Comic Report #125.2 - Under the Wire (Patreon)

Hello again! I've got progress on the next comic page to share with you today. The end of the month is coming up soon so I'm gonna push myself a little to try and get this done either at or just after the first of the month. I've been pushing hard to get all my Kitsune Tails responsibilities finished in time for launch- I can't post about that here, I have to keep my secrets, but I'm gonna have to focus on that work, work that I can't share, until we're over the finish line. You can tell the project is serious by how often you're gonna see me talk about it on here. I usually don't mention the work I do on the project here, but the past few updates I've brought up my time budgeting, so, that's a hint at something good. I don't want to shirk my comic responsibilities, though I might be a day or two later on my deadlines. I apologize for that, and appreciate your kind patience. Once Kitsune Tails is off my work plate I have something big planned for Dead Winter, the timing will probably line up really nicely if everything goes to plan. The back half of this year is gonna be a lot of fun, I just need to bleed and sweat a bit more to get there.

I tried out my new inking brush on this page, the one I used last page to cut a couple passes out of my process, and I think with some paint on my figures it looks pretty fine. The painjobs have always been the main point of my comics, they're why my inks tend to be so sparse, because my tonework is what's defining my depth and form. It's certainly a lot quicker for me to get my inks down, I just need to make sure I maintain the level of quality I need when I do them. I think I'm there, but I'll need to run through a few more pages to really be comfortable with it.

One of the things I planned about this page is to make sure most of its panels would be really easy for me to draw. I knew this month was going to be pressed for time with the above-mentioned Kitsune Tails requirements, so I made sure that the four Monday panels in that middle block, as well as the bottom two Lizzie and Alice panels, would be low-impact work. The other two panels have some crowd shots in them, but I need to have some of those to convey the crowded nature of this scene, but at least I'm mostly through one and the other shouldn't be too bad to do. I expect I can knock this whole Monday block out tonight. That would leave the 28th for the next crowd shot, the 29th for the two Lizzie and Alice pages, then the 30th for background pass and final dialogue. I think it's achievable, although I'm expecting to push a day or so later.

Thanks for checking in. I should definitely have this page finished before this time next week. I'll be juggling chainsaws trying to keep my obligations all in line, but this should be a temporary thing, there's an end in sight for a big piece of my workload. Until we get there, though, I appreciate your kind patience with me, and I'll strive to deliver the best work I can. Until next time, have a nice week!