I had been using Scrivener to outline and keep notes. The process never got comfortable, and even with the index card mode, there wasn’t an intuitive way for me to see the Big Picture.

My personal stumbling block with any word processor is that there is a feeling of finality to typing that makes me want to fix things immediately after I write them. Then I get into the death spiral of self-editing that hinders me from making progress on the story as a whole.

I tried outlining on paper, but that didn’t let me change things easily enough. Mind mapping, whether on paper or the computer, was useful for brainstorming, but was difficult to apply to story structure.

Today I started using Google Docs and its new Drawing feature to create a virtual whiteboard for myself. Much better! I’ve got color-coded index cards and my structure laid out. The process feels a lot more natural and I can easily see how the pieces of my story relate.

Google Docs also has a collaborative editing feature and built-in chat, so it’s really convenient to work real-time with my brother when we need to.

I’m going to keep plugging away and see if the tool holds up for me as the story gets refined.

For today, I’m happy because I think I’ve finally found a way to approach my writing in a visual way with the computer. I feel like I can “sketch” a story now, just like I do when I’m painting.

Emma from Glee, my current favorite show on TV.
Done freehand, but with reference and measuring lines added in Photoshop to help achieve the right proportions.

This was an exercise in how to capture a likeness. I think I must have scrapped about 6 prior attempts. Once I got the likeness close, the painting went pretty quickly.

The colors are still a little wacky. But I think it’s time to move on to the next piece.

Photoshop CS4. 12 hours.

Some fan art of Kaylee from Serenity. Photoshop CS4.
I lost count of the hours trying to get the likeness right. Maybe 8? Finally had to give up. It’s just not quite there. I wish I were a better artist so I could see how to fix it more easily.

Finished it off with a quick hack coloring job of only an hour or so.

I was a bit rusty after not painting for at least a month it feels like. It was hard to get back into the groove.

For me personally, it’s been a great opportunity to wear lots of different hats. In addition to the stuff I usually do like write software and shaders or work on shots, I was able to do some concept art (lighting key paintings) and also make a contribution to a matte painting. I’ve also been much more involved with directing the lighting and look of the final frames because the directors and art director have placed a lot of trust in me.

Can’t wait until the world gets to see it.

Here’s a teaser image that I helped to render out and then Andy Harkness our art director painted over. That’s Wayne on the left and Lanny on the right.

There are announcements in Variety and USA Today if you want to read more.