Dec
20

Purpose

By Trip Carroll // Featured, Uncategorized // No Comments

Christmas is almost here. I’m done with my second to last semester of school, and I’m more than ready to fly home. My wife is in desperate need for a break from work. Right now we’re just running on fumes.

The end of this semester marks a huge change in my growth as an artist and illustrator. It’s a jump that I never would have imagined possible. This whole year, I’ve felt like I was ramming my head into a brick wall. That I was getting no where and only injuring myself and my wife by being in grad school, racking up debt, and living in New York City (which I find to be a very hard place).

But very recently, I’ve seen light at the end of the tunnel. I’m starting to enjoy the images that I’m making. And, most importantly, I’m beginning to understand how illustrative and comic making processes works.

If there’s anyone to thank for this leap, it’s Klaus Janson, who I’ve had the privilege of meeting with every other week. He’s been incredible, giving me resources, advice, and feedback on my work. It’s been great to talk to him about the business of comics, since he’s been in the industry for so long and know all of its ins and outs. Simply getting to meet with him one on one has been worth the sacrifice of being here and going to school.

I feel like I’m moving forward. And that is something that I needed desperately. We’ll see if it pans out.

Outlaw Page 1 | Thesis Project

Here are some pieces that I’ve been working on this semester for my Thesis Project, titled “Outlaw”. It’s a short graphic novel, based on the Icelandic Saga of Gisli (about 66 pages). I’ve finished the script and thumbnails for the first 24 pages. This is the first page of the book.

The story is broken up into 3 issues, and I’ll have the first one finished before the end of next semester. It will have a little color and be completely lettered. I’m hoping to shop it around to various publishers (both comic and book publishers). With a 24 page comic, at least I’ll have an awesome portfolio piece to help get my foot in the door.