RIO'S NEWSLETTER
Updates on Rio's Creative Projects
Hello! I’m here with a quick update on stuff I’ve been working on this past month.
WILD WISPS
I’m so happy to show this cover off! This is for Space Between Entertainment’s 10th Anniversary special on Kickstarter (10 days left!). I created this piece a while back, but I have illustrated new cards and a new cover yet to be revealed. Keep following WILD WISPS for more. <3
I love WILD WISPS so much. I want more comics, a novel, and a tv show, please.
GOUACHE PAINTINGS
Oh boy, I have entered a new love-hate relationship with these paints, haha. I have so much to learn! It’s nice learning a new medium and taking time away from the computer, but it’s also frustrating when things don’t behave the way you want them to. Here are recent paintings- this time I didn’t use the layering technique that I’ve done before with the clear film. I wasn’t feeling a layered approach to these pieces.
I’m behind with these. I was planning to drop gouache paintings and prints in my shop last month, but then I kept thinking of new pieces to try. There are a couple more ideas I want to pursue before doing a drop. When I do, I will make a newsletter update!
FINAL CREATION- COMIC
This isn’t my “Final” creation, it’s the name of my latest comic, though. I’m pleased to say all the art for the first chapter is complete.
I’m sharing a couple of pages I reworked. The original castle design (left) was annoying me. I like having a lot of spires, but it didn’t feel imposing enough, so I redrew it (right). In the end, I decided to use Bran Castle for the story. It’s a coincidence that Bran Castle is “Dracula’s Castle,” considering this story I’ve written is also a vampire story. I wanted to avoid using it, but it’s perfect for what I need, with some of the architecture tweaked slightly.
Just above is another page I redrew. This page was bothering me so much! I had redrawn it twice before I created the image on the left. Sometimes you get a page that does your head in, so you have to walk away and come back with fresh eyes. It felt so clunky to me, so I left it until I finished the rest of the chapter. Since I redid the castle, it was the perfect time to scrap the page and start over. I’m much happier with the new version on the right.
Now I get to work on one of my favorite parts! The Chapter title page! I love it when comics have page breaks with lovely artwork. For FINAL CREATION, I want to ink each title page traditionally.
WHAT ELSE?
I’m working on a couple of commissions for creators right now. Between this, I’ve been bouncing between FINAL CREATION and painting with gouache, all while ignoring the nagging NEW PROJECT that keeps nipping at my brain. This is a challenge of being creative- thinking up new ideas before the previous ones are finished and having the discipline to know when and how to juggle them.
Thank you for reading!
~ RIO