Atelier
The room where gutters get a duration
The custom page for this studio is the atelier itself: lightbox, costume drawer, and the table where print companions are checked against the motion file before anyone talks about a minting brief.
What you see on a viewing
Work in progress sits in reading order, not as a showreel. A current X-Men three-pager might be pinned as pencil markup, colour-hold chips, and the latest timed pass. Malcolm will say the edition number out loud so it matches the envelope.
The costume drawer holds swatches labelled by era: classic blue-and-gold, 1990s brown leather, later cloth. Priya will not approve a motion file if the belt yellow drifts. That argument is the most useful part of the hour for many guests.
Materials on the bench
- Printed boards with gutter beats in pencil.
- Timing sheets with hold lengths in seconds, not frames for their own sake.
- Newsprint-weight companions waiting for a trim.
- A lightbox used to compare two holds of the same figure.
How to come
Book a private viewing or send a commission brief. We do not keep drop-in hours. The address is 22 Wade Lane,Salterforth,BB8 0GP,United Kingdom and the telephone is 07966305757.
Questions we hear at the lightbox
Do you invent new X-Men stories?
No. We sequence and time existing page art that you have the right to use, or that we source through licensed reprint partners. The work is editorial and motion craft, not a new issue.
What does a motion panel actually move?
Usually a hold on a figure, a drifting balloon, a crackle field, or a camera ease across a splash. We do not loop entire fights. If a page only works as still ink, we say so in the brief.
How are edition numbers decided?
You choose a cap before colour holds are locked — commonly ten, twenty-five, or fifty. We will not raise the cap after the first collector file leaves the atelier.
Can I visit without commissioning?
Yes. Book a private atelier viewing. The fee is credited if you place a commission within thirty days of the visit.
Where is the token recorded?
As part of a collector edition we prepare the motion file and a minting brief for the venue you nominate, or for a partner we already work with. We are not an open drop shop and we do not hold collector wallets.