How are you doing, comic-wise?

[JSConner800]

I spend about 12-16 hours on a page, it also depends on how many panels there are as well. So close enuf?

I still think that's a good range. Every artist is different, and as long as you're not spending more than 20 hours on a page you can probably keep up with a comic's demanding update schedule. Plus, the quality of your art makes the 12-16 hours well worth it.

Good luck dude!

Thanks scooby doob. I just got four more hits from deviantart and one that I might have to pass on simply because he's too good for us >_> Never thought that would happen.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

20+ hours seems like an unrealistic amount of time for a single comic page. Have you seen the results? I'm curious, since I'd expect either something of mind-blowing quality or, more likely, their methods are just needlessly slow and complicated. On average, it seems like most artists take about 8-10 hours per page, and that seems a lot more feasible if you want any kind of a consistent updating schedule. I think you're taking the right amount of time on each page, but life can get the best of any of us. It's just a matter of improving your focus at this point, which is hard enough to do with all the distractions modern America provides, and it gets even harder with depression in the mix. Hopefully you can find a way to shut out those distractions

I've seen what turns out from the 20 hours, and as far as I know it seems like it could be reasonable depending on the person. Some people are perfectionists and I think that probably plays into it as well. But like humbug said I know a good number of artists whose pages take in the mid-teens range.

I just feel bummed thinking about how i *could* be updating way more often than I do and shooting myself in the foot because of how lazy i am 99% of the time.

On the bright side I took about, if you subtract me taking breaks, about 2~ hours just now to color three pages?? It's pretty much just flats and there's also a fourth *challenging* page that will need planning and care put in so I'm going to put that off to do on its own, but I was pleased to shoot through those other pages so quickly, especially when 2 hours used to be how long it took to color A page. I don't have to wake up early tomorrow so I'm going to try to take advantage of the night and press on to the next set of pages, again at least to maybe get flats done.

If I got all the flats done for this whole scene tonight that would be absolutely amazing. It's also a really ridiculous goal but I think I'm going to try to see how far I can go.


NO NO NO WAIT GUYS GUYS LOOK WHAT MY FRIEND MADE FOR ME I AM DYING I AM LEAVING THE EARTH RIGHT NOW

[JSConner800]

Well, if you're leaving the earth instead of working on your comic, the least you could do is bring me back an eagle

Also happy birthday!

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

Well, if you're leaving the earth instead of working on your comic, the least you could do is bring me back an eagle

Also happy birthday!

LMAO WILL DO. And thanks!!!!

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

FLATS ARE ALL DONE NOW I JUST NEED TO SHADE ;u;

and i bought a fistful of copics today because I'm tired of the skin tones constnatly running out on my prismas, so I played around in the store to find what I felt would be a useful range for my primarily lily-white cast and got 5 or 6 markers that seem to have potential. I'll start using them when I color the next scene (whose script I have roughly nailed down, yaaay.)

Found some really terribly embarassing old "anatomy practice" drawings where I wasn't even using a reference, just making it up as i go along, and it was in that awful transitional stage between band geeks style and eventual loud era style so everyone has really REALLY SHORT STUMPY NECKS AND FLYSWATTER SHOULDERS and the legs may well be jellyfish fingers for the amount of structure they possess.

tragically though my anatomy is getting noticeably worse and i need to get back in the habit of practicing more. it's not like riding a bike where it's osmething I learned once and was able to hold onto, i need to make it part of my regular routine of practicing. it's not back to THAT old level yet but lmao everybody comin out with these tiny little pinheads or really big kid-proportion heads and it's jsut noooottttt goooodddd.

But again I'm having the problem of fixating on a plot point that is, hm, if we do the math like TEN MONTHS AWAY in-story and therefore years away in real life oh well it gives me a lot of time to do reasearch for it. bleh bleh bleh

[novus]

restarting mine as a 3D webcomic since my drawing sucks and i finally have a rig that can run all of daz 3D programs
getting the backgrounds wrote out then the website done then scripts going and then learning daz studio bryce and hexagon
http://novus.comicgenesis.com/

[RobboAKAscooby]

and i bought a fistful of copics today because I'm tired of the skin tones constnatly running out on my prismas, so I played around in the store to find what I felt would be a useful range for my primarily lily-white cast and got 5 or 6 markers that seem to have potential. I'll start using them when I color the next scene (whose script I have roughly nailed down, yaaay.)

I have, like, a whole 24 marker wallet just for my skin tones - granted I have a bit more skin colour variation than your honky whitebread cracker town (sorry I seem to have become a 70s blaxploitation movie character) - but anyway in basic flat/shading pairs I use E000/E01 E00/E02 YR000/YR01 R000/R11 for my white characters, the R000 combo is good for that pale pink skin.

Found some really terribly embarassing old "anatomy practice" drawings where I wasn't even using a reference, just making it up as i go along, and it was in that awful transitional stage between band geeks style and eventual loud era style so everyone has really REALLY SHORT STUMPY NECKS AND FLYSWATTER SHOULDERS and the legs may well be jellyfish fingers for the amount of structure they possess.

Stumpy Cuddly Style!!!

tragically though my anatomy is getting noticeably worse and i need to get back in the habit of practicing more. it's not like riding a bike where it's osmething I learned once and was able to hold onto, i need to make it part of my regular routine of practicing. it's not back to THAT old level yet but lmao everybody comin out with these tiny little pinheads or really big kid-proportion heads and it's jsut noooottttt goooodddd.

Ah, anatomy, the bane of all artists...

I've been trying much harder on my limb thickness, and seem to be doing a little better, but I'm sure I'll have a plethora of new issues by the time the next WAY comes around (about six months I guess?)... *groan*


Ooh this weekend's update will make 30 chapters for FT...YAY!!!
Also I'm 21 pages on the comic (post crappy b&w version)

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

I have, like, a whole 24 marker wallet just for my skin tones - granted I have a bit more skin colour variation than your honky whitebread cracker town (sorry I seem to have become a 70s blaxploitation movie character) - but anyway in basic flat/shading pairs I use E000/E01 E00/E02 YR000/YR01 R000/R11 for my white characters, the R000 combo is good for that pale pink skin.

I had to check mine because those numbers sound familiar and all the ones I have are pretty much like one number off from those

Stumpy Cuddly Style!!!

They're so bad, they literally looked like they had their cervical vertebrae removed

I've been trying much harder on my limb thickness, and seem to be doing a little better, but I'm sure I'll have a plethora of new issues by the time the next WAY comes around (about six months I guess?)... *groan*

I stopped in to check it really quickly and I can see progress!!! Yaaay! Just keep working on it and then it'll become second nature and you'll never have to worry about it again!!

Ooh this weekend's update will make 30 chapters for FT...YAY!!!
Also I'm 21 pages on the comic (post crappy b&w version)

Wowwww dang! That's impressive! Hard to believe it's been going that long and that I've known you since before you even created it Is this what it feels like when someone you met as a baby or toddler is graduating elementary school?


And now some good news to furnish upon you all- The shading is done!!!!! I'm going to start scanning and then I'm going to start foaming at the mouth and keel over dead before any of it can be posted! Yoay!

[RobboAKAscooby]

And now some good news to furnish upon you all- The shading is done!!!!! I'm going to start scanning and then I'm going to start foaming at the mouth and keel over dead before any of it can be posted! Yoay!

Woo! Schmancy clothes time!!!

[Humbug]

Keep it up Cuddly!

[JSConner800]

Sooooo I am hyped out of my skull right about now. We've found our new artist, and he's perfect. Even better than what we'd hoped for. In order to make our final decision, we had the top two artists do some sample panels, and one of them never sent us samples, but after seeing this guy (who we kind of preferred anyway) it really doesn't matter.

This is the unadulterated awesomeness he sent us:

[JSConner800]

And because I can't figure out how images work, here's the original version just for shits and giggles. Sorry for the double post.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

Oh my god. JSC, that is exactly what I had wanted for Steel Salvation.

I hope that everything works out with the whole group's collaboration hereforth!! I'm so happy you found somebody who can really take your comic to a new level. Mazel tov!!!

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

Woo! Schmancy clothes time!!!

Keep it up Cuddly!

THANKS SCHMOOPLES <3

[JSConner800]

Thanks Cuddly! I'm still stunned at how much he added to the panel. There were some details in the pencils that didn't make it into the old strip (like the lines on Dy-Gar's arm) but there were other things that he just added on his own. Evan didn't draw a body on Dy-Gar in that panel, so he just did it himself and made it look like it was always supposed to be there. I'd read somewhere that a good inker can elevate shaky pencils, but I had no idea it would be such a dramatic improvement. And I love how, as one of my friends put it, "his cape looks like space."

I have yet to hear from him since I told him he's got the job, so maybe I shouldn't jinx it to talk like we're already in business before he's even signed the work for hire agreement, but I can't help it. I'm too excited

[Humbug]

That new art is looking pretty slick, JSConner800.

[LibertyCabbage]

It's a big improvement.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

I have nothing better to do on a Wednesday night so I looked through my list of fans on smackjeeves because there's 64 people listed but most haven't been active in years and I was trying to get a better range of who is even around to possibly still count as "a fan." Just counting the people who've been active on SJ at all in the last months the number is cut just about in half, and if you narrow it to people who've ever commented or made any signal that they actually read the comic as opposed to just drive-by faving it for reasons I'm not sure about the number is in the single digits.

Oh well. Time to reevaluate priorities and stop trying so hard to get people to read. I need to just get over the fact that this is a hobby for me and it's never going to be anything more than that, except some amusement for the two handfuls of people walking the earth who actually really like it.

On the bright side I'm planning to go back and get my teaching degree so I have hopes of a day job. I've really been enjoying subbing this year since i came back to school looking at it through the lens of "is this something I could really do with my life." Maybe if I actually have a fulfilling career I won't feel so down about my sloppy colored comic that has about enough readers for a soccer team.

(I know that my art has also gotten way worse over the past few years- like color choices have gotten better and general knowledge obviously, but from a technical standpoint my lines are fucking all over the place and I obey coloring within the lines with about the precision of a reluctant six year old. I don't know why this is. I haven't consciously said to myself "lets lower our standards and crank out garbage constantly." Maybe I have extreme early onset Parkinson's.)

[IVstudios]

Does Smackjeeves track non-Snackjeeves readers who view your comic?

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

Does Smackjeeves track non-Snackjeeves readers who view your comic?

It does, and I also have Clicky as a tracking service which is more reliable because it doesn't count bots or my own visits. I was just referring to the number of people with SJ accounts who have favorited the comic. I know that in and of itself isn't a barometer of quality but it's one of those things where the number has been so stagnant for so long that it kind of gets disheartening, you know? :/