Creating Comics!

Creative Process

For this Meth: The Call piece I wanted to convey a sense of dark-

ness hinging on insanity, which is a strong theme throughout the

rest of the Meth stories. I wanted the look of a pencil sketch, very

loose and messy, but also wanted to capture the feel of a downward

spiral in the background photo for the piece. In the finished version I

attempted to make these elements blend

together so the finish would have a pol-

ished look with an off-balance feel. I

enjoy negative space as a presence

throughout my stories and use it to

hold my words, so even they

make a point with the imag-

ery instead of just being what

somebody says. The Call is

pencils that were prepped and

finished in Paint Shop Pro.

This was created on Strathmore 140 lb. cold press watercolor

paper with Rexel Derwent watercolor pencils and washes of Winsor

& Newton paints mixed with black coffee. Each of the characters

was prepped with a different color watercolor pencil, which is how I

create the different colorcasts of their skin. The photo of the lightning

was hardly altered in this piece. The lost souls below were added in

digitally, as was the mask above and the black swirl background.

The Goodbye was inspired by Dante’s Inferno, the first part of

Dante’s Divine Comedy, “Dante Alighieri,” which has inspired many

artists before me and is about Dante’s descent into

hell. It was my intent to create an image that became more horrifying

the longer it was viewed and to use strong jewel-toned colors to

evoke specific emotional

responses as the eye flowed through the piece. This image will be

the cover for the complete collection of Meth’s short stories and will

eventually be available as a limited release through Atlas Unleashed.

Title: Meth: A Matter of Faith, p. 6

Client: Atlas Unleashed

© Shawnti Therrien

S

hawnti Therrien is the creator of Am I Immortal and

Meth (with Atlas Unleashed), the creative director

for the CAG manga anthology With Honor, and the

author of many other dark tales. She lovingly crafts each

tale herself, weaving the written word and creating the art,

layouts, and even lettering. Therrien wears many hats: cre-

ative director, editor, letterer, artist, and writer. Whenever the

opportunity has arisen, she has mentored fellow artists and

worked with other creators, expanding her repertoire.

Meth: The Call was written, created, illustrated, and

finalized by Therrien for future release by Atlas Unleashed.

Therrien’s interests are not limited simply to comics, but

extend throughout all forms of artistic expression. In her rural

Connecticut home, she works with her husband to create

music and independent film. She also works with a local

sculptor to make her 2-D artistic creations come to life. Her

attention to detail is fueled by her drive to touch her audience

on a very base level, as she puts soul into each of her pieces.

She likes to work with any media she can get her hands on,

but almost always chooses illustrated prose and comics as

the ultimate way to capture her intent.

Shawnti Therrien

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