HEK TREASURY

Where I'm At...
about 4 years ago – Mon, Oct 26, 2020 at 02:29:21 PM

I want to start off by apologizing to everyone for the long stretch between updates. I know that the wait for this project has been frustrating and I'm truly sorry that it has taken this long. I also want to reiterate--up front--that both Matt and Marie have been finished with their contributions for this book for MONTHS.  Everyone is just waiting on me.  

As I alluded to in previous update, my family has been dealing with a rollercoaster of serious health issues this entire year (for our privacy, I won't get into the details). It has taken an obvious toll on my output but I promise I am still chugging ahead and grabbing the work hours where I can get them.  This book is--and has been--my top priority and it's the only project I've been working on for months (and I will not be starting any new projects until this book is wrapped).

Right now, I'm working on the my section of the book called "the Primer" which consists of spot illustrations as well as the the giant four-page spread I previewed last time. I've completed the rough pencils for the four-page spread, and have been spending the last couple weeks on the illustrations.  These illos, like everything else with this book, and, have become a little more involved than originally intended.  That said, I'm really having a blast with them. Below are a couple of those illustrations as well as the rough pencils for the spread.

Again, I understand your frustrations and I hope you'll believe that I'm doing everything I can to get this book wrapped. I really believe it'll be worth the wait.  

Sincerely, 

Brian Hurtt

The Neverending Stories
over 4 years ago – Wed, Aug 26, 2020 at 02:44:12 AM

As has been the case for a while, both Matt and Marie have completed their contributions and everyone is waiting on me to finish.  I appreciate everyone's patience during these times. As I've alluded to in previous updates, apart from Covid turning our world upside-down, I've had some recent family issues that have derailed me a bit. All is good now, but my work time has been curtailed these past months due to other obligations.  Every week I'm able to add more hours to my work schedule and every one of those hours has been put to working on this book.  I'll go into a more detail on exactly where we stand with the book, below.  But first...

Marie, Matt, and I finally sat down to see where we are on page count for the book and--I'll admit--I was a little surprised by where we landed. If you'll recall, we launched the Kickstarter trying to raise money for a 100-page book. Stretch goals had us up to 130 pages when the Kickstarter ended... 

... the book is at 177 PAGES! That's 177 pages of content--it doesn't include any design pages, title page(s), etc.

Now, back to my update on where I'm at in the process. My contribution to the book is broken up into five parts. I’ll go through each one and tell you where I’m at in terms of production (parentheticals indicate a working title).

1. VINTAGE: an 8-page collaboration with Matt.
   STATUS: COMPLETED

1. BIOLOGIC:  24-page story.
   STATUS: COMPLETED

1. (AFTER ACTION): 10-page story
   STATUS: COMPLETED

1. LETTER TO RED TIGER:  12-page story.   

STATUS: 8 pages completed. 4 pages of art yet to finish.

1. (the PRIMER): 9 pages of content. Mixture of text and illustrations. Includes the giant, fold-out image.
    

STATUS: I’ve put this section off until last for two reasons.  One: it’s one of the easiest sections to complete for me, with only text and spot illustrations required. Two: its the hardest section for me because it includes the fold-out image--a four-page wide splash page (fold-out). I’m honestly really excited to do the final piece. It’s going to be the daunting (the largest most complex single illo I’ve ever done) and I LOVE daunting. As I’m saving it until the end, I plan to document some stages of the progress here. I’ve already begun to do the rough pencils, digitally (the final piece will be inked traditionally) and here are a couple images to share:

Update from Brian Hurtt
over 4 years ago – Wed, Jun 24, 2020 at 01:26:22 PM

I wanted to check in and let everyone know where things are in regards to the HEK Treasury--it's been too long since my last update! 

As we are all well aware, 2020 has been... RELENTLESS.  On top of everything that is going on the world, I found myself completely derailed in recent weeks by a family crisis.  I'm just starting to settle into a new "New Normal" (I think this my fourth "New Normal" for 2020) and have been getting back into the swing of things and more productive with every passing day.  The book is really starting to take shape--Matt and Marie are completely done and just waiting on me to finish this final lap!

I appreciate your patience and understanding.  

Here's a sample of some of my recently finished art for the HEK Treasury!

Matt Kindt updated...
over 4 years ago – Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 09:35:50 PM

If you didn't see Brian's post earlier this week - definitely check it out -- his pages are absolutely bonkers! The detail he's putting into them? We have one page (he didn't post) that we actually call "The Mushroom Page." It has a name. That's how insane it is. And was holding back on his posts - saving the best pages of his career for when you actually open the book.

That said - we are running a bit behind our schedule - but the good news is my stories are all done - painted and lettered. Marie's are finished as well. So we're waiting on Brian to finish up his stories -- probably a few more weeks - but totally worth the wait. Thanks so much for your patience! We did add a TON of pages - story pages. We all went over - by...a lot. But sometimes the story dictates the form. And with Kickstarter - we were able to have the creative freedom -- where a publisher would say "no" - we said "why not?"   : )

Here are some of my final pages from the main story...

 
 I did an extra story - the infamous "sticker story" that will have stickers that place on it to create the story along with me...and for this 4-page bonus story - I hired my daughter to paint it. I gave her just general direction and let her run wild with it - and the pages look crazy good. She recorded a process video of her painting one of them here:

Thank you for all the support and patience! It'll pay off soon - with a way bigger book! 

-matt
 

Update from my Fortress of Solitude
over 4 years ago – Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 08:05:04 PM

As of now, both Matt and Marie are completely done with their stories for the HEK Treasury and everyone is just waiting on me! The good news is that it's looking like my final contribution to the book will be an extra 15+ pages than originally intended (I know that Matt and Marie have also extended their page counts as well).  On top of that, my pages have been taking longer as I've adjusted my art to take advantage of the large paper size of the book.  This has led to more panels per page, and more detail.  Not that I'm complaining!  I've been having so much fun working on this book and it is so exciting to see this thing coming together.  

Other than the giant image I need to draw for my fold-out page, the rest of my stories are all written and drawn, and I am currently in the coloring stage.  I've shared a few colored pages below as well as a couple, yet-to-be-colored pages.  I hope you like what you see!

Thank you all so much for your patience in these weird-ass times!  We can't wait to finally get this book in your hands!

-Brian