jccatstudios - Tumblr blog

jccatstudios · 2 days

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just wanted to say i adore your comic style and you are doing such justice to the books. every time i open tumblr Im hopeful to see a new page dropped. hyped to see everything yet to come 🩷

Thank you! 💜 Always honored to hear the comic does the book justice. I’m always trying to capture my initial vision of the book, so I’m glad that people share that vision with me. So far, I’m almost done with the pencils on the next pages, so I hope I can finish them soon!

Early days kaz and jesper. Kaz doesn’t have his look down just yet, neither does jes. I always liked to think that jesper joined the dregs before the bank heist, making him the first crow to ever do a heist with kaz. Idk, jesper being the first crow is so special to me.

#sketches #asks #six of crows

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jccatstudios · 4 days

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Looking at my inbox now and I know what you guys are doing hahaha (just know I very much appreciate it)

PLEASE DO USE YOUR ASK BOX TO SHARE SKETCHES I AM EATING THEM UP /POS

Will do! Moving forward, I'll share some sketches or something else interesting along with asks that don't have specific questions/topics I can answer. Just my way of saying "thank you" for the lovely words you guys send me. If you ever send something and you don't hear back from me, it's probably because I'm saving it once I actually have a sketch to share! I don't have much time to sketch during the school year, so it might take a bit. :)

#that wasn’t my intention but this will motivate me to use my sketchbook more often #thanks :)

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jccatstudios · 4 days

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Hey! Hope you don"t mind me asking so many questions about your process, I promise my style is entirely different, the general theme of your art though is what ive been striving for! Please dont hesitate to share any limits to it!

Anyway, how do you clean up your drawings:0? I believe you said you start out on paper, so how do you get it on digital without it looking messy? Thanks!

No problem! Asking questions is the best way to learn anything, and I don't mind answering them.

I do start off on paper and transfer it to digital. Below is a comparison of chapter 3, page 17's scan file (all traditional, no edits done yet) versus its digitally cleaned-up version (left to right).

The edits on this page are heavier in comparison to some of the other pages, especially since I made a mistake that would affect the narrative (see bottom right panel).

To scan, I usually use the large flatbed Epson scanners provided by my school. When I'm away or on vacation, I resort to using a copier machine (not always great results, but it works out in the end. The first six pages of chapter 3 were copier machine scans). There's a setting called "Gamma" that I like to set to around 1.2. I don't know what it does, but it makes the pages look crisper overall.

After I import my scan file to Clip Studio, I create two correction layers to put on top of the page. One is a tone curve layer and the other is a posterization layer. For the former, I try to make an "S" curve to push the contrast. For the latter, I set it to around 6. These correction layers help the black-and-white contrast shine and define the edges better.

The last step before toning and lettering is the edit layer. I create a new raster layer to make corrections to the page. Sometimes, I have to go in and redraw a large section (like in the last panel), but most of the time, I'm going in and cleaning up areas. My white ink isn't always opaque, so it'll create a gray tone that I have to add digital white over. Other edits include adding in smaller things I forgot to draw or stuff that just would be easier to draw digitally.

#soc comic adaptation #asks #comics talk

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jccatstudios · 4 days

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PLEASE DO USE YOUR ASK BOX TO SHARE SKETCHES I AM EATING THEM UP /POS

Will do! Moving forward, I'll share some sketches or something else interesting along with asks that don't have specific questions/topics I can answer. Just my way of saying "thank you" for the lovely words you guys send me. If you ever send something and you don't hear back from me, it's probably because I'm saving it once I actually have a sketch to share! I don't have much time to sketch during the school year, so it might take a bit. :)

#asks

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jccatstudios · 5 days

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you are incredible!!!! i am in awe of you!!!!

Thank you! :D Have a nina face study I particularly liked

#using my inbox to share sketches?#it’s more likely than you think #sketches #asks #six of crows

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jccatstudios · 5 days

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when existence or when hope is gone : soc jane austen / regency au

"And have you made this entire call without once vexing or offending poor Miss Ghafa?” Captain Rietveld looked coolly at him. Inej bent her head over her sewing to hide her smiling, since she was not sure she would not laugh outright. She had not thought that Wylan would deliberately provoke the Captain, but perhaps his deference to his father did not reach anyone else. “I am sure that is not for me to decide,” said the Captain, “But I own I have been perfectly well behaved.” “Does he lie, Miss Ghafa?” “No— he has been quite tolerable company,” said Inej. “If not quite a perfect gentleman.” “You wound me, Miss Ghafa.” “I suspect I do not, Captain.”

contextual and explanatory notes about regency literary and social conventions are below the cut if you have questions during/after reading! plus some trivia for fun :)

The redacting of certain place names (—shire, — Street) is accurate to lots of old novels, where you will see it from time to time. I think it was a deliberate omission to avoid libel accusations if they accidentally invoked somewhere or someone real, or to also avoid confusing people if it contradicted real life. I used it here both to mimic the style, and also because that way didn't have to pick streets or regions lol.

The 'cut direct' was a social nuke and Kaz has balls of steel for using it on an older man who is his social superior 💀 if you very deliberately stared at and then blanked a previous acquaintance who had greeted you, it severed a relationship or acquaintance forever and could also make people turn on the person being cut. Pekka could have challenged him to a duel for it, but sensibly I think he saw the lapse in logic in giving a pistol to a soldier who holds you responsible for his brother's death and letting him shoot at you

A reticule is one of those dumb tiny handbags that regency ladies had

Governesses were in a uniquely vulnerable position. Not genteel enough for the family while not technically a servant, they tended to be isolated. While they were ofc not comparable to what Inej canonically goes through, many were abused by the families they worked for, rivalled the mothers for their children's affection, and some were harassed and abused by husbands or male visitors. There's a reason Jane Fairfax does not want to be one in Emma.

The navy lists are a publication that, unsurprisingly, list all the men, their ranks, and their ships currently trundling around on campaign. Kaz checks them to see who is still alive and to backseat drive campaigns (what's new!) and Wylan waits on tenterhooks for him to find Jesper. Which he always does because he was already looking for him.

Married couples did not tend to call one another by their given names, at least not in company; Nina and Matthias do it because they have a fond disrespect for one another. Or Nina does anyway and it's rubbed off on Matthias.

Although Kaz and Inej are comparatively very young, twenty six is pushing it for the 'marriageability' of young women; Anne Elliot was twenty seven and was considered to have lost the 'bloom' of her youth, so she is being bourne down upon a bit.

The money concerns in Persuasion— landed gentry losing money and soldiers becoming 'new' money in the war via prize money, but still being looked down upon by the old nobility— are kinda reflected through Kaz and Jesper.

(to be so honest I do not quite understand how the regency economy worked but I figured that like, no one else reading this does either, unless ur a regency specialist. if you are, sorry. how's academia?)

I think we're actually not quite yet at the peak of the 'scandal sheet' Bridgerton-Lady-Whistledown craze, but I couldn't possibly deprive Kaz and Inej of their fishmarket wife gossip habit in any universe.

I also hate Lord Byron. Next!

Nina, Matthias, and Inej are not at the Wesper wedding because regency weddings were super tiny affairs that only had v close / local family and friends at them

I think the circumstances of Kaz and Jordie having been minor landed gentry having to join the navy out of necessity may be a bit of a stretch but... Well I had to think of something to replicate Kaz's backstory with. The easier solution would have been for them to marry rich but I can see Jordie thinking that trying to marry Kaz 'Cut Direct' Rietveld off to a Duchess might be a bit tough

A trousseau was the collection of clothes that women bought before they were married; it was an expected thing, to send brides off with new clothes. Nina and Mrs Ghafa (and Jesper) are a lot more interested in this than poor Inej is lol.

The made up house names are entirely inside jokes with myself. Geldings references horses but is actually a play on the Geldstraat, Crawley means 'clearing frequented by crows', Stavewell is a play on the Stave where Tante Heleen and the Menagerie are, and I think Trasselwood is fairly obvious lol.

#finally found the time to get to this one #absolutely charming #smiled the whole time #go read!!!

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jccatstudios · 8 days

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Hii I just wanted to let you know that when reading the book I imagined Van Eck exactlyyy as you've drawn him! No joke! His hair especially, the slightly wavy texture and light color and style! I also love his facial expressions, literally can't wait to see Pekka Rollins (that's something I never knew I'd say..)

P.S. huge, huge fan of your Six of Crows comic, every time you post new pages I reread all the previous chapters all over again. Absolutely love, love, love what you're doing!

aw thank you!!! The fun thing about drawing the villains is that there really isn't much visual reference to go off of, so I'm trying to capture what I imagined without any outside influences. People in the reblogs on the last pages mentioned that they've never seen people draw Van Eck before, and I haven't either! There are like only a few pieces of fanart from pinterest I've seen in my research. That's it. As for Geels, there was nothing. I think I officially hold the world record for Geels drawings.

Here's a quick Pekka for your kindness :)

He's very much based on what I first imagined while reading the book, but this design is also influenced by hearing his chapters in the audiobook and working from the sound of the actor's voice. Shame he only gets two chapters. I absolutely love listening to him read.

#soc comic adaptation #asks #sketches

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jccatstudios · 9 days

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Kaz- CH3 (Clip)

Kaz/Jan- Mod Hunter

Art by @jccatstudios

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jccatstudios · 10 days

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Six of Crows: A Comic Adaptation

Part 1, Chapter 3

Pages 19–20

Previous Pages

Download the Chapter 2 Digital Copy

#soc comic adaptation #six of crows #soc #six of crows fanart #six of crows duology #six of crows comic #soc fanart #grishaverse fanart #grishaverse #kaz brekker #comics #jan van eck #ya fantasy #ya fiction #fantasy books #book art #bookblr

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jccatstudios · 11 days

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New pages tomorrow! 2 pm est

Six of Crows: A Comic Adaptation

Part 1, Chapter 3

Pages 17–18

Previous Pages

Download the Chapter 2 Digital Copy

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jccatstudios · 11 days

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Hope you know you're out here doihg gods work. Inej's nose bump. Kaz's undercut. Jesper's freckles. Chubby Nina. The small details really get me, you're amazing <3

Thank you! I truly think it's those little details that make you fall in love with characters. The little contradictions and specificities make them feel so real. Good characters invite analysis and engagement.

With the three crows that haven't appeared in the comic yet, I'm still working out those little details. For the original three, I made sure to keep in the details from the book and add some new ones that weren't mentioned (some I haven't even shown yet), so I'd like to do the same with Nina, Matthias, and Wylan. Lots of doodles to make! Absolutely love drawing Kaz, but I'm already missing drawing Inej and Jesper in Ch 3. I'll have to make some sort of illustration for the pdf release.

#soc comic adaptation #asks

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jccatstudios · 14 days

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Hi! Im pretty sure someone already asked you this but I really want to know. When working on the comic, do you make a script for yourself or do you "just" work with the book as it is? I know that making a script adds another work to the already long list, but working with the book as it is seems really overwhelming (many words me not likey)

You know, I don't think I have answered this before! Not in-depth, at least. Here's how I do it.

This is my extra annotated copy of the book (my original copy remains untouched). Got it used and as-is from Powell's. I also have a digital copy of the book when I can't bring this copy with me. I underline certain things I don't want to forget in the artwork, and write little notes to myself here and there. It's not shown on this page, but sometimes I cross things out that I won't/can't adapt like worldbuilding info and smaller flashbacks. If dialogue needs to be changed for lettering purposes, I do that when I'm actually making pages, not at the annotating stage. In the digital copy, I highlight character and setting descriptions to keep track of. This process is actually how I made my second graphic novel, which was an adaptation of a short story I wrote.

The ratio up top is my book page to comic page estimate. Last chapter's ratio was 10:21, which is in the ballpark of 3:7. With it, I've figured out how long each chapter and section would be just for fun. I even have a rough estimate of how long the entire book would be in comic format with nothing cut from it (try plugging in the numbers yourself if you'd like a fun surprise).

If this were a real professional project, I would write out a script myself. I'd want to keep the whole book in mind instead of doing it chapter by chapter. Working directly from the book for how things are structured is just a way to make the comic faster. Even thinking about the last chapter, I have ideas already for what I would change to create a stronger comic adaptation. For now though, I just go off the individual chapter to create something more one-to-one. This project has always been a way to improve my art and comic skills before I graduate, so doing structural rewrites to the story, even though that would be necessary for an actual adaptation, is out of the scope of this personal project I do outside of my classes.

#soc comic adaptation #asks #comics talk

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jccatstudios · 15 days

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Unpleasant truth:

If SoC was today, Inej would for SURE wear those shoes that separate your toes.

You know what? I unfortunately think you’re absolutely right. The furnace climb would be absolutely awful if she had those back then though.

Anyways, using this ask as an excuse to doodle some modern Inej. I like to think she’s very practical and athletic when it comes to fashion.

#asks #six of crows #sketches #sorry not drawing the toe shoes hahahah

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jccatstudios · 16 days

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progress for chapter 3

#do you guys like seeing progress stuff?#I share a lot on ig because of the stories feature #idk lemme know if you want to see more stuff like this!#soc comic adaptation

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jccatstudios · 19 days

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You ever thought about how all the crows (except Jesper I guess) have water related trauma?

Yeah, that is an interesting shared experience between the characters. You could even say Jesper does fit in with this similarity given that his mother died from drawing poison from tainted well water. Makes Ketterdam and Fjerda the perfect settings for these characters to confront their pasts.

#asks #six of crows

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jccatstudios · 21 days

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HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO THE COMIC!

This all started when one of my professors gave me some very good advice: start a webcomic while you’re in school. After 61 pages, over a hundred drawings of Kaz Brekker, and lots of doodles along the way, I can safely say that I am just as passionate and proud of this project as I was when I started Chapter 2, page 1. This comic has given me new dreams, stronger skills, and a wonderful community of kindhearted readers. Thank you for being so dedicated, thoughtful, and enthusiastic. As a student comic creator, your words and acts of support mean more to me than you could ever know. Like you, I too hope that one day we get an official comic adaptation of this incredible book series, but until then, I’ll keep at it with Chapter 3.

Cheers! 💜

Six of Crows: A Comic Adaptation

Part 1, Chapter 2

Pages 1–2

Next Pages

Download the Chapter 2 Digital Copy

#soc comic adaptation

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jccatstudios · 21 days

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CH3- KAZ (CLIP)

Kaz/Jordie/Jan Van Eck- Mod Hunter

Original by @jccatstudios

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