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   Have you ever had a pet theory, but you never wanted to tell anyone because they'd think you were the biggest fool on the planet? I have a couple and every time I've mentioned them, that's pretty close to the reaction I get.

    Cue the accusations and finger-pointing. Just human (or Frith) nature - like everyone else, when something goes wrong, we think of who else is to blame.

    I was really pleased with how panel 5 came out, but it was really awkward getting the right camera angle, as Gina is really short and Pete is way tall, but it worked out great.

    A few months ago, I used this particular page as a poll to determine if I should (a) render backgrounds and draw characters or (b) just render everything. I decided on option A, for various reasons, one of which included the poll.

    Contrary to popular opinion, even though the drawn product looks a good deal like the rendered version, I don't just 'touch up' the renderings. I render the background only, with the characters invisible, but casting shadows. Then I draw each character completely from scratch - although I freely admit that I use the fully rendered scene as an aid. Still, it takes over an hour or two to draw and shade each character, and that's if everything works perfectly.

    The problem with rendering the characters in CGI is that I can't get quite as much detail, especially on their faces and they have to be painstakingly posed - with a capital 'pain'. One little error and you have to render again and that takes several hours.

    For this page (and this page only) I have included the rendered versions, complete and raw.


Drawing completed - 01 APR 2009
Drawing posted - 29 JUL 2009

20 JUNE 2001 Wednesday - 1620
Page 36
The tre' Basement


    "I'll tell him, Sandra," Gina volunteered. "It's a tunnel to Reality."

    "Sandra?" Ignatius asked for clarification. "Do you know this to be true?"

    Sandra, her hand on her face and her eyes shut with shame, nodded.

    "Slide? Pete? Do you know anything about this?" asked Ignatius.

    "Oh, don't pretend, Ig," Slide countered.

    "I'm sorry?" Ignatius said.

    "Don't pretend you don't know," Slide elaborated. "Your parents knew. Surely they must've told you."

    "Never a word," Ignatius answered.

    "Oh, you're 'avin' us on," Pete challenged.

    "No, he's not," Sandra stated. "Ig couldn't tell a lie to save his tail."

    "If we're done with incriminations, I'd like to focus on returning the children," Ignatius said. "Now . . . Sandra, Gina, how do you know this goes to Reality?"

    "We've both been there," Sandra stated plainly.

    "Sandra was with me at the time," Gina added. "Both our parents brought us down here as children and showed us through. Then they threatened to shave every hair off our bodies - permanently - if we mentioned it to anyone. So, Mister-Smarter-Than-Your-Average-Bear, here, decided he would ingratiate himself to our little tearaway by telling her the family secret. Nice going, Pete. Thanks to you and your fat gob, she's lost in Reality."

    "'Ang on a mo', Gina," Pete complained. "Ya can't pin this all on me!"

    "You're the one who told her," Gina said plainly.

    "First off, I don't care what the law says, she ain't our daughter. She's your daughter."

    "If we could . . . " Ignatius tried to break off the argument.

    "If that's the case, then why does she refer to you as her 'old man'?" Gina proposed.

    "Because 'old man' is easier to say'n 'the bloke what works for mum.' An' 'old man' don't necessarily mean 'dad', duzzit."
All material copyright Grim, 2009. No unauthorized use. Survivors will be prosecuted.