Progressing Steadily Toward Awesome

So I haven't posted in a while. Not because I've been lazy though. I've actually accomplished a LOT.

I got about half-way through the script I'd written and realized that it didn't have the tone I wanted. Somewhere along the line I'd gotten off track.

So long story short, I went back to revise the outline. Overall, I've been working seriously on this thing for over a year now. I started way back in March 2008 when I set a goal to accomplish my dreams in a serious way. There have been some awesome, illuminating moments. There have also been some bleak, hopeless ones where I doubted that I had any amount of talent at all. But finally, having done an amazing amount of writing, along with countless days thinking about the story while jogging along a canal road (also serving the dual purpose of getting me in shape)...this thing is finally coming together.

The turning point was when I realized that the tone of the story had to be simple, fun and timeless; almost like a fairy-tale. I had this certain visual image that represented, to me, the heart of the story. Every part of the story and where it would go had to be driven by this image. If it wasn't true to the feel of that kind of story, I'd throw it out.

For a long time this story has gotten to a certain point, near the middle of it, where I didn't know what would happen next. Finally, I have a middle (and a finished outline) that I'm completely happy with!

I then went about creating a crazy amount of character designs for all of the main characters. I've really been trying to push the designs further than what I'd done previously, hoping to give them more "appeal". The look I initially wanted and still want is something like, "Animation meets Star Wars". Obviously, I can't show them all (don't wanna give away the story), but here are a few main characters...

With the concept art done, I then began scripting out a screenplay for the first couple of chapters. My plan is to illustrate these chapters totally and then submit it to various publishing companies...

Finally, with the screenplay done, I began work on a "dummy book", which is basically a rough version that I'll use as a blueprint for the final pages. It makes it easier to see how the story will flow and works out storytelling problems. I hope to have these first couple of chapters roughed out by next Tuesday for my art critique group...