Pondering The Infinite Wonders

One thing I like to do to whenever I have some time to spare is a fun personal project called Infinite Wonders. It's a superhero book that has rummaged around in Tristen Bagnall's head and my head for the past year or two. We enjoy working on the book whenever we can. Our plotting parties are legendary. I keep saying whenever because we always go back to it whenever we're done with other things because we enjoy adding more to this little world. It's the type of superhero comic we'd enjoy to see more of these days, so it feels liberating in many ways for the both of us. Currently working through the 2nd issue, which is a big bomber. Funny how the 1st issue was just normal sized and the 2nd one is bigger!

8x10 on bristol board. Pencil, ink, watercolors

Above's a small piece I did on the side to break things up a bit. Also helping me to start getting the feel for one character that is getting introduced soon in coming pages for me. That's one mistake I made working on the first issue. I don't think I allowed myself to get comfortable and it's something that is very apparent for me in my own critiquing. So I've been trying to remedy that hopefully by stretching and prepping more with exercises like this. Just do whatever, it's good for the head! Wanted to do something quieter but also inject some humor in there to throw that off balance.

Let's do some airobics. Yes, air.

What I meant about getting comfortable is that I'd like to be sure, especially for characters that are pretty important. Back to the beginning of the road for this one, she started out looking less streamlined. Just standard fare with the jacket on top. Lightweight boots going above the knees and gloves going up past the elbows. Something that felt light would be good since she can control gravity, breeze around and whatnot. That's partly why I think a regular ol jacket was bothering me.

Now let's just dance in the sky while we're at it.

I started trying to find ways to get the lightweight flows going on in the back by making it integrated into the costume more. Boots and gloves also became less sterile. Feels more fun that way, bringing that up-down levels motif more into play. That you can drop up or down or do whatever when she's around. One point it started becoming kinda 80s with the poofy shoulderpads. Big goggles were still fitting, I thought. Displays the wide-eyed youthfulness (both have big goggles for that reason). Also good for flying around in the air!

Almost there. Now do a long jump.

Slighter changes started to signal to myself that it was getting there, and after a few more tests I was happier with the design. Got a few more Infinite Wonders things I can show soon. I think my next post might be about Timespace, though. YOU CAN WATCH IT HERE, BY THE WAY!

That Timespace poster

I remember saying I wanted to save going wackier for another poster when I was doing the teaser poster, so I started thinking further about some of the thematic ideas present in the film. Took these things and tried to integrate them in a fairly abstract way. Now, the way my brain works didn't allow me to fully focus on the approach I was wanting to take until I finished working on something else.

That's just the way it's gotta be I guess. But when I did finish what I was doing, I was able to get the idea I had down pretty quickly and it's what I ended up settling on. Working through to the actual finished version, it became inclusive of several different mediums. After penciling and inking, I ended up using India ink to give a wide range of grey tones. Then came layers of watercolor on top of that, then gouache.

Timespace poster.
Pencils, inks, India ink, watercolors, gouache, 11x14 on bristol board

The idea was to have James Pratt stepping into the time machine and seeing a bunch of crazy stuff on the inside. But not just any crazy stuff, more specifically the vices or devices he uses to get his means to their ends. All the unruly things he does to achieve his goals, right in front of him leading him to his inevitable destination.

rough layout

Melting clock hands, cyanide in a syringe, cocaine, a single bullet, the hourglass necklace, blood: all being sucked into this rip in reality/space (more twisting of clock shapes for that rip) containing blackness becoming illuminated by white light. Don't want to give away what that is or how any of this stuff directly relates but it is contextualized in the film. Those objects are also referential to the three planetoids floating around. They have faint faces on them- the other three main characters in the film. They are all directly intertwined in the narrative through the choices that are made by James, so that's why they are there.

Original unused layout designs

My original ideas above came several months ago and still was presenting these ideas but in a slightly more literal way. I felt it was more fitting to go for something less straightforward given the nature of the time travel in the film and what state the main character is even in.

Hope these things give you some good thoughts to eat (oh boy yum) and ponder if you haven't seen the film yet. Sometime later this week Timespace is to be released online for rental on Vimeo. I'll definitely be posting a link here when the time comes.

I've seen how the film has come together from working closely on it with it's esteemed writer and director, my good pal Daniel Ziegler since January when it was just a rough idea little idea of a time travel movie in his head. I've seen him finally just about wrap up editing the film this past night after weeks and weeks of working his tush off and it was very surreal to see that end point in sight. Seeing those ideas that were cultivated be there in such a powerful way is totally nifty!