In Need of an Excuse.

I am updating this from my Amazon Kindle (TM) because it is my last remaining internet capable device. My laptop needs a new power jack, and while cheap and easy to replace, it will be in pieces for the next couple of days until the part comes in. I have a fallback in my office desktop, which is a very nice machine except that I just locked my office keys as well as my tablet in my office. So, I will not be able to work on anything digitally until Monday. Even then, I am trying to actually accomplish work for a dissertation. So, I will be shooting for a Friday update. As a treat for waiting, I will post the updated revisions of the comic to this entry as I complete them. That way you can see the evolution of the comic. Expect one per weeknight, starting on Monday.

Update 1: sketching.
Here I have a basic layout of the comic.

To be perfectly honest, I was hoping to have lines done as well tonight, but I keep on letting my life get in the way. I'll also be honest. I really need to put forth more mental energy into my work and less into comics. I think I am officially going to stop regular updates, if I cannot reduce my cycle time  down to about 10 hours, but that would be a major reduction in quality. Its more of the fact that I like reading books, running, eating homemade dinners and sleeping. I am sorry to disappoint you. I feel that this is only going to get worse as I head towards April. Why didn't I start this four years ago?

Scrappage!
So, I realized that my main goal of this comic was to explore a bit of facial expressions and body language. I also wanted to get a little more of a flat aesthetic, which is more common in comic strips.
What I realized is two things: 1) I can convey emotion from figures but I need to have it in mind when I do the figure. It is not an add-on. 2) I naturally, draw things with the lensing effects of the human eye, which I think makes things look natural, but it means I have to mentally change my focal lengths if I want a different aesthetic. The best way I can describe this, is what I figured out last night when I should have been asleep, I have to picture the the image in it's natural 3d, then apply a mental telephoto zoom to flatten it out, while backing away to keep the same framing. If a quarter of our brainpower goes to image processing, which I guess is like one sixteenth of our overall blood-flow (Do not quote me. I just heard this statistic somewhere.), then we might might as well take full advantage of our awesome super-parallel GPU.

Anyway. I have never once regretted scraping a part of an image and starting over again. The following, doesn't look bad. It's just not that for which I am going. We will restart, probably getting the lines finished on Saturday. I hate to say it, but it is hard to get going on a project when one gets off work at 8 and needs to take care of needs like eating, and jogging. Yes, running is my supreme compulsion.

 OK, here is my re-sketch. Basically, I like the perspective and body language better.

Update: I am updating from the world's slowest internet connection.
I have no clue, why this comic has been kicking my butt. I think it is because i had no clear vision as to what I wanted it to be. I think the faces were giving me trouble. I have no problem with bodies and forms, and I can free-hand 3D perspective and straight lines. Faces on the other hand... Maybe its because I usually avoid eye contact. That is probably why I also have a terrible memory for faces as well. I am sorry, but turning every conversation into a starring contest is just plain creepy. Also, I think I will  get myself a ciniq this year, as a graduation present. It is less the hand eye coordination, and more the large drawing area, that appeals to me.

Anyway, here are my lines. Also I have been enjoying the lack of pressure and the better sleeping habits, but I feel this need to spend my free time drawing (especially on the weekends.) I will try to get back to regular updates next week. Comics are now like running, they are just a part of me. Next is background detail and shading/contours. Those should be done by Saturday.

One more day, I promise.

Anyway, here is the comic with details, contours and background lines, tomorrow, I will color it, and add in dialogue and overlays.

The second to last step is coloring. Do you honestly think it enhances the image? By the way, I am always going back and tweaking my previous steps. Some things (especially hands) are never done until the final revision. I can spot something to change before I do the overlay.