Finally...?

Took a break from these updates to finish this one shot for this competition. Happy to say it is done. It was fun working on it, but now I'm dealing with that "Now that it's done, now what" phase of the project. Just a part of the experience I guess. I'm happy it's done!

Comic Work

As mentioned above, the one shot for the contest is done. I think it may be my funniest work yet. As I worked on it, I realized I really enjoy drawing goofy stuff. I also think it goes well with my "art style". My drawing improves with each work, but it maintains this je ne sais quoi that I initially hated, but now appreciate. (Maybe it's because I've read so much stuff about how I can only make the art I make, and it deserves appreciation for that). Either way, I'm glad I have the skill to now draw whatever I want (even though it may take time.) Just gotta trust the process.

Now, it's time to get back to working soley on Subway Creatures...and treating myself to video games. I'll post more about the one shot after I've submitted it to the contest.

I think that does it for this update. Next updates (maybe next week? Or in 2?) will definitely be updates to Subway Creatures. I have the logo done, and some pages...all I need to do is grind more, and do more promotional stuff. I've started with RAZR, and I want to keep the steam, steaming, over the next few weeks. Wish me luck.

Until next week!! Keep making stuff!

Projects...projects..and more projects?

Very happy with the process and my progress lately. Pages have been inked, finished, and sketched. I think I've figured out some groove.

I've started reading this "Art & Fear" book, and it's making me confront a lot of thoughts I've been having about me and my creative endeavors. The biggest concept that's sticking with me, is this idea of failing, but sticking with it and not quitting. It's a really interesting read so far.

Comic Work

The one shot for the contest is coming along well. I an at the point of wanting to be done with it, but I'm pretty happy with the work I've done so far. As of right now, I've finished 10 pages, and have sketched 5 more pages. I think after the next 5, I'll probably have 5-7 left. I do have times when I feel like I'm not making progress quickly enough...but then I remind myself of the Will Smith quote about focus on laying the brick, rather than thinking about the whole house....and trusting the process.

Subway Creatures is still coming along. I have 5 pages re-made from the pages I lost...but I'm not too worried about it. I know once this one-shot is done, that project will start moving quicker. I also started making a promo drawing...but also is a work in progress.

I think that does it for this update. I'll share more when I start working on Subway Creatures more (after this one-shot is done).

Until next week!! Keep making stuff!

Brick by Brick

Another week, still nothing marketed haha. It's all good though. I feel way better about the comics I'm working on. Subway Creatures re-do is coming along well - much better than the first time...even though production is slow. My one shot for the contest is coming along well - just need to finish inking the first 10 pages. I should definitely be done with that by the end of this weekend.

I also commissioned someone for a logo to be done for the comic! I really like how it looks! I'm excited to design a cover for when I finally finish chapter 1. I'm aiming to be done with it by the end of the year (hopefully!). I hope to be caught up with the amount of pages I lost by early november...and then will knock out the reminaing 10+ pages by end of December. I will work to meet the goal!

Comic Work

As mentioned above, I'm still working through sketches for Subway Creatures. I'm having a lot of fun with it though. The one shot is also fun to draw as well. I know what kind of story it is, and I hope others can understand the humor of it all as well. I can't wait to share it! Just need to continue laying the bricks until I have my wall.

I want to share more - but none of the work is in presentable condition. Soon though! I can feel it in my bones.

Until next week!!

Introspection

I've been doing some thinking about my work, and where I want to be in regards to my comic work / online presence. I think I just need to make marketing more of a priority...instead of just hoping the work speaks for itself. Going to try to do a random sketch a day of characters doing dumb stuff...and I'll post it this new Twitter account I made. Hopefully, as I build up that account, stuff will maybe start to stick? We'll see.

Comic Work

I said I'd have updates to share, and while it's not much, it's honest work! If I wasn't working on two stories at the same time (one for a competition, the other is just a series idea I had), I'd have 12 pages sketched in 1 week...which is pretty wild considering how slow I draw. I'm pretty satisfied. Wish I was further ahead with both stories...but I keep reminding myself...brick by brick. The house will be built eventually...I just need to focus on laying this one brick I have to lay, today. Otherwise, progress has been progressing! Here are some random screenshots of sketchy pages.

I came across a tweet the other day that talked about just carving out space in the world...and I think I'll do just that. I'll finish this one shot, then just lock in with Subway Creatures for a while...until something else comes up. I'll even try making a pitch bible or something...who knows. I just need to get to the point I'm pushing a product...rather than just sketches.

Lastly, I'm finally getting in the groove of being at my day job, then coming home to do creative work. It's been tough...but I'm finally hitting a stride I think. More time to draw will soon come.

Keep progressing!

Pushing!

Comic Work

After my little mishap last week, I've been working on a new one shot for a competition & a little bit of Subway Creatures. Progress is progressing. I'm focusing on sketches for both projects. I'm only working on Subway Creatures on Tuesdays (when I have "jury duty"), and working on the One shot on the other days after work. It's been okay. Sometimes my progress feels slow, but I just remind myself that slow progress is still progress.

As implied above, REAL jury duty has ended, but I still have to go on Tuesdays to do some clerical work...which isn't bad. But, on the other hand, day job has started back up, so I have way less time than I did before. But, I'm managing.

I think that's it for updates! If all goes well, by the end of next week, I'll have at least 10 pages of sketches of the oneshot done, and I'll post my favorite page. We'll see how it goes.

No pictures again, but will definitely have some next week!

Keep progressing!

Sad, but not defeated!

Comic Work

On Monday, I realized I was running out of space on my computer's hard-drive. I remembered that I have an external one, and decided I wanted to try moving my comic files there for safe keeping. In the process, I somehow wound up deleting ALL of the work I completed over the summer.

I was sad, but realized (maybe from all of the lessons I've learned from reading manga & watching anime) that the time I spent worrying, could be better spent by drawing and making up for that time lost. So I did.

I'm pretty much starting Subway Creatures over...at least the first part of the first chapter. I still have the 10 pages I worked on most recently complete...but I need to re-do the first 28. Bummer...but we're going to catch up!

Obviously no pictures here...but hopefully will have some next week!

Keep building!

ON TIME!

Comic Work

I got a LOT of comic work done. I was locked in. In between cases, I wrote the outline for the one-shot I wanted to submit for the contest. I have the plot pretty much locked down... I just need to solidify what happens on each page. I'm almost there with that. I'll probably work on it after I finish this update. I also finished the sketches of the batch I started last week. I'll post pictures of it below. Next step is to ink, then finish - and start the next batch. At this rate, I'll be able to start posting in December the latest.

I'm considering starting a page for the story to promote it. I'm not 100% sure on what I'll post, but I'll figure that out as I go. It won't hurt!

A short update, but I did a lot! With Jury Duty wrapping up and the school year starting up, I don't think I can take on any more projects. Subway Creatures and the one shot for the contest are taking up my time. Maybe next week I'll have a logo for Subway Creatures to show off - considering comissioning someone to design it.

Either way, thanks for reading. Until next time!

2 Days Late - Off Of My Game

Wow, 2 days late this time. But it's okay. I've done quite a bit this past week, and I'm happy with my progress. Here we go!

GameDev / Pixel Art

We'll start with GameDev, because that was my primary focus last week - I participated in the GMTK Game Jam this past weekend. The theme was "Built to Scale". I made a game called "Feed the Beast" and was able to complete it too! I started on Saturday afternoon, and finished by mid-day Monday. I didn't spend the whole 48 hours working of course (lots of breaks, sleep, etc). It was my first time participating in a Game Jam so I'm proud of my efforts. The game can be played at the "Play The Game" link below.

Here are some screenshots of my development process!

I made every single part of this game - from the art, to the functionality...all with Godot and Aesprite. Only things I didn't make were the fonts. Either way, I'm proud of my efforts. Only better things and more game jams coming soon! With this game completed though, I end my 30 days of pixel art. I'll keep making stuff, but not every day.

Comics

Haven't really done much in regards to comic work! I'm still chipping away at work on Subway Creatures - and I'm still happy with the progress... but it took a back seat during the Game Jam. I'm back on it now though! I'm going to TRY MY BEST to finish all sketches for batch I have before the end of August...and maybe get a head start on the inks. Jury Duty is a big deterrent (and school starting up soon will be too), but I'm trying my best! I've also decided I'm going to try making another one shot (to my own dismay) for this competition. I figure it won't hurt to get more eyes on my work / skills, no? More on that later. The due date is pretty far off, so I have some time to work on the story and stuff. Either way, here is a screenshot of a WIP page spread (not going to be a 2 page spread..but this is what it looks like currently haha).

And yeah, that's it. I PROMISE I'll be on time next week, with WAY more comic stuff to show! Until next Friday!

On time, and in a rush.

Right on time with this update - going to rush though it becuase I want to participate in the GMTK Game Jam happening this weekend. Depending on how it goes, I may not be able to work on comic stuff. We'll see how it goes.

Comic Work.

Not much to say here to be honest. I did a little bit of sketching. Jury Duty has been taking up a lot of my time. But, I am pretty satisfied with my creative output given the circumstances. I am happy to say that I can see myself sticking with this project. I like how it feels, and I don't see myself stopping like I did with my previous project. This is a good thing. I think I'm going to comission someone to make the logo very soon.

GameDev

As I mentioned earlier, I'll be participating in the GMTK game jam this weekend. I haven't really worked much on Subway Sermon...other than coming up with the narrative I'm going with. I'm pretty satisfied with it. It'll be about the rise and fall of a man trying to start a cult. It should be cool. Details are still being ironed out, but I have north star to follow now...and can begin working on other aspects of the development process. I'll probably start working on the "demo" after this game jam.

Pixel Art.

I only have 1 more pixel art piece to do to wrap up my 30 days of starting to learn pixel art. Instead of doing a final small piece, I'll use this game jam as the final piece. Everything will be done in pixel art. Hopefully I'll have something to share next weekend!.

And yeah, that's it. Didn't really deliver on my promise to have more to show this week, but I blame Jury Duty. I'm feeling very inspired now though, so I'll make another "promise" to have more next week! (At least, a full set of sketches ready to ink). Until next time!

A little late, but still done!

A little late with this weeks' update but it's okay. I got jury duty, which kinda sucks because it will last until school starts. On the bright side, I won't be spending time stressing about not being productive. I'll be forced to condense my creative energy into a few hours, which ususally winds up being more productive than spending a whole day trying. Yeah, we'll see how it goes though.

Comic Work.

This past week was spent working on script and the ROUGH ROUGH thumbnails for the next 10 pages. Was hard to be productive, not going to lie. I've been seeing a lot of people making new one shots, getting published, working on their own projects -- and I'm not going to lie, but I've been pretty jealous. I know I have my own work to be proud of, but seeing other's work always awakens this competitive spirit in me - I want to keep up. I want to put out my own work too. I want to be seen. I'll get there soon though. I'm finally working on something I'm somewhat proud of, and I can't wait to start putting it out consistently.

I will say though, I think I'm going to start putting this out in October. If all goes well, by then, I should have about 56 pages in my buffer. I plan on releasing 12 pages a month. (After this first chapter, each subsequent chapter will be about 12-24 pages). I've realized that's the number of pages I can produce monthly (without overwhelming myself) - so I think it's a good one to go with. All I need to do between now and then, is crank out pages. I'm having fun though - and that's what matters most.

GameDev

Another project I didn't make much SOLID progress on. I only made cosmetic changes to what I had - which brings me a little closer to my vision, but I'm still quite far. See the gif above. I inked out the background layout, and modified the scoring system. (When you press the correct sequence of arrows, it lowers the enemy score. Type the correct sequence of letters, add to your own score). Good progress nonetheless. Production on this is definitely going to slow with Jury Duty...but it's fine.

I also started working on the narrative of Subway Sermon...and I'm happy with what I've started out with! Still a long way to go - but focusing on one brick at a time.

Pixel Art.

Making some progress here. Played around with designing a character, and making some other stuff. Not much to speak about here. Almost done with the 30 days! Also running out of gas with these..but hey! We're almost done. Not sure what to do next though.

I'll do my best to have more cool updates next week. I really want to lock in with this comic work - so I think I'll do that. Until next time.

Third!

I'm currently NECK DEEP in doing "colors" on this set of pages. I've completed 5/7 pages. Going to try to get at least one more in before I sleep tonight. I also caught a crazy cold this week - so I had to take a lot of rest periods this week. Either way, I'm pretty happy with my progress.

Comic Work.

I finished all the inks this week I think. I was LOCKED IN. I even started doing colors. I should be done with all of them by tomorrow...which is actually pretty cool. Above is a page I initially wasn't happy with...but after working on it, it really started coming together. Either way, I'm almost done with this first part of chapter 1, and I don't feel like my creative output / energy is running out any time soon. I'm excited to keep going.

GameDev

Didn't really make much progress here... I drew a layout of the subway scene, and I think that's pretty much it. Not really sure what to work on next with it though...maybe a camera? Maybe making a mock up and then creating some sort of quick demo of the typing level? Maybe next week.

Lastly, pixel art. Had a few days I didn't want to do any pixel art (today being one haha). But, progress is steady! Did 2 animations this week. Next week, I'll probably start practicing making bigger pieces. Really proud of my capybara [: .

I think that's it. Short update - maybe more next week. Until next time!

Second update!

Today was my first day in a \of thinking "dang, I'm not good at this" after trying something new with pixel art. Granted, I'm still VERY new, and learning a new skill takes time and is hard... But, coming to the realization that I suck was still a "hit". Even so, I still tried, and I guess that's worth something. I won't give up though! I'm way too stubborn.

Comic Work.

I told myself I wanted to finish the sketches for the next few pages within the week, and I almost met the goal. I think I have 1 more page to sketch out, and the first half(?) of chapter 1 will be complete. I also finished "writing" out the 2nd half, so as soon as I finish these pages, I can get started on the next set. It's coming along well, and I'm pretty satisfies (not SUPER pleased) with the work so far. I think that's just how this process goes.

GameDev

Some good progress here! Sorta finished (but yet to polish) one of the main game loops in the Subway Sermon game. Check out the screenrecording below. It goes from typing characters, to pressing the arrow keys. The letters pop up when it's the user's turn, and the arrow keys pop up when it's the opponents (working on allowing the user to sabotage the opponent). I added sprites of keys on the keyboard to make it look a little better. Visually, I have a long way to go with this, but hey, programming-wise, things are moving!

And now, for the pixel art side. I'm still doing the 30 day challenge, but I decided to try drawing something bigger - like maybe the background I've been envisioning for Subway Sermon haha. Let's just say it didn't go too well. It was my first time tackling something big...and I literally had no idea how to start. I've been primarily working with smaller size canvases (16x16 pixels, and 32x32) because loads of internet articles said to start small. I'm not quite sure how to transition to larger pieces, but I'm currently asking around. Hopefully someone can provide me with some insight. But yeah, it was rough. Either way, we'll keep trying to stuff.

I think that's it. Hopefully by the next update, I'll have a better vision regarding the UI of Subway Sermon, and will have started the inks of Subway Creatures. Until next time!

So, here's my first devlog update, I think?

I've been having quite a few days this summer where I've been questioning "what's the point" when it came to my creative pursuits. I think a big reason for these thoughts, is my inability to see progress I've made and the work I've completed. So, I've decided to do update posts here on this website, and post links to the updates on twitter. I hope I can stay consistent with this - I'll do my best!

For this first update, I'll talk about what I worked on this week.

Comic Work

First and foremost... CHECK OUT RAZR ON GLOBAL COMIX!

Now that that's out of the way... I'm pushing full steam ahead on my next comic project, called Subway Creatures. The idea came to me when I was riding on the train. I was working on another story (VERB), but realized I may have a lot more fun working on this, so here I am. I'm about 20 pages in, and hopefully will be 27 by the end of the month. It's been fun, and I can't wait to finish this first part of it. (When I say 20 pages in by the way, I mean 20 pages sketched, inked, and finished :]. I've already started on the storyboards for the final 7 of the first part of the first chapter.)

Other Art-Related Work

I've also picked up Pixel Art (trying to learn it, at least). I decided I wanted to make a full game that I can be proud of - where I do the art, programming, etc, and decided I wanted the art work to be done with pixel art. I thought about hiring someone else, but then decided against it, in favor of picking up a new skill. It's going pretty okay - I'm on day 6 of doing small dailies to learn Aesprite and get comfortable thinking with pixels. I'll probably stop counting the days at 30, and then begin work on the game art. Right now though, I'm just having some fun. (I even tried animating the snow!)

GameDev

Last but not least, GameDev. I'll be teaching Video Game Programming again in the Fall, so I'm taking this summer to practice before doing it all over again. It's been fun. I'm making a "Collect the Items" game in GDevelop, and also working on the programming of the game I'm practicing pixel art for.

It's going to be called Subway Sermon. (Yeah, I'm on a subway kick haha). It'll be a turn-based typing game, where you have to many as many keystrokes as you can within the given amount of time. It stars a person who basically makes sermons on the subway (haha again). As the player, you'll be typing random keys on the keyboard (based on what shows up on the screen), and depending on your accuracy & speed, you'll gain followers. I'm planning on creating a whole plot for it too - a whole RPG game :]. But before all that, I think I need to continue practicing pixel art...at least for these 30 days.

Here's some concept art -- as you can see I used a screenshot from DodgeBall Academia to help me measure things out. I have the text on the bottom, with the player on the left, and the "opponent" on the right. I can't wait to fill this with art.

Oh yeah, and I also made a whole-ass game (in about 4 hours!) based on the Kendrick and Drake beef. I'm going to add a few more things and put out a link before the end of the weekend.

I think that does it for this first update! I'll be back again next Friday with another. Thanks for reading!