I have had a few really bad days this week, and was thinking about this driving in, today. Did you have friends who liked to draw when you were younger? I did. I had a lot of friends (sizably more than those who liked to draw, even) who liked to write, as well. I would say the majority were aspiring authors. Most times it was great - you had someone to create things with, to talk about what you were making, sharing ideas. But I admit I still always felt a little disconnected, like we weren’t quite talking about the same thing. They talked a lot about how many books they would sell, and the big fan base they would have… but were not as interested in talking about the characters, the plot… and certainly not in actually sitting down and creating something.

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stonelions said: ok, first: your backgrounds are NEVER poo, they are lovely, just… to get that out of the way. aaaand I think I have discovered from my own poopy bg work that even a junky one seems to help ground a character?

mistahgrundy said: really? Dang, I think your backgrounds are pretty swell.

spacekayce said: I think your backgrounds are really lovely! I think they would definitely add to each picture, but I would still buy it even without them. Or maybe you could try for more simplified backgrounds…? :c I’m sorry you’re upset!

rassafraggin said: The backgrounds for those prints were darn classy and polished and enhanced the context of the characters, who are the centerpieces and the selling point. Even if you change it up this year BG-wise, I cannot see that affecting sales on its own.

You guys are all being quite kind to someone who was acting like a major brat, and I appreciate that. It’s really, really hard for me to accept that people like my background work because it’s impossible for me to find things that I like about it, BUT I trust your opinions! In fact, I trust your expertise, really. You guys all know what you are doing (see below, also) and that is why I want to do the right thing and not mess up something that is working.

gravitationaltimothy said: Yeah I think in general backgrounds usually just add a lot to a competition, I don’t know if it would make or break THIS project though. If you’re worried, was about hints of background, like some Calliou bullshit

soozarts said: I wouldn’t take the responses to mean that they wouldn’t buy simplified BG calendars, tho. Is there a way you can do a happy medium of simplified but still neat-looking BGs? (PS your characters own and are the reason I started following you. :D )

I have been considering - and maybe I should sketch it up so people can see it - using the drink itself as an active background prop. Example, if I have a girl using a little step-ladder to climb the drink and grab a garnish off the top, or one of them side-stepping the ice-cube-y contents of a spilled over glass, or sitting precariously on the rim. Something like that? Then I can do different table finishes for the floor, and really invest in the figure work and making the drinks themselves look good, since they ARE the background.

It’s at least a thought! Maybe visual aid would work better to show it, and then see what people think. I’ve really been racking my brain for a compromised solution.

No, I can’t hang out, today, I have a comic page to finish… What’s that? What do you mean, I don’t have a choice? Anxiety, that’s not hanging out, that’s imprisonment. It’s — yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s illegal.

because we have A LOT OF THEM in our area and the concept sounds so fun. Plus, the whole MEET OTHER ARTISTS deal, ‘cause I talk to almost NO local artists, even though the place is crawling with them. There’s just the issue that I can’t drink (not to be confused with “don’t drink”, haha). I don’t know, how prominent is the drinking part of a drink and draw, am I overcomplicating the concept, would it be REALLY OUT OF PLACE to be the person there with a soda?

Maybe what I’m really trying to say is “who is going to organize a ‘drink-ice-cream-floats and draw’ with me?”

Recently, I have completely removed all my dependency on the line tool (outside of paneling). I have done it in an effort to make my stuff look more natural and have better motion flow, but it’s because I wanted to, you know what I mean? Sometimes I see this stuff recommended to an artist with reasoning behind it, and that wasn’t the case, here, it was a personal decision that often gives me quite a headache, haha.

SO I’M CURIOUS. What do YOU think about digital tools like that, line tool, shape tools, use of copy/paste, etc.? When you are trying to meet deadlines and/or doing something for free, I think they are still completely applicable and all fair play (it all depends on the artist and how they use it, to me), but I know some people are adamantly against them in all forms. And I’m wondering what the reasons behind that mindset are. Any ideas?

AND set-up for later events that, once put down on this page, I cannot change or upgrade for future sensibilities.

This is a difficult page, this week.

But I really want to make it into this OC contest and this headshot is now encrusted with a thick layer of “art of months past” (a.k.a. I DON’T LIKE THIS ANY MORE AND I CANNOT BELIEVE IT WAS ACCEPTABLE AT THE TIME).

I need a manager, is what I need. “You already got me the OC contest report, that was an entire quarter ago, let’s move onto that comics report, BIG WEEK, next week! Get on that, I want the inks on my desk tomorrow morning.”

because I get use out of my occasionally shaky hands. No straight edges? NO PROBLEM! This stuff is DILAPIDATED, it shouldn’t be perfect. Haha! Ha.. ha… sigh.