3 Knights in India: The End

Well... it's pretty much official now. I just sent out the last 3 Knights in India to the India Post, and before that I sent the final corrections to the printer for the Graphic Novel. Did I mention here yet that I received the proof, and that it looks great?

Paper, print quality, covers... everything looks fantastic. Once I saw the book, I added a few extras just because I was so happy with the way it came out. Because of that, I have to now wait for a second proof, so we have another week or so before I can start talking about where you can buy the book.

Trust me, it's great, and well worth the 3 years that I put into it.

And for those keeping track of these things, I did add an extra chapter. Like the prequel, it's only a few pages (8), but by separating the last bits from the rest of the book, it really gives it a strong sense of finality... a good ending to the book.

And for those of you who have had trouble responding to blogs here, may I strongly recommend that you write responses in Notepad, or something, and paste it into the blog? That way, if your response is lost at all, you don't have to type all that stuff in again, or worse, walk away and I don't hear from you!

More soon, my friends :0)

What's in a name?

Hi,

Maybe you've seen the latest 3 Knights in India at the homepage, or are looking forward to seeing it in next week's India Post, but I just had to pull it aside for discussion.

You see, I love moments like this. They shine in a Creator's career, mostly becuase of their unexpectedness. Reading the strip, it appears obvious where the name 3 Knights in India comes from, and I actually did consider calling it 3 days and 3 knights in Bangalore. The point is, I didn't plan this particular strip. I knew the story was ending, and I knew I was going to give each subset of characters their final moments, but this particular idea popped out of thin air just when I needed it, and I had no idea that it was coming. It's perfect, of course, in so many ways, and a fitting ending for the strip, and so obvious to me the subconscious mind at work.

I remember reading that Bill Watterson enjoyed creating Calvin & Hobbes storylines, because he would set the characters loose, and often be delightfully surprised by where they went. Perhaps we creative types have a certain schizophrenia, but it's true that a point comes where your characters have a life of their own. They conduct dialogs in your head, and you find yourself just listening in, and waiting for the good stuff that you can mine for the comic strip.

No, I don't think we're crazy... it's just the creative process at work. The subconscious mind working hard on all the stuff that the conscious mind feeds it. It is wonderful though, when we can surprise ourselves; the artistic equivalent to the "runner's high".

And by the way, the guy in the top panel to the left is indeed the "everyman"or "Common Man" character created by RK Laxman, India's premier Cartoonist. No cartoon book about India would be complete without him :0)

Cheers, JOHN :0)

A Day in the Life...

Actually 2 days: That's how long it took to review and edit my graphic novel, going over all 148 pages to check that everything falls within the margins, that there are no spelling errors, or any other dreadful mistakes. I actually went over the book 3 times, just to make sure, because the first turn through revealed about 20 horrible mistakes my former editing didn't find. Then I had to turn the main document and covers into pdf files, and get them to the printer.

Now I just have to wait for the proof to come in. If it looks good to me, then 3 Knights in India will finally be made available to the public, and I can see what everyone thinks of it.

Not that the work is over, of course. Still have to market and promote, but as I've mentioned, it's already strange not having this feeling that I need to draw or write all the time. Honestly, I've often worked around the clock on this, trying to keep the newspaper deadline, as well as self-imposed deadlines.

Wow... no more drawing 3 Knights in India... no more battles between text and images for precious page space, no more scambling for reference material through a table of photos and magazines, no more piles of sketches, or the scratching of the pencil on paper, or the smell of ink at 3 in the morning...

Fortunately, I have a dozen other projects on my list.

Back to the drawing board!