when you read it as well.

It is past one o'clock in the morning ("klockan ett på morgonen" in Swedish) and I promised myself I would stop staying up late. I know. I know. But my personal life has been in a state of turmoil and late, late nights have been the only time I can work on this project.

As I have written before, this project is very much alive and the calling I have to do it is bigger than my own trifling problems (trifling compared the racial and social strife consuming the world as I write this). Is it going to solve such problems? No. But it will help and it will inspire others to do greater things.

What is next? There are a few pages with sketches and panels that require revisions. These were pages that I did not like visually, but I did not want to stop to work on it. Typically, when I work out the panels I make very messy pencil gestures in a sketchbook and figure out composition. As we get closer to publishing, I'll be sure to share some of those things. I've got a book full of them! After that, I'll scan the layouts and begin building the pages in Manga Studio 5EX. From there, I plan to do "loose" penciling based on the thumbnail sketches and then move to "lettering" (placing text). After that comes inking and color.

Although I expect to self-publish, there is a chance a book publisher may want to give it a chance. So I plan to complete Act 1 entirely and then follow the step-by-step production process for the other three acts. Meanwhile, I'll still promote it with posters and teasers as planned (a new poster is due out next month). Did you get your poster?

Knös the Giant in Swedish

It has been over 2 years since I first introduced the world to a Black Swedish character called Knös the Giant (also in Swedish Knös, Jätten). I combed through quite a few Swedish folktales and settled on one of the most symbolic in my opinion.

While in the Swedish city of Söderköping as a guest for television show Allt För Sverige, I was inspired to tell stories about non-white Swedish children. At the time, I had to study a number of Swedish children's books and movies for a competition. The lack of non-white characters was a little disturbing—especially since I knew I was half-Swedish and I met so many other Swedes that looked like me. When I enthusiastically shared this idea as a collaboration project with one of the other Americans, it was promptly shot down. But I was not going to let that stop me.

So now, in 2015, I am finally putting in more time to promote Knös the Giant and The Swedish Girl of Motala. Yesterday, I released the Swedish language version of Knös the Giant. It is called Knös, Jätten. This took alot of work and I got some great help from translator Simon Hästo and editor Kay Hutchings-Olsson.

I hope to have the Swedish version of The Swedish Girl of Motala within a month or so. While I am doing this, I am also working on a graphic novel called Badin and the Secret of the Saami, my regular stock illustrations and Photo Grafix. My plate is full and I am excited about the future. Your support and encouragement over the years has been a big part of keeping me going.

Act 3 Thumbnail Layouts for Badin and the Secret of the Saami

23 layout pages in about 2 weeks

I went through lead and built up piles of eraser bits like a mad man for the third act of Badin and the Secret of the Saami. I have neglected household chores, slacked off on seeking new work for my "day" job, regular sleep hours—again—and have gotten poorer for it.

However, I do not believe in being poor forever! So that is why I really want to finish this stage of the graphic novel's production. Moreover, I feel the world needs to know this story and its main character, Badin.

Act 3 is a major shift of events in the story: The antagonist is fully revealed and the conflict between good and evil becomes clear. It is also the act where the action ramps up substantially.

One thing I like about Act 3 is all the attention I give to Swedish folklore and the connections between Saami shamanism, humanity and nature. Artistically, this one is also full of challenges: Nature scenes, animals and some strange lighting effects will push my abilities beyond the limits of my experience. This proves the importance of creating "loose gestures" with pencil. To agonize over details at such an early stage can be quite frustrating.

For obvious reasons, you can barely see anything of detail in the picture above. However, I just wanted to share with the world that I am moving along at a decent pace.

Act 2 Thumbnail Layouts for Badin and the Secret of the Saami

Act 2 all laid out

This is proof I am still working hard. At left is an grainy photo of Act 2 layout thumbnails for Badin and the Secret of the Saami that someone made while in my secret hideout the other week.

I am really having fun experimenting with composition and making the story flow. As of this writing, I'm almost finished with Act 3. After that, it will be Act 4 and then I can finally start inking the graphic novel.

As I make more progress, expect to see more. I am also collaborating with another writer to create some more vignettes. I completely finished the first vignette this week and shared it with a handful of advisers. With the exception of including it in the Special Edition, I do not have any plans to release it.

Stumbling Block Removed for Badin and the Secret of the Saami

After almost a month of agonizing and nail-biting when I first shared the stumbling block, I am happy to declare that the problems with Act 2 of Badin and the Secret of the Saami have been resolved! This part of the story is critical to making Badin's motivations real. You'll see it when it's published next year.

This is an exciting moment because I can return to creating thumbnail layouts for the rest of Act 2 and move more swiftly with Acts 3 and 4.

While doing this, I also created 3 more posters to promote the graphic novel. You will see them in coming months. I really would appreciate your help in using them on your websites and send to friends. I have a great story to tell and you will be inspired from it.

The bad part is that the time is 12:15 in the morning and I'm supposed to be in bed. I also cancelled the automatic shutdown of my computer. The good thing is, if I had not written this blog entry, I would have been in bed. So I did stop working before it started to shut-down.

The picture at left is an abstract from the first vignette (not yet released). I hope you find it interesting and inspiring.

The Secret is Out: Poster #1 Badin and the Secret of the Saami

A brave child.
A people on the brink of extinction.
A dangerous discovery.

You are about to partake in a fascinating historical fiction adventure located in one of 18th century Europe's mightiest kingdoms. I guarantee a thrilling and enlightening ride! Release date is Fall 2016.

Today I am officially releasing the first promotional item for Badin and the Secret of the Saami. After many hours of research, I have selected a typeface for the titles. I would like all my friends, co-workers and family to use these posters in your digital avatars, wallpaper and anywhere else you want to promote it.

Download a low-resolution poster (for your website, Facebook page, avatar, wallpaper).

Download a Facebook Cover Page (sized perfectly for your page cover photo slot)

Download a high-resolution poster (for printing and displaying on a real wall).

Download an avatar (for your website, favicon other other small symbol that represents your persona online).

Download another avatar (for your website, favicon other other small symbol that represents your persona online).