Uploaded September 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
This is part 2 of a three part video series about the process of creating a five page comic on an Atari ST/STE using NeoChrome.
Project Site: marincomics.com/duk-pixelart
Part 1: youtu.be/3zo5ScIFcc0
Part 2: This video
Part 3: youtu.be/uVv2FdP-ZIU
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Pixelart Comic Project - Part 2: Initial Draft and POC (MediaArtsHistories)
In this video I start drawing the comic.
First I break down the story into individual panels. Based on the story in my notes I start filling a description into every panel. Then I note which characters appear and which backgrounds and props I will need to draw. The result is a detailed breakdown of the complete story.
I then sketch the figures with a technical pencil working my way from basic shapes to a tight pencil sketch. Then I clean up the contours with a technical pen. I erase the pencil lines and with a black marker or brush pen I then reenforce some of the lines and fill in the blacks where they are needed.
This particular story needs four character, two backgrounds mostly consisting of trees, a mouse and an elephant. I drew the individual figures and the components of the backgrounds. Then I scanned them, coloured them on the Atari ST and manually render out each detail. This gives me flexibility to combine the panels any way I like, and it saves time because I will reuse the same figure on multiple panels with only slight variations. The same is true for the backgrounds. I can repeat the backgrounds and overlay the relevant characters.
I wasn’t sure how well I’d be able to draw on the Atari Mega STE. So, before starting with the comic, I wanted to try my hand at a “proof-of-concept”. I want to be mindful of the limitations of the Atari Mega STE.
The paint program I use is NeoChrome first introduced in 1985 by Atari Corporation but updated years later by enthusiasts from the demo scene. I chose a 16 color palette for its great deal of flexibility while still allowing for color ramps and gradients. The colors were chosen by a user on Pixeljoint called Dawn Bringer and this 16-color palette is called DB16.
The process of pixeling every single detail is quite time consuming and tedious. That being said, it did put me in a trance-like state of complete focus. I worked my way through to a finished proof-of-concept of the elephant using different techniques to overcome the limitations. I used dithering for areas of color transitions. And I manually anti-aliased the pixels that made up curves to offset the low resolution.
This is part 2 of a three part video series about the process of creating a five page comic on an Atari ST/STE using NeoChrome.
Project Site: marincomics.com/duk-pixelart
Part 1: youtu.be/3zo5ScIFcc0
Part 2: This video
Part 3: youtu.be/uVv2FdP-ZIU
---
Pixelart Comic Project - Part 2: Initial Draft and POC (MediaArtsHistories)
In this video I start drawing the comic.
First I break down the story into individual panels. Based on the story in my notes I start filling a description into every panel. Then I note which characters appear and which backgrounds and props I will need to draw. The result is a detailed breakdown of the complete story.
I then sketch the figures with a technical pencil working my way from basic shapes to a tight pencil sketch. Then I clean up the contours with a technical pen. I erase the pencil lines and with a black marker or brush pen I then reenforce some of the lines and fill in the blacks where they are needed.
This particular story needs four character, two backgrounds mostly consisting of trees, a mouse and an elephant. I drew the individual figures and the components of the backgrounds. Then I scanned them, coloured them on the Atari ST and manually render out each detail. This gives me flexibility to combine the panels any way I like, and it saves time because I will reuse the same figure on multiple panels with only slight variations. The same is true for the backgrounds. I can repeat the backgrounds and overlay the relevant characters.
I wasn’t sure how well I’d be able to draw on the Atari Mega STE. So, before starting with the comic, I wanted to try my hand at a “proof-of-concept”. I want to be mindful of the limitations of the Atari Mega STE.
The paint program I use is NeoChrome first introduced in 1985 by Atari Corporation but updated years later by enthusiasts from the demo scene. I chose a 16 color palette for its great deal of flexibility while still allowing for color ramps and gradients. The colors were chosen by a user on Pixeljoint called Dawn Bringer and this 16-color palette is called DB16.
The process of pixeling every single detail is quite time consuming and tedious. That being said, it did put me in a trance-like state of complete focus. I worked my way through to a finished proof-of-concept of the elephant using different techniques to overcome the limitations. I used dithering for areas of color transitions. And I manually anti-aliased the pixels that made up curves to offset the low resolution.
