Savage swords
My original plan for the Conan comics was to draw them traditionally, rather than on the computer. I had earmarked a few weeks in the run-up to Christmas to practice (I may have mentioned this before) as I hadn't drawn a run of pages on paper since 2007. I bought pens, paper, a number of new rulers and french curves, even a bottle of proper deleter white-out. Of course this jinxed me, I injured my arm at the start of December, and spent the festive season trying to gain sympathy from those around me as I winced while eg lifting the kettle.
But the one thing I did stick with was going back to life drawing on a regular basis, and this is leading to improvements. Not in my drawing arm, mind. You should see me trying to vacuum the house. Pitiful. Luckily my trademark "gentle style" (designed to avoid the carpal tunnel catastrophes suffered by many of my friends) allows me to continue at the digital easel.
Comments (16)
Not sure if this will be like a non-canon AU how Conan was (unless I’m somehow wrong) or if it’s an actual part of the timeline but either way I’m all in for it
I have a way to stitch it all in neatly!
In light of recent developments, perhaps an opportunity for the Savage Sword of Susan to pick up where the Blood Egg left off? After all, previous attempts to capture the romance of a barbarian age while circumventing the intellectual property of Robert E. Howard and his estate literally constitute their own subgenre, and few of them have seemingly ever needed to work too hard at establishing that differentiation (e.g. The Beastmaster, The Blademaster, The Sword and the Sorcerer, The Norseman, The Seven Magnificent Gladiators, Hercules, Gor, Yor, The Barbarians, etc., etc., etc.). Few if any '80s bodybuilder-to-actor career pivots would have even been possible without this genre...time for a new chapter in the history of slightly questionable sword-and-sorcery emulation?
I'm late to this but could you maybe expand on your patented Gentle Style? Carpal tunnel is a wolf that is baying at my door...
Hi Cassie, it's pretty simple. I hold the pen gently and I try not to press down too hard. I used to be a hard typist (I learnt on an old manual typewriter) and played video games, and i started having problems with fingers going numb when I did a lot of either of those things, about 15 years ago. Given how many of my friends were already in wrist braces, I adjusted my drawing style, and had to quit gaming in any way that required a joypad. The modern low-travel keyboards saved me from my hard typing ways.
I’m pulling for Gerhard to make a special guest appearance as background artist. Stay away from aardvarks though!
Gerhard on backgrounds would save me a LOT of work.
She looks even more badass than in Giant Days, which is pretty impressive. The expression, the clothes, the color... I love everything. Just a curiosity about the materials you're using. There's a motivation about why a bottle of white deleter is better than a white uniposca? Please take care of your arms.
Deleter is what the manga pros all use, I think it takes ink better, is more opaque than Posca, and I can apply it with a brush.
I can't overstate my excitement about Susan and her Savage Sword!
Her expression is just perfect. Love 'er
I always loved Susan the best. I'm not usually into fantasy, but the current Conan story won me over very quickly, and I'd be more than happy to read some of Susan's adventures in this world.
Love this image and love the series.
I'm hoping for Savage Susan to have savage yet tender chemistry with Graham the Smith.
All that's missing is the Hyborean equivalent of a cigarette.
“Savage Sword Of Susan” sounds like a surefire head-turner