Round 2: Nick Pitarra

[Nick Pitarra]

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Page 1
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Page 2
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Page 3
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[jameslucasoni]

Nick, Nick, Nick. Cheerleaders don't have tops made out of latex someone painted on them. What's with all the boobsocks? ;) I think the ridonkulous posing in the first panel is actually kind of funny, but you're killing me with the boobies. Their presentation is totally inappropriate for how I would want this story drawn. I think once we get past that panel though, there's much clearer sailing. Like in round one, I like how comfortable you are with your style, but I think some of your shot selection and some inconsistent figure drawing pushes these samples down fro where they could be. The boobs in panel 1 are one thing, but I think the framing in panels 6 and 7 isn't nearly as communicative or emotionally evocative as they could be. This is the narrator's story and I feel like the balance in focus for these panels doesn't reflect that nearly as well as it should.

This questionable shot selection continues on page 2. This is not a traditional sequential story, but because of that it makes communicating the emotions and vibes of each scene a hurdle that has to be overcome in a single panel each time and I think panels 1, 4, and 6 on this page all short change the emotion of the scene with their camera angles and framing. Panels 2, 3, and 5 are much better in that regard but panel 2 in particular suffers from figures that feel flat and out of place with both one another and the world their inhabiting.

Page 3 rebounds a lot of these criticisms into a very clear page with some nice details. I think panel 3 on this page is one of your strongest of this entire competition and the framing on panel 2 is just about perfect. I feel like panel 1 could be a tad more dramatic, but it's easily saved by the body language and atmosphere of panel 4. The 5th panel isn't as strong as some of the others on this page but the glove detail is so 80s and such a good call—it helps identify the specific hands for the last panel which is a nice touch, especially considering the amount of girls present in this sequence.

There's a lot to like about your style, Nick. I think now it's more of a matter of honing your storytelling to get to the next level.

[C.B. Cebulski]

Another artist whose work I was familiar with before CBI... and the only one to go for a spread eagle shot of the cheerleader in panel one. ;) You've got a unique style and interesting take on this story, Nick. You brought quite a unique aesthetic to the story.

I love your inclusion of the wacky Falcon mascot in panel one. Good research! You also came up with a similar logo for the back of my jacket, also nicely done. And you chose to forego the baseball cap, which separated yourself from the pack a bit, in my opinion. You skipped the inset panel though, which was a little jarring, as it takes us right into the next scene with no separation. You also have me a back pack in that panel and the next one, but it's gone suddenly in panel six. Might have been better to have me slipping it of in the previous panel for a more narrative flow. And I think your choice of going in tight on that last panel really doesn't work with the way the story is being told.

However, I really dig what you did on page two over all. You created a nice grid, each really nailing the action of each individual scene. Way to really use the reference in panel one. Looks just like I remember it! The ripped jeans in the next to last panel were a nice addition as well, but each scene is supposed to be a different moment, so I should have been wearing different clothes in each shot. The 89 shirt really stood out. And one of my big pet peeves is artist signing their individual pages. On covers, I can understand the artist signing his or her work (as long as it is not overly large and detract from the look of the cover), but I do not think it is called for on interiors, except maybe the first or last page. That's what credits are for. So I would recommend against it in the future.

And again on page three, you have me dressed all the same when you would have been better served changing it up. I think in panel three you have the laughter part but went over the top so there's no sense of relief. I got a kick out of my reaction where I'm getting slapped, which was again a stylistic choice I think worked for your style and separated you from the rest of the artists. And you kept this page simple and straight-forward as well, which benefited your overall storytelling.

There's a quirkiness to your work that is really appealing, Nick, but I think you need to refine it a bit without losing that unique sense of style.

Take care,
C.B.

[Ryall_IDW]

(I apologize for the wait on comments. The fire situation in San Diego threw my week into whack. All is fine, but I’m playing catch-up on everything.)

Page One:
This is a nice start, although I kinda wish I’d gone to a high school where the cheerleaders posed like this. The anatomy doesn’t quite seem realistic (and I don’t just mean the uniformly large breast size) in some instances, although your artwork can weather that. I love the mascot, too. I do think the winking panel would’ve been better served being an inset image, because the size of it, and the figure, overwhelm the big reveal image in the next panel. Your artwork overall takes on a slightly unrealistic tone I the backgrounds, with askew lines, which is something I really like.

Page Two
If the lightning not looking quite right is the worst I can say about a page, you know you’ve done great work. This page works really nicely top to bottom, and I really like your facial expressions. Here, notably in panel four, the loose, somewhat boneless appearance of your characters’ anatomy really works nicely.

Page Three
Panels four and five feel a bit rushed to me (completely understandable if so, don’t get me wrong) but otherwise, the page again effectively communicates the script. I especially like the dramatic slap, because the motion and the stars are how I think I’d remember a moment like that, too, a bit more exaggerated than the reality. There’s a nice weight to your linework that helps ground some of the panels for me, too. Overall, a really nice showing, and a solid style that could really develop into something with some more seasoning and attention to anatomy.