CookbookBooks and writingNo. 9
A graphic novel’s biblemodel sheets, the panel script, continuity and the production board
See it in know.sh
The Lamplighters of VeyNo. 5
The Lamplighters of Veyproduction board
5 sections, 1,240 words, about 5 minutes, revised 25 September
A 120-page graphic novel in five chapters of 24 pages. Chapter 1 is finished; chapter 2 is on the drawing board. The board is redrawn every Friday from what was finished that week.
The Lamplighters of Vey, week of 21 September: pages by stage
Three columns. Script: chapter 2, pages 41 to 48, high priority; chapter 3, pages 49 to 60; and chapter 3, pages 61 to 72, outline only, low. Pencils and inks: chapter 2, pages 25 to 28, being inked; pages 29 to 32, being pencilled, high priority for the splash on page 32; pages 33 to 40, thumbnails only. Done: chapter 1, pages 1 to 12 and 13 to 24, coloured and lettered, and the chapter 1 cover.
- Script
- Ch. 2, pp. 41–48, ticket Draft 2, high priority
- Ch. 3, pp. 49–60, ticket Draft 1
- Ch. 3, pp. 61–72, ticket Outline only, low priority
- Pencils and inks
- Ch. 2, pp. 25–28, ticket Inking
- Ch. 2, pp. 29–32, ticket Pencilling, high priority
- Ch. 2, pp. 33–40, ticket Thumbnails
- Done
- Ch. 1, pp. 1–12, ticket Lettered
- Ch. 1, pp. 13–24, ticket Lettered
- Chapter 1 cover, ticket Lettered
```element kanban
{
"caption": "The Lamplighters of Vey, week of 21 September: pages by stage",
"description": "Three columns. Script: chapter 2, pages 41 to 48, high priority; chapter 3, pages 49 to 60; and chapter 3, pages 61 to 72, outline only, low. Pencils and inks: chapter 2, pages 25 to 28, being inked; pages 29 to 32, being pencilled, high priority for the splash on page 32; pages 33 to 40, thumbnails only. Done: chapter 1, pages 1 to 12 and 13 to 24, coloured and lettered, and the chapter 1 cover.",
"columns": [
{
"label": "Script",
"cards": [
{
"label": "Ch. 2, pp. 41–48",
"ticket": "Draft 2",
"priority": "high"
},
{
"label": "Ch. 3, pp. 49–60",
"ticket": "Draft 1"
},
{
"label": "Ch. 3, pp. 61–72",
"ticket": "Outline only",
"priority": "low"
}
]
},
{
"label": "Pencils and inks",
"cards": [
{
"label": "Ch. 2, pp. 25–28",
"ticket": "Inking"
},
{
"label": "Ch. 2, pp. 29–32",
"ticket": "Pencilling",
"priority": "high"
},
{
"label": "Ch. 2, pp. 33–40",
"ticket": "Thumbnails"
}
]
},
{
"label": "Done",
"cards": [
{
"label": "Ch. 1, pp. 1–12",
"ticket": "Lettered"
},
{
"label": "Ch. 1, pp. 13–24",
"ticket": "Lettered"
},
{
"label": "Chapter 1 cover",
"ticket": "Lettered"
}
]
}
]
}
```Page 32 is a splash and the chapter’s last page, so it goes to pencils before 29–31 are finished. Finished pages are linked from the Vey pages folder on the drive, never stored here.
Sections
- 1Chapter 1: finished pages and where they are keptObservation, 24 links
- 2Chapter 2: what is on the boardObservation, key
- 3Chapter 3: script statusQuestion, 2 sources
and two more sections
The Lamplighters of VeyThe Lamplighters of Vey
1of 25
Chapter 2 at a glance, pages 25–32
Observation, key section, 1 note, 290 words
The first eight pages of the chapter, from the script as it stands. Each page’s full script, panel by panel, is its own section after this one.
Chapter 2, pages 25–32: panels and beat per page
| Page (panels) | Beat |
|---|---|
| 25 (1, splash) | Vey at dusk from the bell tower, fog lying on the harbour. Chapter title. |
| 26 (5) | At the guild hall Oda draws her route card: the Coopers’ ward is marked “no oil”. |
| 27 (6) | The coopers bar their doors. Tamsin: “Then light it with what you’ve got.” |
| 28 (3) | After the turn: one lamp already lit on Hollin Street, dark for twenty years. |
| 29 (4) | Oda follows the light. The fog parts around it and closes behind her. |
| 30 (6) | None of her keys opens the Hollin Street lamp box. The lock is new. |
| 31 (4) | Running back, she reaches for her key ring. Panel 4: one key short. |
| 32 (1, splash) | After the turn: a figure in the fog holds a lamplighter’s pole, her key on its hook. |
Reveals sit on even pages, 28 and 32, the left-hand page a reader sees first after turning. Page 27’s six panels hold the reader before the turn.
Chapter 2, pages 25–32: panels and beat per page
| Page (panels) | Beat |
|---|---|
| 25 (1, splash) | Vey at dusk from the bell tower, fog lying on the harbour. Chapter title. |
| 26 (5) | At the guild hall Oda draws her route card: the Coopers’ ward is marked “no oil”. |
| 27 (6) | The coopers bar their doors. Tamsin: “Then light it with what you’ve got.” |
| 28 (3) | After the turn: one lamp already lit on Hollin Street, dark for twenty years. |
| 29 (4) | Oda follows the light. The fog parts around it and closes behind her. |
| 30 (6) | None of her keys opens the Hollin Street lamp box. The lock is new. |
| 31 (4) | Running back, she reaches for her key ring. Panel 4: one key short. |
| 32 (1, splash) | After the turn: a figure in the fog holds a lamplighter’s pole, her key on its hook. |
Reveals sit on even pages, 28 and 32, the left-hand page a reader sees first after turning. Page 27’s six panels hold the reader before the turn.
```element table
{
"caption": "Chapter 2, pages 25–32: panels and beat per page",
"columns": [
{
"label": "Page (panels)",
"align": "left"
},
{
"label": "Beat",
"align": "left"
}
],
"rows": [
[
"25 (1, splash)",
"Vey at dusk from the bell tower, fog lying on the harbour. Chapter title."
],
[
"26 (5)",
"At the guild hall Oda draws her route card: the Coopers’ ward is marked “no oil”."
],
[
"27 (6)",
"The coopers bar their doors. Tamsin: “Then light it with what you’ve got.”"
],
[
"28 (3)",
"After the turn: one lamp already lit on Hollin Street, dark for twenty years."
],
[
"29 (4)",
"Oda follows the light. The fog parts around it and closes behind her."
],
[
"30 (6)",
"None of her keys opens the Hollin Street lamp box. The lock is new."
],
[
"31 (4)",
"Running back, she reaches for her key ring. Panel 4: one key short."
],
[
"32 (1, splash)",
"After the turn: a figure in the fog holds a lamplighter’s pole, her key on its hook."
]
],
"notes": "Reveals sit on even pages, 28 and 32, the left-hand page a reader sees first after turning. Page 27’s six panels hold the reader before the turn."
}
```Page 30 is the chapter’s slowest page and it should be. Six small panels of keys that do not fit, so that 31 can run.
The Lamplighters of VeyThe Lamplighters of Vey
1of 7
Oda Brask, lamplighter of the Coopers’ ward
Evidence, key section, 1 note, 3 sources, 410 words
Oda BraskLead, every chapter
- Age
- 34. Lamplighter of the Coopers’ ward since chapter 1, page 3
- Height
- Seven heads tall; a head shorter than Tamsin
- Coat
- Oilskin, knee length, six horn buttons. The red lining shows only from chapter 3, where it tears
- Pole
- Brass hook and snuffer, a head taller than she is; carried in her right hand
- Key ring
- Twelve brass keys, one per ward, on her left hip. Eleven from page 31, panel 4
- Model sheet
- Turnaround, version 3: linked from the Vey characters folder on the drive
The picture is a link. The turnaround itself stays in your drawing app and on your drive.
Oda Brask · Lead, every chapter
Age: 34. Lamplighter of the Coopers’ ward since chapter 1, page 3
Height: Seven heads tall; a head shorter than Tamsin
Coat: Oilskin, knee length, six horn buttons. The red lining shows only from chapter 3, where it tears
Pole: Brass hook and snuffer, a head taller than she is; carried in her right hand
Key ring: Twelve brass keys, one per ward, on her left hip. Eleven from page 31, panel 4
Model sheet: Turnaround, version 3: linked from the Vey characters folder on the drive
The picture is a link. The turnaround itself stays in your drawing app and on your drive.
```element card
{
"label": "Oda Brask",
"aside": "Lead, every chapter",
"rows": [
{
"term": "Age",
"value": "34. Lamplighter of the Coopers’ ward since chapter 1, page 3"
},
{
"term": "Height",
"value": "Seven heads tall; a head shorter than Tamsin"
},
{
"term": "Coat",
"value": "Oilskin, knee length, six horn buttons. The red lining shows only from chapter 3, where it tears"
},
{
"term": "Pole",
"value": "Brass hook and snuffer, a head taller than she is; carried in her right hand"
},
{
"term": "Key ring",
"value": "Twelve brass keys, one per ward, on her left hip. Eleven from page 31, panel 4"
},
{
"term": "Model sheet",
"value": "Turnaround, version 3: linked from the *Vey characters* folder on the drive"
}
],
"note": "The picture is a link. The turnaround itself stays in your drawing app and on your drive."
}
```Why the left hip. She lights with her right hand; the pole is in it. The keys have to be where the free hand can reach them in the dark, which is what page 31 is about.
How she moves. Quick on stairs, slow on open ground. She never runs toward the fog until chapter 4.
How it works
Which hip Oda wears her key ring on. Whether the reveal falls after a page turn. Which pages are pencilled and which are still a line of script. Your assistant reads your script and lays out the bible, a model-sheet card per character, a table per chapter, and a kanban board of every page by stage.