1) I tried making a role-playing game when I was younger. I got as far as programming the combat mechanics before deciding it was too ambitious and just playing Final Fantasy VII.
2) A huge fan of le comic books, I decided to make one myself - a few panels in, I saw a squirrel and chased it outside.
3) While I was at Ithaca College, I aimed to make a 12 track album. All the songs were composed and ready to be made into full-on tracks with instruments until that squirrel came back...effing squirrels.
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| "Yeah buddy, keep following us and these will be YOUR nuts I'm chewing next." |
4) While at Cornell, I planned to choreograph several fight scenes across campus. However, I ended up devoting all my time to TKD, and most else fell on the wayside.
These are just a few of the things I've started and, subsequently, ended. Though some of it has to do with a lack of time (and an abundance of squirrels), the main factor contributing to all these partially done projects is my attitude - I go into a project completely gung-ho. After a while, though, my progress and motivation decelerate, until I finally tell myself, "it's too much work for something that's going to suck; something that no one's going to like anyway." In large part thanks to Cornell Taekwondo, I've been able to overcome that quitter's attitude. Being captain of the team for a year and one of the front-runners for several years forces you to get rid of one's pessimism. Something about being in the ring against someone who wants to beat the shit out of you without mercy makes you put up and find your balls.
Even so, it wasn't until recently that I've looked back at old projects and realized it's worth giving them a "reboot." Some time in September, while digging through old artwork, I came across a rather ambitious comic strip I began in grade school. Looking at the art and dialogue, I remembered how much fun it was and how much I enjoyed making these sketches, and then it dawned on me - if I want to make a comic strip in my free time and just for fun, why the hell shouldn't I? I've got the know-how and the motivation. Since then I've been making panels like a bunny makes babies (and, having cared for a bunny, shits <.<), and I've decided to share the process here!
The beginning was simple - first I needed a theme - for this comic, I've chosen the themes of authority, freedom and the greater good in society. These themes pertain a lot to the current issues taking place around the world amid the Arab Spring. With that in mind, I don't want to ruin too much about the comic and its plot, not that you'll be biting your nails with anticipation mind you.
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| ...SPOILER: Everyone dies! And not that Superman "oh, I'm dead but I'm not actually dead" dead. Fuck you, D.C. Comics....just...fuck you. |
From there, I moved onto characters and sketches.Here are a few panels I've uploaded from sketches. These are pages 3, 4 and 7, since I noobishly spilled tea on the other pages and have to redo them (yeah, that's me...get used to it!)
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| Page 3 |
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| Page 4 |
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| Page 7 |
Obviously, it's very rough and hard to read. But, that's where photoshop comes in! Luckily, since I don't suck at photoshop, I won't need this tutorial:
But, more importantly, using photoshop, I'll outline and darken it. I'm still on the line about coloring...but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, I s'pose.
Anyhow, I'm going through a transitional period, moving cross country to Denver in a few months and essentially starting anew, but I'll keep working on this blog and updating. That's all for now (I suck at ending stuff), so until then, late- FUCK, OW MY BALLS!!!!!
