If you are reading this, then the time is probably the slim window of opportunity that Eskom has allowed for you to be online; congratulations and many thanks for spending that time here!
To be honest, I’m actually okay with a bit of load shedding during the day job; it gives me a couple of hours to get on with my own stuff guilt free, which has helped me maintain the update schedule more than once. Combined with slow work days where I can slip in some extra comic stuff here and there, it means that I can keep the quality of my art at a decent level without setting myself back too much. I’m doing my best to reach a level of professional quality; I’m nowhere near that yet, but I’m doing the work of four/five/six people here, cut me some slack. That being said, I am making the effort to improve on a story-to-story basis, sometimes even page-to-page if it doesn’t disrupt the consistency of the artwork.
The main thing I’m focusing on with this week’s Showcase story is lighting; having the panels jump between two different scenes means that each one has to feel different from the other. It’s not just about which characters are in the scene or what they’re wearing, it’s also about giving the two settings their own characterisation. One takes place in an alleyway in the middle of the night, the other inside a well-lit gymnasium; there’s going to be some differentiation with the lighting. To wit, I’ve been experimenting with colour overlays and light sources to make each scene distinct so that you can tell at a glance if we’re in the present or a flashback, before you even take stock of the characters and/or action.
I’m also making judicious use of rim-lighting to emphasise the outlines of characters; it’s a subtle effect, but it does make them pop from the page a little more. I’ve never been great with colour theory, I tend to just go with what I think looks good, but I think I’ve been making good progress with that. Granted, it does mean that I take a few minutes more on each panel, and those increments add up by the end of it; it’s worth the extra effort if it means the artwork looks better, though keep that in mind if the schedule slips again.
The plan for the coming week is get as much done as possible in order to get my buffer built back up; with the structure of the calendar, the upload schedule is not meant to have any breaks from now until the end of February, and having a page or two in place ahead of time will be a major help. Though if I have to fall behind rather than go into full-on burnout, so be it; the schedule has slipped before, and it will likely slip again at some point. I’d just rather it not be so soon after the last time, especially with everything else I want to get done; the artwork I have planned for next month is intended to include something special that would require me to refresh myself on 3D software. I did a one-year course to learn Maya and used it for a few years at my previous job, but I’ve heard that Blender is all the rage these days, so it may be time to look up some YouTube tutorials…
That’s all for this week, cross fingers that tomorrow’s page is on time, and stay safe out there.
Ciao for now.