Bonus Features: You and Lonely You · 7:54pm Jun 9th, 2020
Q: What does the process of illustrating a chapter look like?
BEVIN: So far, it's an experiment every time. I've never actually illustrated anything before, at least in this capacity, so that's been an interesting (and really fun) challenge. Remember one point earlier on and we ended up having a long conversation about how experimental you were willing to let me get because I was placing so many self-imposed restrictions on myself that were based more in my experience with storyboarding. You were super supportive in letting me just try some things that I felt were holding me back from the moments I really wanted to capture, so that was a really big turning point in my process. In fact that picture with Wallflower and Juniper looking at the photo was the first dabbling in the waters of that-- really doing two pictures instead of one because their reactions to what they were seeing was just as important as what they were looking at and having both felt so necessary. So that was pretty fun and the big moment when I started taking my gloves off more with this format of storytelling.MARVEL: ::nods:: Oh yeah, that was such an important conversation and it was so empowering to have it! I always wanted to give you as much freedom as possible, but I think we hadn't communicated how much you were used to the restrictions that storyboards demand in order to function and get done by a certain schedule. We don't have those restrictions here, and I brought you on originally not just to see what how you could make it look as show accurate as possible, but because you could bring yourself to it. Your sensibilities, the stuff that makes you passionate, the ways of communicating what the characters are going through that's just as much Bevin as it is Steph [Marvel]!!!
Trying things and seeing what works is always part of the process in art, but I think the freedom to do it your way and try cool angles and things that excite you/tell the story in a way you enjoy, that's the cool shit! And I admire the hell out of what you do and how you bring details to life, but especially when it's done in a way that I'm like "yup, that's a Bevin way to do that."
You're as much of a character-focused storyteller as I am and the way so many of the illustrations tell those moments you choose... ::chef's fucking kiss, B, I swear it can't be said enough::
BEVIN: Haha, aww well thank you, I hope they're doing this story justice. Ultimately, the illustrations are supposed to be highlighting a particular moment that either I felt was important, either to the story or to the characters, but also a moment that a visual might offer an added bit of subtext or insight to what's going on. Some people commented in this chapter that seeing Sunset's body smiling and happy was bittersweet because we know from the text that it's not her feeling that way, and that's exactly what I wanted to convey. That's why Juniper and Wallflower's reactions were so important to see-- the story is 100% Sunset's perspective and it's a wonderful and nuanced insight into how she sees the world and how she's feeling at this point in time. But to turn around and then see an image of "her" being so delighted and happy gives some added nuance to her inner experience.
And that's really how I end up deciding on what moments to illustrate-- you give me a solid draft of a chapter, I devour it, we have a good long chat talking about everything that happened in it, and then I set it down for a while and let it percolate. Sometimes the moment jumps out at me immediately, sometimes it takes a few tries. Chapter 4 actually took me quite a bit to get the bits I wanted, in no small part because there were so many good ones it was hard to pick just two! So I did a bunch of sketches of different ideas [included here!], contemplated which of those I liked, eliminated some, kept going with others, and eventually landed on the ones that are in the chapter. Some of the others would have been really fun but I elected against them either because of technical reasons or it was a cute picture but there was a stronger moment to highlight. So really, there's a lot of me just being super fussy and nitpicky, while also having a total ball learning how to do this in a way that makes sense to me and to the story.
MARVEL: Oh my god, they're more than doing this story justice, I keep using this word but they really do elevate the moments you choose to highlight!!! Every time, you blow me away, B, and choosing the moments you do and bringing them to life brings out the things some people otherwise might've passed by in the prose! It gets them to stop and realize oh shit, wow, this really is out of character for Sunset and everybody's happy for her being so happy for a change (or at least, since she got that letter; Sunset's not a miserable person, she just doesn't know how to deal with her emotions when they're more complex than Angry at Video Game 😡).
And dude, yeah, the stuff you came up with for chapter 4 were all great in my opinion, all of them delightful in their own ways. When it comes down to choices like that, I sometimes weigh in the best I can and we figure out what best tells the story we're after. There's a reason we chose what we did, and even if it's a spoilery reason we can't say here, I'm so glad we went with that one in the end!
BEVIN: Hahahaha! Yeah, careful, spoilers! But thank you for the invaluable support and input and feedback on all of this. I think it's safe to say we're both upping our game on this project and it's exciting to rip the restraints off a bit and just go for it. It's been so much fun learning how to digitally paint for these cover images and the best sort of challenge to try telling a story in one image instead of a storyboard (even if there are so many parts of this I wish I could board because good lord are the visuals crystal clear!), and just getting to collaborate with you is tremendously fun and rewarding. You're a terrific partner/co-conspirator, and I can't say enough how immensely impressed I am with the work you're doing here. Beyond inspiring!
Soundtrack time and oh my god, the sit-com theme to this chapter was stupid fun you guys, this is exactly my sense of humour: Just Sunset pissed off while a cheesy sit-com theme song plays in the background.
- Perfect Strangers Theme - "Sometimes you just get a feeling like you need some kind of change//This flame in my heart//A long lost friend"
- Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Cheers Theme) - "Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot//Wouldn't you like to get away?//Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name//and they're always glad you came"
- Full House Theme - "Everywhere you look! There's a heart! A hand to hold onto// There's a face of somebody who needs you"
- St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) by John Parr "I can feel St. Elmo's fire burning in me//burning in me"
- It's Not All About You by Lawrence - "But have you ever spent some time with yourself?//'Cause in the end, in the end, in the end here's the truth//Baby, baby, baby, it's not all about you"
- Changes by David Bowie and Butterfly Boucher - (Shrek 2 fans, what up) "Ch-ch-ch-changes!//Turn and face the strange//... Time may change me//but I can't trace time"
- Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones - "Pleased to meet you//Hope you guess my name..."
And let those end credits roll...
Half the fun of this chapter is just letting Sunset and Timber play off of each other because they're on such different wave-lengths right now. I think if I had to call it, act 1 ended at the end of this chapter, so I'll see you in act 2 tomorrow! We've got some problems to solve...
-Marvel
P.S. I love all the comments this chapter, seriously, you're all amazing 
And even then, she has to stop herself from cursing in her native tongue while she's streaming.
But yeah, Bevin's work is adding a whole other dimension to the story. Speaking as someone who doubled down on writing because he couldn't draw, her additions are equal parts jaw-dropping and envy-inducing.
i wanna first of all say: every single one of these Timber and Sunset sketches are so cute, i love them 🥺 this blog was really interesting to read as someone who writes and draws, so i agree with pretty much everything here! i've actually considered drawing some scenes from my fics as teasers, hopefully sometime in the future, i can gain some courage and confidence to say fuck it and do it, haha.
again, i enjoyed Timber and Sunset's interactions so much. no one has really done it before, so it was such a joy to read! very interested to see how they'd become friends (if they do, highly likely they will but hey).
also, Sunny baby needs to keep her possessiveness in check, Timber's got a whole assboyfriendjhahsjjd.I gotta say, the contrast between Sunset's restrained happy when she's out with Twilight, and Timber-in-Sunset's-body's enthusiastic doofyness are so delightfully contrasting and really sell just how much of a happy-go-lucky goofball Timber is. Also, not going to lie, Timber looks good in the dress in the banner drawing.
Having done some limited composition / painting / sketching, I gotta respect the heck out of Bevin on her process. I so often struggle with coming up with images, even when I know what I want to show. Seriously, the life in her drawings makes the scenes they depict just pop so much more that the words and the visuals create such a lovely syndergy (i.e. the whole is greater than the sum of its parts).
5281314
Oh my god, yeah, I wish I could draw like Bevin, too. Not too long ago Bevin wished she could paint digitally like Bevin: she actually learned how to paint digitally (as opposed to cell-shading) just for this project to do the titlecards. She wanted to push herself to learn a new skill, and it's blown me away how amazingly she's done so on top of her already expressive art!
5281354
Absolutely do it!!! Put your art out there! Whenever you feel up to it, I say go for it!
5281359
Hell yes!!! Her process is so great to behold and she's not always confident about what she produces, so when she makes the characters come to life on the screen/page, I just need her to know. We'll get her to admit she's great at this yet.