[Patron-Only Feed] Where to next? Let's see... (Patreon)

A handful of cool Female Links were drawn this week, but I guess that's not too unusual. Hashtag Humble Brag? Anyway, this week turned out alright, even if I was pretty tired during it. Another batch of NSFW Sketch Suggestions were produced, so that's good.

Don't forget to check out the Monthly Dropbox Archive, I post a new link every month, and I fill the archive with everything I draw. (NSFW pieces get added in slightly slower though).

Working Out with Backgrounds

A lot of my work is devoid of backgrounds, and I suppose, reasonably so, if the focus is entirely on the character's body language. That being said, backgrounds ARE a weakness of mine, and there's no denying that they can add a lot of value to an illustration. 

If I'm going to create comics, I think it'd be wise to practice backgrounds. Especially since I always felt that they'd be an important element in Link's adventure and can help convey certain types of emotion.

If I am going to continue with my pseudo-watercolour style, I should resolve to find a way to make backgrounds work with it. These backgrounds should feel consistent stylistically, and they need to be quick to do as well, but not feel lazy by comparison to the characters. So the image above wouldn't work as well, and it, quite frankly, takes too long to reach.

The image above was my first test, and it seems like a good direction to go in. It feels like impressionistic watercolour, much like the character does, but something still feels missing. So I think I'll be making some active efforts to solve this problem in the coming weeks. Background practice may not always be as exciting as characters, but is, in fact, for the greater good of our characters. It's good to try new things.

On the Subject of Website Hosting

As I suggested in the previous major post, any serious Female Link web comics would need to be hosted somewhere. WordPress.org has made itself seem to be the most ideal option, and I'd just have to find an acceptable hosting solution. Although the comic shouldn't have any pornographic content, I'd like a website that offers me a sense of freedom.

Fortunately, I've got my eye on two host providers that look promising.

That being said... Earlier this week, I received a suggestion:

Rather than having a dedicated website for it, it would instead be better to use third party storefronts like Gumroad, but I don't know if that really feels quite right (though I love the platform). Something about using it for this purpose makes me feel a bit uncomfortable, but if you think it makes for a better option, PLEASE let me know.

But Here's why I don't like that idea:

• Not a dedicated location; Gumroad acts as a faceless middleman between you & the comic.
• Forces you to download stories instead of reading them on a webpage.
• Products (stories) can only be uploaded when they are completely finished.
• As a result, you'll have to wait even longer for stories to be available to read.
• Ideally, I'd want the reading experience to be accessible & seamless.

Some stories can be as short as a handful of pages (10 or fewer, maybe even 3). I would feel a bit strange having to go through the trouble to create a product that's so short. If it's on a storefront, where each issue takes up physical screen space, I'd be more inclined to shove 100 pages into a single product rather than 10 separate smaller ones. 

... That doesn't make for an ideal experience for either of us.

100 page comics take too long to release, and 10 pages are so few, I don't feel it justified to create a separate product for each. If they're going to be products, I'd rather them feel like complete, worthwhile experiences. It's why each Sketchie Book Brellom has 100+ pages. 

(Those Sketchie Books are available for free in the Dropbox Archive, by the way)

I'd rather just organically post a batch of pages when they are ready. 

Interesting Application: PureRef

When I come across interesting things, whether they're applications or website articles, I like to share them with you. In this case, I'm talking about PureRef. It offers a function that you could pretty much get with any image editing program, but is designed specifically for it, and is made to make it efficient: mood boards & references.

To be put simple, you drag images into it and can arrange them, and then freely drag the program across your monitors for easy viewing. I've been using it a bit as of lately, and I really appreciate it. Perhaps you will too!

https://www.pureref.com/

Monthly Dropbox Archive

Like I said earlier, just in case you didn't read the first time I said it!

For those of you who are newer to my Patreon, don't forget to check the Dropbox Archive every so often! Some of my patrons typically check when the Patron-Only Feed updates. I used to post every single image I drew, but that meant patrons would receive a million notifications every week! So now, I limit the posts, but I still shove a lot of art into the Dropbox Archive without announcement.

Elayne Beaumont is not Forgotten

Yes, the Female Link comic is still going to need a bit of time to truly start, but just because I'm committing to it does not mean that I'm abandoning Elayne Beaumont, the Great Vampire Killer! So worry not, there should still be more Elayne! This concept still has a lot more room for development, and she is still something I want to commit to as well.

Next Week's Focus

The focus for the following week is on Concept Art & Discussion. 

For those of you who are unaware, they're basically really long posts where I talk about my concepts and the development of my ideas. There's a lot of text and a bunch of images. I've got a few concepts I'm interested in this month, so MAYBE I'll product more than one this month, but I can't say so for certain just yet!

Don't forget to eat & sleep. Thank you for supporting me!