Hi guys, back again… and late as usual! Ahhh, I missed this, and you guys of course!
It’s my first time drawing a car and backgrounds like this, but I suppose these aren’t bad first attempts! No idea how to depict foliage properly yet though, but heck, at least I’ll have an easier time drawing them in Clip Studio compared to Flash.
First part of a four-part patron-exclusive comic that takes place during page 35. The original idea didn’t actually take place during page 35, but having Myan a litty giddy with using her newfound hands seems perfect for said page.
And like I said earlier, these multi-part comics will be available for everyone even to non-patrons, but I’ll only let you guys read the first page of these things, so better become a patron if you want to see the rest!
Notes for myself
It was time to move up from black and white & screentones to using colors using Clip Studio. And since I still have a couple of bonus comics and art to do, might as well get some practice with it!
Used multiply using a dark reddish brown for my shadows (30% multiply blend mode), and a lighter reddish brown for the highlights (30% screen blend mode) instead of using the unique shadow/highlight colors for each character. Saves a ton of time while still looking good. The red hue doesn’t work too well for black and cooler colors (i.e. Keith’s hair and Myan’s pants), so had to find a proper color.
Use maximum anti-aliasing for the lineart. Doesn’t seem to useful here and I probably won’t use it next time, but it looks alright for cel-shading using India ink brush.
Shading and highlighting things here is of course very different from Flash. If I wanted to mimic the shading/highlighting style there, I may have to use the selection tools. But heck, this was an opportunity to try it a different way, so I did.
So instead, I used the India ink brush > Bit husky. Looks a bit messy, but it works. I also like the slight transparency effect it does.
In Flash, I had to make do with using gradients and cel-shading for the backgrounds… but not anymore in CS! Wanted to start simple first, so I just used Watercolor brush > transparent watercolor. Looking pretty good even though I have no idea how to do any watercolor/painterly effects.
Speaking about backgrounds, the perspective tool is frigging useful. Making anything in perspective in Flash is a mess of lines. Kinda hard to draw the floorboards here though, but wanted to try using an asset/material anyway. Access to free (and frequently updated?) assets made by other people using Clip Studio was one of my considerations for buying it, so I’m glad I’m actually getting some use from it.
Lastly, airbrushing for the last panel. Again, have no idea how to airbrush at all, but it turned out alright even if it’s not 100% airbrushed. The subview window and the ability to rotate the whole canvas also helped a lot in drawing it! And oh yeah, the Special ruler > focus line was extremely helpful as well.
First comic made using Illustrator! Like I mentioned last time, making this took WAY too long compared to drawing it in Flash, particularly the shading/highlighting part if you’d believe it. At least I actually learned how to shade/highlight faster while working on this, but it’s still way complicated than Flash. Just reminds me why I liked Flash in the first place, it’s simplicity.
Even with Illustrator’s more adjustable brushes (only 8 brush sizes in Flash, but if you zoom in/out, the brush adjusts), and massive zoom (Flash up to 2000%, Illustrator up to 6500%!), group-able and nameable swatches, it’s still not a good choice for making comics because you’ll need to micromanage the layers and paths a lot (other artists, imagine every brush stroke you did creates a new layer!). Still, I’m glad I finished this to the end! Illustrator will still be useful, perhaps for lineart (I certainly had an easier time drawing here), backgrounds, and wallpapers, which are, you know, illustrations.
Anyway, like I mentioned in another tweet, I think I’ll learn about Clip Studio next. I’ve downloaded video tutorials which I’ve been watching whenever there’s some spare time (i.e. in the bathroom). When I learned about its Rulers (like the Perspective Ruler. Watching this is free.), Clip Studio suddenly looked much more attractive to me since they’re exactly what I’ve been looking for! Drawing complicated backgrounds in perspective is very hard ti in Flash, and is the real reason why I haven’t been drawing them that often.
Transcript
These three notice a wolf that’s lethargic and alone at the zoo’s wolf enclosure...
Keith: It’s a... slothful solitary canine. Cruz: An idle isolated lupus. Tammy: A laidback lorn pooch!
Tammy: We just worry about you two, and your dad here... Cruz: Yeah, this guy was crazy enough to go after Myan in the lion pit! Keith: -I couldn't just leave her there because she's not just a cat to me...
Myan: I'M SORRY EVERYONE
Myan: mew mew~ Keith: Aww, thanks for worrying about us, you two.
Was supposed to be a double comic, but well, it was kinda unnecessary. So, still got one last page to go before Episode End! Welp, at least I found a much quicker way to shade/highlight, yipee.
Now, how many of you actually tried to say what Myan said? And how many of you actually want to be licked ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)?
In other news:
Again, last chance to be added as a Pioneer in the Patrons page after July ends! And thanks to all the patrons so far, seriously!
RAWR patrons & above, I’ll make the RARchive for Ep.4 after it ends.
Still accepting female background character suggestions for Episode 5. There’s still… five more slots left! It’s just a little thing to help me come up with background characters, and let you guys have me draw a character you want!
Sorry for the delay guys! Had some chores that I needed to do and been trying to uh, what’s that word… process (?) the documents needed for a Japan visa. Like, did you guys know you need an itinerary when applying for a Japan visa? Ugh.
If anyone’s still interested in submitting guest comics for next week (cause I’ll be in Japan), I’ll extend the deadline until next week since I can probably post it while I’m over there.
Also, thanks for another month of patronage, my patrons! For everyone else, this is your last chance (after July ends) to get added to the Hall of Fame in the Patrons page. I’ll make a thank you for all the patrons that pledged any amount during the whole Episode, which I’ll post below the final page of that Episode. I’ll start doing this every Episode from now on!
Sorry for the delay everyone! I took this delay as an opportunity to reflect what I was doing wrong in the past… by being my natural lazy self just so I can prevent it, hopefully for good, in the future. Maybe you guys can learn something or even help!
First off, I’m still very easily distracted by video games, browsing, chatting, and checking my social media and website stats. Compared to before, I definitely have some more self-control now, but this is still the biggest hurdle for me since I do everything on the computer. Looks like it’s time to work on my self-discipline…
Whenever I start a new page, I still get intimidated when faced with a blank page/canvas. Check out the comic template I’m using for Cat Nine, feel my dread! The feeling’s more intense if I’m already late or if I haven’t made anything yet until the deadline approaches. So… I suppose the best solution is to make comics earlier or just keep drawing drawing drawing.
In the past, instead of feeling happy that I finished another page, I just remember the dread of starting another page. Yikes! I congratulate myself after every finished page now, even when I’m not 100% happy with it.
I’m pretty harsh on myself if I make a mistake or don’t know how to draw something. I’ve learned to let go of some of my mistakes, be happy about the things I got right, and make compromises for things I don’t know to draw it well yet (like changing to an easier pose to draw). Oh, and realizing that even professional animators (looks at Samurai Jack Season 5)Â and comic artists make mistakes helped me get over about being a perfectionist too.
Take a look at page 71; if I remember correctly, I didn’t use any references for Keith and Myan so it took forever to draw. I’ve learned to use references more often now, which improves my drawing and saving a lot of time. I can’t recall why I didn’t use references often in the past… maybe I think it was cheating, which it’s not by the way! Well, I’m thankful for my phone and the Internet for the rich resources of references. Perhaps I’ll get a proper digital camera and tripod in the future to help me get more references.
I still underestimate or overestimate my skill when drawing or the time it takes to draw something. I’ll think “Oh, this should be quick and easy to draw” when it’s just the opposite, and then I’ll feel stupid afterwards, “why can’t I draw this properly, I should know this by now” (looking at Keith in panel 2). Sometimes everything goes well though. I dunno about, but since I’ve gotten much better compared to before, the “everything goes well” occurs more often, so perhaps it was just my inexperience and I should definitely be drawing more often.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, or not! Just wanted to get this off my chest. I guess being yourself… might be the worse advise for some people!
This page’s RAWR Patrons. More patrons, First goal is achieved again, and 100 coffees (whaaat)! THANK YOU ALL!!
