Meatier Showers 2019 (Patreon)

Hi, everyone!

Come 5th March 2019, I'd have spent 12 months at my current company as a storyboard artist. The first 6 months were intense to say the least, and the following 3, unpredictable at best. Things started to settle down towards the end of the year, and now that I've adjusted to the challenges of my day job, contemplating my next move.

Retrospective

For those of you who've been supporting me since last year, or from the early beginning, you'd have seen how my Patreon projects have been constantly shifting and adapting to the circumstances surrounding me. I've gone from producing a 32-page full-color comic, Meatier Showers: Bulge Indulge (before leaving my previous home), to something more manageable in the instance of a 16-page full-color comic, Meatier Showers: Baewatch (while I was taking refuge at a shared art studio), to settling at a rented room and delivering a 28-page, gray-tone side story, Meatier Showers: Supersized.

It hasn't been easy, to put simply. Now that I have my finances and shelter managed, time has become a luxury resource. For the most part, I only have the weekends to work on my personal projects, and generally one day is set aside to recuperate from the work week.

Consistency

Over the 12 months of full-time employment, what I've observed myself to have been able to maintain (relatively) constantly are my weekend streams, It's a personal commitment to stay productive and accountable, and a means of honing my own skills.

With that in place, I have a better sense of time management, and the level of work I can afford to commit to outside of my 9-6 job.

Family

First of, I must apologize for my silence and lack of recent updates. I've been contemplating and double-checking the feasibility of executing my next project. We've talked about Fan Arts Project... and even a Fangra side project... and the one thing I've constantly felt is that I've strayed away from what I love and care for the most - the thing that's always on my mind - my boys - the denizens of Meatier Showers. Every waking moment I take, I check in with them to see what they're up to with their lives more than any other project I've undertaken. And I miss them dearly.

Making Time

The earliest completion time for the government housing that I've already reserved completes only in 2023. The original notion I had was to only return to comics production once I got a safe place to be... but by then, I'm not even sure if I would still have the capacity to pursue my passions freely... There's no guarantee. There's no easy answers.

I finally came to the resignation that in order to achieve what matters most to me, I have to hustle no matter what. The time that I want is never going to just show up on my doorstep. I have to make my own time through whatever means.

The Format

As described earlier, my Patreon projects have constantly evolved to adapt to my lifestyle and needs. Currently what I'm looking at (and bearing in mind still subject to amendments), is to reboot Meatier Showers in the form of a monthly comic strip. It'll take 4 weekends to work on a page, and have it delivered on social media platforms. The Patreon project allows for early access to the page and inside look to its creation.

Production Schedule

Currently what I'm looking at is to use the remaining weekends of February to build up visual assets to promote the project. Once March kicks in, I'm looking to begin drafting phase and release at the bare minimum, one sample page for a production and speed test. Once a system has been solidified, I will implement it upon actual project launch in June 2019. The time between March and June will be use to prospect for ideas, stories and to build a library of usable storage material for "dry" seasons. 

Idea Samples

What you see below is a very early, initial draft with a "long-format" story in mind. It also covers more serious, life-altering story arcs which, after much consideration, may not be the best time to implement, not especially on a monthly format. In other words, this is an early prototype to visualize the product - it is not perfect or final.

Patreon Rewards

The rewards and support tier will remain unchanged. I intend to keep things simple and straightforward - no ridiculous rewards that are either difficult to implement or promises I can't commit to. There will only be a no-frills, "Early Access" supporter that will be standardized at $3. What the funds help to do is cover the costs of paying for Picarto Premium (for my weekend streaming and unlocking recording features) and my annual Adobe Photoshop CC subscription. Everything else goes back towards into my business for future needs such as possibly hiring help or advertising.

So that's all the major updates and stuff on my mind for now. I will be back end of the month to share progress updates and hopefully some new visuals for the Patreon page.

Snares,
Feb 2019