Remember, back when I wanted to draw Strung Out because it was a short story and wouldn't be a huge commitment? And then it got bigger and bigger until it grew larger than Collide? YEAH.
I still want to draw a short comic before any of the big ones. Something little, complete, and lovely.
And I think I've hit upon it.
Typed up, it's 9 pages long. II've begun to thumb nail it, and if it continues on in the way it's going, it should run about 60 pages (give or take). That's pretty short! And it'll be very pretty and interesting. I'm stoked.
I work on the thumb nails on the train to and from work. Oh, I got a job. The best job at the best place. I am jealous of myself. I love going to work. Mondays are a joy. My coworkers are the best kind of people. My life is infinitely happier now. I've 25 pages thumb nailed, and am making more every day. It's been going quite smoothly. The website for it and pretty much done and needs only some actual comics. I look forward to sharing it.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Lying awake at night
Collide is on the precipice of beginning it's new form of life.
I've scripted quite far ahead, and finally sketched out the thumbs for the first two pages. I'm not 100% certain about my art style, but, I think it's okay this time. My friend gave me good advice that (in essence) each page is a record of our style at that moment. It can change, and it's good to be able to look back and see progress. That still terrifies me, because I'd like things to look as awesome as possible, but I think it's okay now, and I just need to get over that. Also, I need more confidence in my art. I think I'm letting the awesome webcomickers out there overimpress me, and it's making me wonder if I'll ever be that good. OF COURSE I WILL. I need to get over that too.
I've been studying other comics on the internet to see how they format their sites (color schemes, backgrounds, buttons, etc) to improve on Collide's site. I've got plans. As a result of that, I made the site private while I fiddle with it--sorry, dudes. When it comes back up, the previous version will be gone, but I might post it here or on my tumblr in a later date. Maybe I'll PDF it and toss it up on the site. Who knows.
Progress progress progress.
Today I catch a train to the city for a job interview at a place I've always wanted to work.
I've scripted quite far ahead, and finally sketched out the thumbs for the first two pages. I'm not 100% certain about my art style, but, I think it's okay this time. My friend gave me good advice that (in essence) each page is a record of our style at that moment. It can change, and it's good to be able to look back and see progress. That still terrifies me, because I'd like things to look as awesome as possible, but I think it's okay now, and I just need to get over that. Also, I need more confidence in my art. I think I'm letting the awesome webcomickers out there overimpress me, and it's making me wonder if I'll ever be that good. OF COURSE I WILL. I need to get over that too.
I've been studying other comics on the internet to see how they format their sites (color schemes, backgrounds, buttons, etc) to improve on Collide's site. I've got plans. As a result of that, I made the site private while I fiddle with it--sorry, dudes. When it comes back up, the previous version will be gone, but I might post it here or on my tumblr in a later date. Maybe I'll PDF it and toss it up on the site. Who knows.
Progress progress progress.
Today I catch a train to the city for a job interview at a place I've always wanted to work.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Just doing things
It never ends.
You think you're done, and you're not.
I thought Strung Out was settled enough to start drawing. Two pages in, I realize there are some seriously weak characters, and set out to fix that. And, as a result, I'm overhauling the story. Boo.
This happened to Collide, you'll recall. I got tired of the weaknesses, and paused it. On that same vein, I've been making progress with Collide. I hit on the very things I was missing, and the modified story is coming together quite perfectly. It's a lot shorter and has less characters. I'm addressing some serious stuff, too, as well as fun stuff. It's going to be amazing.
It'd be easy to feel discouraged at myself for not drawing my comics--to tell myself I'm not progressing. But really, I am. I'm making my stories better, and that's progress. Things happen differently for everyone, and for me, I don't feel comfortable starting unless I have a script for the story. I do that because I want to make sure dialogue doesn't insinuate the wrong things, or that I include the right hints and allusions. I want my readers to reread later and gasp when they realize what a merry chase I've led them on. I have comic friends who know where their story is going, but don't write dialogue until the moment the page is being made. I can't work like that. I do leave myself room to adjust dialogue, though, if the moment feels right.
You think you're done, and you're not.
I thought Strung Out was settled enough to start drawing. Two pages in, I realize there are some seriously weak characters, and set out to fix that. And, as a result, I'm overhauling the story. Boo.
This happened to Collide, you'll recall. I got tired of the weaknesses, and paused it. On that same vein, I've been making progress with Collide. I hit on the very things I was missing, and the modified story is coming together quite perfectly. It's a lot shorter and has less characters. I'm addressing some serious stuff, too, as well as fun stuff. It's going to be amazing.
It'd be easy to feel discouraged at myself for not drawing my comics--to tell myself I'm not progressing. But really, I am. I'm making my stories better, and that's progress. Things happen differently for everyone, and for me, I don't feel comfortable starting unless I have a script for the story. I do that because I want to make sure dialogue doesn't insinuate the wrong things, or that I include the right hints and allusions. I want my readers to reread later and gasp when they realize what a merry chase I've led them on. I have comic friends who know where their story is going, but don't write dialogue until the moment the page is being made. I can't work like that. I do leave myself room to adjust dialogue, though, if the moment feels right.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Taking care of your artsy body
If you're an artist, you are at risk for certain injuries: carpal tunnel, neck pain, back pain, and a variety of hand and arm injuries. This is because you are using those parts of your body all the time. Normal, not-artist people use those parts of their body regularly, but have lots of times during the day where they let those muscles sit lifelessly.
As an artist, you draw for fun, work, and release. And, let's be honest, drawing uses more muscles than typing or video gaming (sans wii and kinect, etc). You've got these muscles from your fingers to your neck all tight and focused and tight and working and tight and, did I mention tight? Yeah, they get super tight. And if you're not careful, you can make them flip out, as I did this last week.
It's happened to me before. When I work, I get into a zone and usually don't surface for many hours. I have had more than my fair share of days spent from wake til sleep drawing, music blaring, the world totally tuned out. That's my style. So my muscles, every few years, suddenly seize up and give me agony for a week or so. It's always sudden, unpredictable, and pathetic. I end up camped out in my Daddy's heavenly recliner for the duration (he's the best ♥Dad♥ for giving up that chair to me, even though he has a bad back and loves to relax there best of anywhere else), staring at daytime TV (American Pickers, anyone?) and whimpering for my Momma to bring me food when I'm hungry to help me get out of the chair when I need the bathroom (she's the best Mom, brings me all the muscle relaxants, tylenol, food, and heat packs I need ♥♥). Sounds fun, and it is in a way, except that I am in endless pain that never stops, I can't lift my head on my own, and can't turn or chew too much or swallow without pain. Do you understand? It's the worst pain ever. EVER.
So, I highly recommend, to you artists out there--even if you've never had this pain, you probably will--I recommend you set a timer when you're doing your art and take a break every hour. Go on a walk, watch a movie, have a nap, read a book, but let your arm and neck and back rest. It's frustrating, I know, but it doesn't even come close to how frustrating being a slug is when your brain is working and still being creative.
Take care of your body, and let it last longer and do the things you want it to. It's the reason you can do the things you do. Don't abuse it.
As an artist, you draw for fun, work, and release. And, let's be honest, drawing uses more muscles than typing or video gaming (sans wii and kinect, etc). You've got these muscles from your fingers to your neck all tight and focused and tight and working and tight and, did I mention tight? Yeah, they get super tight. And if you're not careful, you can make them flip out, as I did this last week.
It's happened to me before. When I work, I get into a zone and usually don't surface for many hours. I have had more than my fair share of days spent from wake til sleep drawing, music blaring, the world totally tuned out. That's my style. So my muscles, every few years, suddenly seize up and give me agony for a week or so. It's always sudden, unpredictable, and pathetic. I end up camped out in my Daddy's heavenly recliner for the duration (he's the best ♥Dad♥ for giving up that chair to me, even though he has a bad back and loves to relax there best of anywhere else), staring at daytime TV (American Pickers, anyone?) and whimpering for my Momma to bring me food when I'm hungry to help me get out of the chair when I need the bathroom (she's the best Mom, brings me all the muscle relaxants, tylenol, food, and heat packs I need ♥♥). Sounds fun, and it is in a way, except that I am in endless pain that never stops, I can't lift my head on my own, and can't turn or chew too much or swallow without pain. Do you understand? It's the worst pain ever. EVER.
So, I highly recommend, to you artists out there--even if you've never had this pain, you probably will--I recommend you set a timer when you're doing your art and take a break every hour. Go on a walk, watch a movie, have a nap, read a book, but let your arm and neck and back rest. It's frustrating, I know, but it doesn't even come close to how frustrating being a slug is when your brain is working and still being creative.
Take care of your body, and let it last longer and do the things you want it to. It's the reason you can do the things you do. Don't abuse it.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Strung Out, starting the engine
Since I'm basically graduated (one fluke of a class to take), I'm on the hunt for a real life job. And between hunting, I'm putting together Strung Out stuff, starting with the website.
http://strungout.allicomics.com
So far, it looks pretty good. It even has stuff in the 'about' section. I'm trying to decide to what to put elsewhere, but I figure that'll come together with time.
I'm going to start drawing Strung Out when I clean out my room. It's unbearably cluttered, with junk crowding my walls and spilling on my floor (literally, metaphorically, and figuratively). I'm going to clean it out, put everything away, and clean off my desk. I'm also going to start making use of my lap desk (less a lap desk, more a large-foot-breakingly-heavy-flat-thing-with-a-handle).
The fact is, though, I could easily make an excuse to put off Strung Out more and say, "Well, there's no space to work. I'll start it when I have work space, which will be when I eventually get my own place." But let's be honest, when will that happen? WHO KNOWS. And I am miserable not drawing comics.
So there we go. My two goals are to find a job and start Strung Out. ASAP.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Strung Out
I am almost done with school. I took my last final (hopefully) ever today. I have only one more paper due, and two tests to pass that will excuse me from a class; if I don't pass those tests, I have to take another semester of school.
But.
As soon as it's all done with, I will be able to start working on Strung Out.
The deal with Strung Out is simple:
It's short enough that I will not spend my life working on it.
It's not my "baby" so I won't be crushed if I eventually look back and cringe.
But I fully intend to pour my all into it, which means no planned update schedule.
I also will be uploading fully fledged scenes, rather than individual pages. I dislike how disjointed things can get with webcomics, and I want my readers to experience each scene right.
That's what's going on. I'm almost done with University, will hopefully find a job, and then dive into comics again.
But.
As soon as it's all done with, I will be able to start working on Strung Out.
The deal with Strung Out is simple:
It's short enough that I will not spend my life working on it.
It's not my "baby" so I won't be crushed if I eventually look back and cringe.
But I fully intend to pour my all into it, which means no planned update schedule.
I also will be uploading fully fledged scenes, rather than individual pages. I dislike how disjointed things can get with webcomics, and I want my readers to experience each scene right.
That's what's going on. I'm almost done with University, will hopefully find a job, and then dive into comics again.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Change
I've been unhappy with Collide lately. I don't feel like I'm doing it the justice it deserves, and I feel stuck drawing it in a style I don't want to draw it in. I don't want know what style I do want to do it in, but this isn't it. It's wrong.
The problem is... If I continued to draw Collide in this style, I'd put myself in a rut. I wouldn't be able to change my art style. And my art style wants to change. It's trying, but it gets dragged backwards whenever I work on Collide. And when I have to take breaks from Collide, my style progresses (only to slide backwards when I start up again).
So, after consulting a few comic friends and voicing my concerns, I've decided to put Collide on hold until I know what to do with it. I'm going try different things, privately, and see what I like.
In the mean time, I'm going to start a new comic project, Strung Out. This one is more nailed down. I know the style I want to use, the script is done, and I know what everything looks like. It's ready to go. It's also shorter than Collide. Maybe I'll be ready for Collide once this one ends.
I am sorry that you all have to wait to know what will happen. I really am. But this is the right thing to do, and Collide will be better for it.
The problem is... If I continued to draw Collide in this style, I'd put myself in a rut. I wouldn't be able to change my art style. And my art style wants to change. It's trying, but it gets dragged backwards whenever I work on Collide. And when I have to take breaks from Collide, my style progresses (only to slide backwards when I start up again).
So, after consulting a few comic friends and voicing my concerns, I've decided to put Collide on hold until I know what to do with it. I'm going try different things, privately, and see what I like.
In the mean time, I'm going to start a new comic project, Strung Out. This one is more nailed down. I know the style I want to use, the script is done, and I know what everything looks like. It's ready to go. It's also shorter than Collide. Maybe I'll be ready for Collide once this one ends.
I am sorry that you all have to wait to know what will happen. I really am. But this is the right thing to do, and Collide will be better for it.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Redrawing and reredrawing
The very first time I started drawing Collide, I posted the pages on smackjeeves. It was all well and good, but after getting a much honored critique from someone who I greatly respected, I decided to redraw the first chapter (which I had just finished). When I began to redraw chapter 1, I moved my comic to google sites, and soon after procured a URL for myself. And now, I am a few days from posting the last page of chapter 2.
The thing is...
I didn't script far ahead of myself. This happened because I was a bit frightened of the largeness of Collide. But after a bout of successfully scripting one of my other stories in a few days... I tackled Collide. And it went marvelously. I finished the first go a few days ago, and then proceeded to ponder the script and adding scenes which were necessary. I think it's pretty satisfactory now. But the result of this scripting was that I got to know my characters even better. And that meant that when I read my current Chapter 1... I not only cringe at the dreadful art, but now my characters aren't acting quite right.
And the other evening, I finally accepted that I would have to rescript and then redraw chapter 1. Again. Which, really, I have no objection to. Except that probably means I should redraw chapter 2 as well. Probably. The last few pages of it are actually quite satisfactory, so maybe I'll redraw up to those...? Blarg. I don't know. Chapter 1 is definitely getting redrawn. Chapter 2, probably. That kills me inside because I just spent the last year drawing those pages. A whole year. I don't call it a waste since my style has improved by leaps and bounds since then, but it's still murderous to my happiness to consider it too long.
But I'm still going to move forward with chapter 3, and work on the revised chapters in my spare-spare time. Yyyyeah.
The thing is...
I didn't script far ahead of myself. This happened because I was a bit frightened of the largeness of Collide. But after a bout of successfully scripting one of my other stories in a few days... I tackled Collide. And it went marvelously. I finished the first go a few days ago, and then proceeded to ponder the script and adding scenes which were necessary. I think it's pretty satisfactory now. But the result of this scripting was that I got to know my characters even better. And that meant that when I read my current Chapter 1... I not only cringe at the dreadful art, but now my characters aren't acting quite right.
And the other evening, I finally accepted that I would have to rescript and then redraw chapter 1. Again. Which, really, I have no objection to. Except that probably means I should redraw chapter 2 as well. Probably. The last few pages of it are actually quite satisfactory, so maybe I'll redraw up to those...? Blarg. I don't know. Chapter 1 is definitely getting redrawn. Chapter 2, probably. That kills me inside because I just spent the last year drawing those pages. A whole year. I don't call it a waste since my style has improved by leaps and bounds since then, but it's still murderous to my happiness to consider it too long.
But I'm still going to move forward with chapter 3, and work on the revised chapters in my spare-spare time. Yyyyeah.
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