Yeah, yeah, I know I'm not posting here much.  I honestly don't have all that much that's interesting to share.  However, just in case there were those unaware...

( I'm still updating the webcomic... )

January 7th, 2009

An hour into the event known to the universe only as "24 Hour Comicbook Day."  I've gotten about 4 pages pencilled.  Right now I'm just playing catch-up on all of the strips I wanted to get done this week.  I wanted to build up a backstock of comics so that I'd be able to focus on the upcoming NaNoWriMo event without scrambling to get a semi-weekly comic strip up as well.  I've still got a number left that I've laid out but haven't drawn or inked yet.  Hopefully I can bust through these and finish up this little story arc with enough time to work on a short (4 - 6 page) original graphic story today.

Gambatte!

Don't have a whole lot to say other than I've finally gotten the webcomic back up and running.  It's using a wordpress theme called ComicPress that, while it still looks a touch on the generic side right now, is making things easier (and easier to look at) as far as presentation goes.

I've put up 2 (3) strips already and am working on putting up more non-strip content.  I guess I'll just have to get over my shyness. ;)

http://www.fluffyandbear.com/

It's my last day off before I go in to work tomorrow night and then leaving driving to Little Rock (with a stop at the in-laws) for the weekend.  It's been an exciting time, since ne_today got the final revision copy of her and zabasity 's book.  It was a very trippy experience to see my name listed as a credit on the back of the title page.

Crap, I'm going to have to start being productive and pumping out more original stuff, aren't I?!

Thankfully I have a wonderfully supportive/pushy person in my life and thus got out a few ideas on paper before Little Dude started devouring my soul....

The laptop, it is back.

It is also, aha, devoid of any and everything of value that I'd once stored upon it.

But that's fine.  I've spent the last 11 or so hours shuffling through install disks and bringing it back up to snuff.  Photoshop, Painter, Trillian and all my handy-dandy work programs are once more installed.  I managed to make a copy of bookmarks for both IE and FireFox before the Dreaded Event(tm) so that's all well and good, too.  All I need now are the Wacom drivers and a snazzy new desktop wallpaper (alas, I have no pics of Little Dude available) and I'm ready to trudge through my imminent discovery process -- you know, the part where I find out what I'm missing at crucial moments where I need whatever those things are.

In other news, the manga project is excruciating, but I've got the characters, I've got the plot, I just need to build up some momentum.  Admittedly, I'm probably channeling a little too much AstroBoy and not enough, er, whatever the hell it is TokyoPop sells that isn't Fruits Basket or Kare Kano.  But hey, it's a fun idea and certainly good enough for a 16 - 20 page punchline.

Well, I've just finished touching up the pages and making the copies for submission.  The only touch-up I did was adding the spot-blacks to the pages where I essentially drew word bubbles because it was "really dark."  Go imagination.  All in all, I'm actually pretty pleased with them.

And abusing the company color printer made the large areas of black friggin' POP.  The hell-dog looks friggin' awesome in a couple panels as does the just-coming-into-the-light page.  Again, not to be an ass and brag, but I'm pretty satisfied with this most frenetic endeavor.  Go Team Me.

Now...  I just have to gear up for NaNoWriMo this year...

Good lord, what am I going to write about?  So many ideas and not that many of them are very humorous.  Though we all know I can turn pretty much anything into slapstick...

Oh well, the comic will go to the submission place on Monday and I guess I've got a few weeks to determine whatever the hell I'm writing about.

So, I'm finally going to the Lexington Comic whatever group tonight.  Managed to print out half the pages of the Snow White and Rose Red thingy before the printer ink cartridges gave up their ghosts.  Alas.  But I wisely started with the last page first and went in reverse order, so while the story won't make any sense (even if HAD words...), the best of the artwork is printed out with nice neat panel borders.  Yippee.

I'm also planning on putting the pages (as they are now first, then once they're lettered) up on a deviant art account.  The first three are already here.

Well, this should be exciting.  Maybe.

But hey, in other news, after some brainstorming during the car ride to pick up Little Dude, I've actually made some headway on what I want to do with the Norse mythology/Thrud story...  and that is add King Arthur.  Wow.  I cannot be stopped.

After tinkering around with the Wacom, Corel Painter 9 and Manga Studio 3.0 at work, I came to the conclusion that for any of it to be more than just a little beneficial, I'd have to finally get around to hooking up the 20" CRT the jordizzal left before the Arkansas Exodus.

Well, I have and all I can say is


GOOD GOD!


PhotoShop and Corel take on whole different lives when you're squinting at a 1920x1440 screen instead of an 1024x782 screen. I mean, I can actually SEE most of my menus and the artwork. At the same time! Holeeeee Shit!