Production Diary Roundup!

Things have been busy, working on PRACTICAL DEFENCE AGAINST PIRACY. Since the last time I updated this blog, I’ve inked and lettered Chapter Five! Here’s what I’ve been posting over the last few months:

Posts for all!

I’m posting all my updates over on Patreon for now, and I try to make these available to everyone, regardless of whether you’re a paying subscriber or not. (Personally, I subscribe to the ideal that Patreon is for people to financially support projects they like, you know, just like being… a… patron.) If you don’t like Patreon for whatever reason, I’m sorry, that’s fair!

NO NEW CHARACTERS

… featuring some light philosophy on the practice of editing, some principles I gave myself for that practice, a cute photo of our kiddo doing work with me, and a quick ranking of all Taskmaster series.

SHARING WHAT I CAN

Motivated by, umm, certain events in the news, I shared some peaceful flower photos in high-resolution, which you’re welcome to download and use for your personal enjoyment. There’s also a list of some of my then-favourite comfort viewing.

THERE ARE TWO WOLVES INSIDE OF YOU AND THEY BOTH WANT YOU TO TIGHTEN THAT JIGGLY CUPBOARD HANDLE

A look back at 2024, as well as a meditation on how hugely meaningful it can be to accomplish small tasks.

RELIABLE TOOLS AND BEAUTIFUL NERDS

A real grab-bag of fun topics, including:

Krita! The free, open-source painting application. Come with me as I discover its automated flatting tools.

The changing software landscape — Will Smith launched a newsletter dedicated to navigating the miserable nature of modern software. I encourage everyone with even half an interest to adopt him as our guide through this swamp.

Specialized tools — do expensive tools make the craftsman? To what degree are they an indication of professionalism, or serious intent?

And two recommendations for soul-reviving viewing: Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood (which you’ve heard of) and Goodnight Oppy (which you might not have).

Posts for some!

If you happen to be a Secret Reader — a member of the Patreon campaign for PRACTICAL DEFENCE — you’ve got access to the following absolute slices.

CHAPTER SIX CONCEPT DESIGNS

After thumbnailing Chapter Six, it became clear I’d need to make designs for the new characters that pop up in it. Here they are, with the stories behind them (including the fun detail that defines the two men, above)!

INKING CONTINUES, PLUS, “WHY IS THIS BOOK SO LONG?”

Most of the posts between last November and this February are focused on sharing complete inked pages from Chapter Five. This post additionally tackles the big question, “why is this book so long?” or, “why is this project taking forever?” Believe me, I wanted the answer as much as anyone, and it turned out to be surprisingly simple.

I OFFER YOU THESE UNCUT GEMS

An absolute boatload of hot, fresh inked pages, including discussion of balancing shape and form with line and contour, experiments in watercolour, and trying to keep things loose… but not too loose. Plus, I started diving deep on the French Revolution, and share some of my resources and discoveries.

CHAPTER FIVE LETTERING IS COMPLETE!

The most recent update is another grab-bag from the mind of someone who thinks too much while he nudges pixels around a screen all day, including…

A reminder that inspiration is mostly bunk,

The way in which Photoshop is like a piano,

An encouragement to root out the animator in your life and shove them into the light,

And some extended thoughts on the challenges with laying out text on a comic page, or “lettering.” I try to figure out which of the following two arrangements looks best, and why.

These are but four of the many posts that have gone up recently!

Go stick your head over there and dive into the rest! Look, I’m sorry they’re on Patreon and they’re not free, it’s just that I’m working on this super long project and it’s financially irresponsible and I don’t know what else to do about it!

I hope you’re all doing well out there. Be kind to one another! I’ll be back in a while with Chapter Five of PRACTICAL DEFENCE AGAINST PIRACY!