about
creator & STORY
A.Knutov
Storyteller from the north
I started drawing comics when I was six year old, and haven’t really stopped since.
3 years of studying illustration and comic art at SERIETECKNARSKOLAN in Hofors Sweden led me to work as a freelance artist for many years, with the most profilic work being the stuff i did for the swedish powermetal band Sabaton,
Always have had a love for history, and the place I grew up in, and the creation of this comic is a homage to both. It’s my love child of sorts that’s been in development for many, many, many years and I can’t wait to share it with all of you.
Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am creating it.
CREATION
The broad strokes of the complete story is written in text form only, and is no broken down to smaller pieces to become several episodes that will fit a regular release schedule instaed of a complete story finished from A to Z.
A rough version of the episode, much like a storyboard for film, is created with a regular pencil and copy paper. this step is important to give the comic a dynamic look. most of the dialog written in this step too.
when the whole episode is done in sketchformat, the real drawing starts. I draw in procreate on an ipad pro, using an apple pen (the old version).
most of the elements in the comic are created separately on the ipad and then sent to my google drive for assembly in Adobe Photoshop. My computer of choice is mac. Logo and other artwork is also created or turned into vector in adobe illustrator.
background
where we come from is usually a mixed feeling of both love and hate, as life in itself.
Even if we don’t like it, we often get associated from where we originate. We become the place we grew up in, and that will always be a part of us.
the place i grew up is not a place one for the most part are proud over. it’s not a wealthy part of Sweden, or even Värmland where the town is situated. It has a bad reputation, and has even become infamous after negative press in both tv and other media.
this story is my way of showing that you should be proud of the place you grew up in and the people that made you what you are today.
This story is for me and the people of grums firstly, but it will fill others with pride over their own heritage too. There is beauty in everything if you choose to see it.
STEP by step process
Drawing process
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Procreate Step A - Pencils
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Procreate Step B - Colors
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Procreate Step C - Final rendering
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Plotting the story
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1. Plot (Pen and paper)
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.
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2. Storyboard
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.
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3. Drawing (Procreate)
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.
Research
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Iron ore
An important part of the bane of odin saga is the trade with iron originating out of the red soil around the great lake vänern. Here i am digging up pices on our familys own land, after my father told me they used to find a lot of it when plowing with the tractor. Then they didn’t think much of it. For me it opened up a gateway to the iron jarl, and all the way up to the nordic gods in asgard.
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Bloomery
Before the iron found in the ground becomes an ore, it is just red soil that you have to rost until only the iron is left. Then the iron is placed in bloomery owens and smelted to a ball of iron (a bloom). I had the oppertunity to visit an exebition where they acctually produced iron in this very old way. Amazing to see it turn from soil to ore.
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Yggdrasil
When researching the area where the saga takes place, Borgvik. I found an old tree that in my mind is a local version of the mytichal tree “Yggdrasil”. How you see they world is how it is, so for me I’ve grown up in a legendary realm. We are all surrounded by magic.