Happy New Year! (Patreon)

Harrow!

Before I get too caught up in my own world, I just wanted to wish everyone a HAPPY 2022! No doubt, things have been rough for most of us one way or the other, but I do hope that as we continue to understand and learn more about our current, collective circumstances, that we'll all be able to move towards the next, better chapter of our lives.

Progress Report

As of this post, I've already started the inking phase for Meatier Showers 2022. You might not hear from me as often on Twitter, mostly because I've been working offline. Now that the new trimester has started, I am required to be on-site for my day job. This means my Patreon production schedule is fairly limited to the weekends at whatever hours that isn't already taken up by other commitments. That said, during my 2-week break last December, I was able to cover as much ground as feasibly possible to lay the ground work for the next phase: coloring.

Unlike previous Patreon iterations of Meatier Showers, I will be attempting a different production schedule this year. Instead of completing the whole book in one breath, from sketch to coloring of every page, I am striving towards releasing monthly comic pages instead. My goal is to have the first full-colored page sample on both Patreon and Twitter (hopefully) by end of Jan 2022. Subsequently, all monthly page updates will be in grayscale, while the full-colored pages will continue to be available through monthly updates on Patreon. Even if you're pledging for just a month, a $3 tip is always welcomed! But if you want to join use for behind-the-scenes production notes and progress, do stick around as I try to update every weekend. Whatever your level of support is, whether it's leaving a tip or just spreading the word, every little contribution counts!

Iron Chef But Artists

Those of you who follow me on Twitter, you'll probably notice I was posting these quick 20-25 min sketches. For context, I had recently enrolled myself into a live, in-person art competition called LIMITS, where digital artists duke it out on stage within a 20-minute time limit over a randomly generated theme.

Not gonna lie, but the ongoing pandemic situation has dulled my senses. If you've read my older journal entries, you'll understand how much travelling means to me, especially to find inspiration in cultures and societies that are more expressive and accepting than ours.

In a state of "nothing to lose", I signed up for the art battle on a whim not expecting much. As it turns out, I'm one of 8 applicants who have been selected to show up for the physical match on the 21 Jan this year. Much to my horror, (aside from the fact that it's really happening now), PaintTool SAI was not listed as one of the software eligible for use during the competition - which is why I spent a good portion of early Jan trying to familiarize myself with Clip Studio Paint PRO, a software I bought with my Patreon funds in 2015, but never used until all this was a thing recently. 

Limits Digital Art Battle

At my current level, I know just about enough around CSP that it operates like PaintTool SAI for me. So that's the one big win for me, even if I don't place far into the art battle. Ultimately, I do want to go further for CSP, but as of now, I'm at least comfortable enough to not flounder on stage, and hopefully put up a good fight.

Here it is, Your Moment of Zen

2020 was a year filled with anxiety and existential crisis like no other. That was the backdrop and motivation for me to pull through with the Meatier Showers 10th Anniversary project. That being said, it was not a sustainable state of mind to work with over an extended period, not especially for my mental wellbeing. 2021 provided some breathing space, and with the kind patience of my Patreon supporters, I was able to recalibrate myself to a calmer, clearer state of mind.

My goal moving forward, is to maintain my current state of Zen. As expressed in a previous journal entry about the Creator Economy, Meatier Showers and my Patreon projects are primarily for the purpose of art therapy. It's all to easy to compare oneself to [insert Popufur artist / content creator] and their [insert metric of commercial success], I'd really rather not. I'm not here to outbid, outrun or one-up anyone else other than my own personal limits. Meatier Showers has been a creative sandbox and place of solace for me, and I want to keep it as that - a emotionally and spiritually sustainable project that I can focus on for as long as I'm allowed to.

I think that based on the update rollouts for Meatier Showers 2022, the current pacing and scheduling is just right, toggling between my day job and weekends. 

What to Expect

Over the next few weekends, as I try to ink up to 6-pages of Meatier Showers 2022, I will be shifting gears to test drive the first full-color comic page. As mentioned above, my goal is to have it out by end of Jan. Reviewing the draft pages, I'm also looking to add in 2 additional pages to adjust the pacing of action towards the end. This means that we'll be looking at a 18-page comic when it's completed.

Thank you for your support. Stay safe and take care!

Snares
Jan 2022