Life's a Witch

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 5:19 am

Greetings, all! Please check out LIFE'S A WITCH, a fledgling comic hosted here on CG.

This is a G-rated, gag-strip done in "newspaper' style which updates every weekday. It is about the every-day adventures of a Witch named Zelda and her family. Right now, the only thing "Witchy" about Zelda is that she wears her native garb everywhere and surfs the internet with a crystal ball, but she is not above a hex should the situation warrant it. She struggles with her weight, her checkbook balance, and being a wife and parent.

I hope you find something to enjoy in Life's a Witch.

Lando · Post by **Lando** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 4:38 am

Love the crystal ball PC. And good for you going G-rated. You could probably get syndicated if you were interested. I figured you might be because of the newspaper style quote. Link banner request! I want you on my site.

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 5:34 am

Oh, Lando! Thank you for that. I only said "newspaper-style" so that people wouldn't expect the the larger story-lines or "comic-book" style strip. (I wanted to keep expectations low in the hope that someone would be pleasantly surprised.

)

I do have a button and banner which I have been using:

Sly Eagle · Post by **Sly Eagle** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:48 pm

It's quite cute. You should consider adding an archives page, so it's easier to find your way through the strips. Just a thought.

LibertyCabbage · Post by **LibertyCabbage** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 2:03 pm

Try to avoid summarizing the situation in your strips. 1 2 3 4 5. While this would probably be necessary if it were in an actual newspaper, you need to remember with a webcomic that the readers have easy access to the previous strips and are probably reading the strips at the same time anyways. All you're doing is iterating basic information when you should be showing new stuff. It's really just a matter of understanding the medium and how print comics differ from web comics.

I would suggest adding more "witchy-ness" as well. It'd make it more interesting at least, and if you've already got Zelda in witch's garb then you might as well elaborate on it. When I saw the title Life's A Witch I expected it to be sort of like Bewitched or Sabrina the Teenage Witch, shows that deal with ordinary stuff but add a fun supernatural twist to it. Otherwise, without an actual witch, the comic seems misleading and disappointing. Your stories deal with mundane topics -- losing weight, getting the kids prepared for school, camping -- so it could add some flare to incorporate a more distinct approach to it. For example, instead of trying to get an exercise machine, maybe Zelda could seek weird ingredients for some sort of magical weight-loss potion or something. It's a thought.

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 3:25 pm

Thanks for the comments, you two!

I will try to set up an archives page, Sly Eagle! I honestly didn't think I had enough strips for that yet.

LibertyC: I see what you are saying about the summarizing. My thought was to have each strip able to stand alone, but you are exactly right. I am old and am used to reading comics in the newspaper rather than on the web.

Since I have been reading some of the comics on CG and elsewhere, I see how I have been limiting myself by my chosen format. Your comment has encouraged me to experiment more on this.

As for the Bewitched/Sabrina aspect, I have deliberately stayed away from magical solutions for everything. I initially wanted the housewifery to be the main element and the witchery to be secondary. There are more fantasy/magical elements, are coming up in the strip, tho. I hope to find a happy medium between the newspaper strips "Witch Hazel" and 'For Better or For Worse" at some point.

Keep checking back and offering up advice and encouragement, you guys. Both are most welcome.

Fesworks · Post by **Fesworks** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 1:32 pm

Its nice to see a witch character in a basically "normal-as-everyone-else" sorta role for a change.

Dutch! · Post by **Dutch!** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 4:17 pm

G'day.

I reckon it's great. I haven't looked at it before today. The styling of the art is wonderful and deceptive.

I like the fact she's a witch but she's a normal person first. There's little witchy things around, but it's not the focus of the strip. The mundane stuff is handled well with a good little twist of a grin. I wouldn't change it, but then again, that's the sort of story humour I like too.

This leads to the writing side of things too, which generally is done pretty well for the kind of strip it is. It's nice, soft humour. Well done. I agree with you though about putting a little bit of previous or reminder information into the first panel on some strips. Not everyone is going to read it all at once. Use a bit of the first panel to remind people what's happening in the current theme. Not necessarily everything and in detail, just a small reminder. The way I try to handle that is to build it into the dialogue the character may be saying instead of narration as you've done a few times here. That would be my only suggestion.

Another short thing on writing...occasionally you had some dialogue in final panels of strips to give the joke, but if you look again, the final panel itself IS the joke and doesn't always need the character to deliver it. The example I'm thinking of is when we first see the washing machine. It may have worked better just as a silent panel with maybe her sitting astride it or something.

Anyway, good luck with the rest of it. Five days a week, eh? Sucker.

Cheers.

Picasso04 · Post by **Picasso04** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 4:48 am

I am enjoying Life's a Witch. I might be a bit biased because I am partial to the newspaper style strip as well. I like traditional comics, but I have always liked the art style that lends itself to strips. One of these days the Dude will be updated more than a couple times a week. I'm not hating or anything. Well done and keep up the good work.

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 5:35 am

Thank you for posting, Dutch and Picasso! I have been trying to keep everyone's comments in mind as I have been writing and drawing. Dutch, due to your comments, I am trying to be aware of when the visual will work as the punchline.

I haven't put much effort into the art before, but I find I am working to make it better as I am drawing. And after the toothfairy storyline, I will try to keep story arcs short.

The encouraging words and tips continue to be very welcome! I hope to have obvious improvement very soon, thanks to you.

Dutch! · Post by **Dutch!** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 11:04 pm

Swikan, if it's any help at all (and seeings it's likely you haven't seen this before cos you haven't wandered far through my own stuff

), here's an example of how a silent panel at the end can be your main hook.

Note the strip could have ended at the third panel because the verbal joke has been delivered, but in this case I used the visual element to deliver the real humour in the strip.

I find visual panels without dialogue can also be extremely useful to develop the characters involved. Here's an example again in case it proves to be beneficial for you.

The visual doesn't really have to deliver a joke either, it can be highly effective just to deliver a subtle point instead.

Anyway, hope any of this is helpful. Good luck with the rest of the strip.

Cheers.

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 5:55 am

You know I love School Spirit!

AND your sample strips in particular! You know I loved how you finished up the death discussion. I click on School Spirit daily!

I really am trying to do better with the punch line being the image, but I haven't quite got the "feel" for it. Are you being distracted by the dialogue in Life's a Witch?

Keep in mind that I keep about a week or two ahead of my update time, so when I make changes to my strips, they won't show up right away.

On another note:

While the art isn't the main thing in my strip (obviously), I have started doing backgrounds in the strip. They are not as crisp as School Spirit's, but they fill out the frame more than not having them. What do you think of that.

Dutch! · Post by **Dutch!** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 1:15 pm

Oh, right. You posted in one of the threads, eh? I forgot that was you. Sorry...sort of makes my previous post look like a blatant plug...ew. Sorry.

To be honest, I haven't looked back on Life's A Witch for a few weeks, but I haven't caught up with any webcomics in those weeks either! I always liked the way you draw the characters and add the colouring, and from what I remember, the backgrounds suited the setting and styling well enough already. I wouldn't be too worried about it. Your backgrounds aren't going to be as crisp as the way I do mine, but that's because they'd stand out like dog's aggats up against your characters.

You'll find a feel for when to let the picture tell the story without needing words.

We did one in the classroom just yesterday...I drew pictures on a big white page and the kids told me the story as I finished each one. Ended up being about a bloke who wants to buy a new birdhouse but doesn't have enough money. He planted his last tenner in the garden, comes back the next morning and finds a money tree. He buys a bird house for the bird complete with double garage.

No words used at all.

You just have to rely and trust your pictures.

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 1:46 pm

I know you weren't plugging, you silly.

I think you are dead-on when you say I need to trust my pictures. One thing about School Spirit and many of the other comics here is that they are drawn with such a lack of hesitation. If that truly is my problem, I think the feel for letting my images speak more will come as my confidence in the strip comes.

I can't tell you how much your words of encouragement help. (Must be the teacher in you!)

I also can't tell you what "dog's aggats" are, but if they are similar to "Rocky Mountain Oysters", I get the idea.

Dutch! · Post by **Dutch!** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 4:18 am

Swikan wrote:I also can't tell you what "dog's aggats" are, but if they are similar to "Rocky Mountain Oysters", I get the idea.

HA! Yeah, you're exactly right, just a different animal. Out here the Rocky Mountain Oyster is just called the Bush Oyster, but yeah, that's given me a right giggle. I could have used Jatz, Knackers, Bollocks, Crown Jewels, or any other colourful adjectives, but I'm glad you picked up on the lingo!

Back on task though, keep in mind you've been at this game for a few months now. Your still moulding your strip and the characters are still shaking out of your grasp. Once they're free and acting on their own that 'lack of hesitation' you mentioned (good description too!) will start to develop.

Oh, and don't bet on it being the teacher in me. I carried a kid upside down by his waist across a basketball court this afternoon...just cos I could.

Cheers.

AVEM · Post by **AVEM** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 12:59 pm

I love this comic. The humor is very swwet and doesn't have any sharp edges. I epsecially like how the witch character isn't used as a plot device. She's just a normal person, and that's seems to be the main focus. Very good.
I haven't been able to read all of it yet but what I've seen is well written.

SO anyway, just go for it, even if you aren't certan. If you make a mistake you can just clean it up next time.

Perk_daddy · Post by **Perk_daddy** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 8:27 pm

AVEM wrote: I epsecially like how the witch character isn't used as a plot device. She's just a normal person, and that's seems to be the main focus. Very good.

I second that. Something that sets the comic apart but isn't "gimmicky"; the main character reminds me of my wife so much, it's scary! (Note: I'm not saying my wife is a witch!) Great, down-to-earth humor. Me likey!

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:08 pm

Thank you guys for looking in and letting me know what you like!

I have done something special for Monday's strip, so please visit again and let me know what you think of it!