Therion is back in production.
It’s been over a month since the Kickstarter campaign for Therion: Issue 1 (First Edition) successfully wrapped up — and production is now well and truly underway.
As much as I enjoyed the promotional phase of the project — the daily Instagram and YouTube updates, plus the weekly newsletters — I’m very glad to be back working with Tahlia on the graphic novel itself.
This project has been an interesting reflection on what I can realistically manage while also running our production company, Machine Studio. I see Therion as having three key components:
The graphic novel itself
Promotion — YouTube, Instagram, socials
The Kickstarter — campaign page, presentation, merchandise production
I’ve found I can successfully manage two of these at once. But trying to spin all three plates? That’s when things get a little crazy.
Now that the campaign has wrapped, my primary focus is the graphic novel. So I thought I’d share what we’re currently working on and how my workflow with Tahlia looks.
Right now, we’re addressing some outstanding changes that need to be made to roughly 30% of the book. These range from minor panel updates to rewriting and redrawing entire pages.
Our workflow:
I start by writing a script for each page. Each page is broken into “panels” — the frames that make up a comic page, each with its own drawing.
I then create a “blueprint” of the page, showing where each panel goes, the composition, placement of speech bubbles, character expressions, and any other important details.
Sometimes I’ll sketch smaller “thumbnails” first to test different layouts and find the most impactful arrangement.
Once the blueprint is set, I pass it to Tahlia. She creates a rough version of the page, we go through one round of feedback, and then she produces a cleaner “tidy” version that’s close to final.
The last stage is called “inking.” This is when the final lines are drawn, and the scene is textured and shaded for depth and impact.
Below are some sneak peeks of what we’ve been working on. We can’t wait to share more with you soon.
Therion script, blueprint and rough drawings.
A collage of blueprints and roughs. Drawn by Damien Boneham first, and then Tahlia Pearce.
