Issue 11, page 4

Today's work... the sketch of page four from Issue 11. I think I got just a bit carried away with this page. It's going to be hell to ink. Still, I'm pleased with the result.



As for just what's going on here... Supporters will find out Monday. And yes, mice without their shirts on falls within the comic's PG-13 rating easily.


"Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The key word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for."
-- Ray Bradbury

Drawing tip - walking

(Written February 17, 2010)

Popping in quick with a little drawing tip... when illustrating a character who's walking, pay attention to how you position their arms and legs.

It's not unusual to see artist just starting out drawing the arm and leg of the same side in the same movement. What do I mean? I mean the right arm+right leg are shown moving forward while left arm+left leg are pushed back. While the body can move in this manner, it's a little awkward. Try it. You have to think and concentrate to do it. You'll also notice that your hips pivot sharper and your knees are a little more straight and locked. You also don't tend to move as quickly.

For a more fluid walk cycle, try drawing the opposite limbs moving together... right arm+left leg forward while the left arm+right leg are pushed back. This allows your hips to rock in a comfortable, half-circle motion, your balance/posture to be maintained, and speed to be achieved.

For additional emphasis, try adding a little swing to the shoulders and (especially for women) the hips. Enjoy!


"Well, Art is Art, isn't it? Still, on the other hand, water is water. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce, they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now, you tell me what you know."
-- Groucho Marx

A manikin, a desk lamp, and a Lazy Susan

(Written January 19, 2010)

Want a quick tip to help learn where the shadows sit on a figure? Grab a manikin, a desk lamp, and a Lazy Susan (those rotating trays used on tables and counters to help share food and condiments).

Place the manikin in the center of the Lazy Susan and secure it with a little masking tape under the base. This way, you can slowly rotate the manikin by turning the Susan. This alone will give you a general idea of where shadows fall on a three-dimensional figure.

Want your shadows a little more pronounced? This is where the desk lamp comes in handy. (If possibly, try to find one that can pivot, both at the area where the bulb connects to the arm and in the arm itself.)

Want the figure to look like it's walking towards you with the light source on its right? Turn the Susan so the figure is facing straight at you and place the lamp on your left-hand side.

Want the lighting to look like it's noon? Stretch the arm of the lamp up till the bulb sits as close to the top of the figure as possible.

Want sunrise/sunset lighting? Lower the arm of the lamp so the bulb is near the top of the Susan and pointing slightly up.

Experiment and see what you get. Now, is this a perfect tool? No, not by any means. But, it's a decent and inexpensive way to see where shadows fall based on the location of a light source. This can also work with dolls/action figures, provided you have a stand for them. They tend to fall over otherwise. Oh, and if you decide to take a picture of your manikin for your morgue (an artist's collection of references)... be sure to turn the flash off first.


"Come into the light of things. Let nature be your teacher."
-- William Wordsworth

A little story about Washington, Wood, and the DAR

(Written December 22, 2009)

The reference for the top panel of page 11, of Issue 9 is the painting Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze. Part of the reason I chose this as a reference is because it's iconic and easily recognizable. But, there's another reason that's kind of funny. It's a story I heard in college about an artist named Grant Wood.

Grant Wood's famous for the painting American Gothic. Now, Wood was commissioned to design some stained glass windows for the Veterans Memorial Building in Cedar Rapids. He wanted glass makers in Munich to create the glass for the windows. The story goes that the Daughters of the American Revolution didn't approve of Wood using glass manufactured outside of the States for a veterans memorial. It was unpatriotic.

(A little background for anyone not familiar with the DAR. The DAR is a lineage-based organization of women. To join, you have to a: be a woman and b: be a decedent of someone who fought in, or was involved in some way with, the American Revolutionary War.)

Wood, who didn't approve of the DAR's restrictions and elitism of the time, painted in response Daughters of the Revolution, an unfaltering portrait of three old biddies standing in front of the painting Washington Crossing the Delaware.

I'm sure you're thinking, so what? Aside from the fact they're not good looking, how is this a slam? Ah, here's the thing... the artist of Washington Crossing the Delaware, Emanuel Leutze, was born in Germany, brought to America as a child, and then returned to Germany as a adult. So, one of the most iconic paintings of the American Revolution was painted by an artist who was not American. And, it's that painting Wood chose to put in his.

I guess it could be seen as a reminder of sorts - it's good to be proud of your heritage, but your heritage isn't just restricted to those who were around at a certain time period.

Again, I'm not sure how true the story is, though it is true Wood didn't like the DAR much. I just thought the story was funny and wanted to use Leutze's painting as a reference if I could.

And no, I'm not eligible to join the DAR. Nor can I claim my ancestors came over on the Mayflower like many people around here do. My great-grandparents came over from Germany in 1902. *grin*

Oh, and Wood did get to build his windows with glass made in Munich. Unfortunately, those windows were destroyed in the massive flooding that hit Iowa last year.


"America is not like a blanket: one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt: many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread."
-- Jesse Jackson

Time management

(Written September 27, 2009)

First off, I just want to point out that there are a number of great books and resources out there covering time management, including specific ideas on how to organize your day. A quick Google search will pull up a plethora of sources. As a result, I'm not going to go over that today. We're going to look at things from a different angle.

For many webcomic creators, the keys to time management are...
...Knowing Your Limitations
...Being Flexible
...Learning to Say 'NO'
...Consequences and Responsibilities


Knowing Your Limitations
Abilities
Your abilities are what you can do and how well you can do it. This is not about who's better, but accepting the fact that while you may want to do something as well as a person who's been working at it longer, you're not there yet. If you've never drawn before, it's unrealistic to believe you'll suddenly become the next Michelangelo. And, these unrealistic expectations can lead to feelings of stress, anxiety, and inadequacy. You don't need that! You don't deserve that! So, don't do it to yourself!

Let's get one thing straight... accepting your abilities does not mean settling for less! It does not mean you're a looser or doomed to failure! What it does mean is that you acknowledge you are not yet where you want to be, but you may be there one day with practice. Practice means actual practice in a wide variety of subjects. Draw every day, but do not feel you must show everything you draw each day. Save some images for yourself and yourself alone. These are the ones where you experiment and stretch your boundaries, the ones where you do nothing but draw tree bark or fingernails for a half hour. Read books on anatomy and art (The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and Art & Fear are good starters). Want to write believable characters? Then take the time to observe humanity. Go to the mall and watch teens mill about in groups or how moms interact with their children. Listen, you want to get good? Then do separate, close studies that are not your comic as often as possible. Yes, this will take time. Yes, this is the long route. Yes, it sucks. But, if you do this... you will get good. Each artist worth a damn has - in one form or another - paid their dues and done their time. Why should you be any different?

While it's great to have big goals, making a number of short-term, smaller goals will help you reach your long-term one. This makes that big goal at the end much more attainable and less stress-inducing. For instance, the A Political Spell trade by itself was a big goal. The single issues were shorter goals that made the full trade seem more attainable. Twenty-four pages at a time seemed much more manageable than looking at all 216 at once. The truth is, the more frustrated you are, the harder it is to be creative. Which means... more time and enjoyment lost.

Health
Like it or not, illness and injury will occur and can slow you down. Do not stress over it. Stressing over a lack of speed due to an illness or injury can make that condition worse. So accept it, get well, and move on.

Here's a bit of preventative medicine – listen to your body. If a part of your body is giving you pain signals, switch to something else for a while. You know your body better than anyone else. As a result, you know when something is a little off. Getting a tight, sharp twinge in-between your shoulders? You're too tense. Sit back, roll your shoulders a bit, and slowly rotate your neck. Feeling a warm, liquid feeling in your wrist? Stop for a moment and give your wrist some rest. As an artist, your body is your most valuable tool. Take care of it. You only get one.

Take a break! Not just for your body, but also your mind. Being creative is a mental activity. If you're feeling tired and drained, you won't be as creative. So, get something to drink. Take the dog for a walk. Play a quick game. Just make sure it's not something that will distract you for hours at a time. Breaks are especially important for anyone working with traditional mediums that have a strong smell. While most of these mediums are labeled non-toxic to eat, some of the fumes can cause headaches and nausea if breathed for too long at once.

Make your workspace comfortable. If you feel comfortable sitting at your desk, you're more likely to want to keep sitting at your desk and being productive. Uncomfortable people tend to loose focus easily. If you find yourself spinning around in your chair while saying 'wheee' then chances are good you're not getting much work done.


Being Flexible
Shit Happens. Deal.
People get sick. Servers crash. Relatives drop by unannounced. Your house catches on fire. Shit happens! It's not the end of the world. Don't treat it as such. We're trying to control stress, remember? Repeat after me... this stuff is out of my control! And, since you can't control it, chances are very good you couldn't have prevented it. Stress about what you can prevent and control. Roll with the rest.

I see webcomic creators giving each other crap over this one often. Why? Beats me. The truth is... it's okay to take a day off. It's okay to be a little late. Businesses that pay often offer 'mental health days'. Pro comic creators take days off. You're permitted them too. If you need a day off, don't be a drama llama. Just announce you need time to work and take it. Handle yourself with dignity, and others eventually will too.

If something has come up, always be sure to keep your readership informed. Your duty as a comic creator is to give them the best comic you can. You're invested in your comic, but they also want to know that you're invested in them. This is common courtesy. They'll know you haven't forgotten them and they'll appreciate it.

Hiatuses Do Not Always Equal 'Dead Comic Walking'.
If you go on long enough, it's bound to happen. You'll reach a point where life, health, or other obligations compete with your comic and you find yourself facing... the hiatus! This isn't the end of the world. Trust me. This year alone Matt and I have had to take a few different hiatuses due to various problems. Yet, the comic is still going strong and growing each month. How...? Simple.

As was said earlier, always keep your readers informed. Tell them why you are going on a break and be truthful! Reasons such as health, finances, school, conventions and family are acceptable. Wanting to play World of Warcraft for five weeks straight instead of drawing is not. Lay out your options and let them see that yes, you have thought this through.

Tell them when you're coming back and stick with it! Don't say, 'I'll be back in a week' and show up again three weeks later. People don't appreciate being lied to.

People also do not like being jerked around. If you need to take a break, then do the responsible thing and take a break. Do not play the, 'I really do mean to update... oops, missed two updates in a row it will be better next week... oops, silly me, missed this week too' game. Either take a break to recover... or update on time. No waffling.

Realize that you will loose some readers and accept that. Yes, there will be some drop in numbers. But, if you keep people informed and come back when you say you will, most people will return. And, you can always reach out to new readers by advertising soon after coming off a hiatus.

As an example, here are our numbers from the last hiatus we took (late June though August 3rd) due to the server hack and my wrist issues...

Pre-hiatus = Around 2,500 unique IPs
On hiatus = Around 1,000
Post-hiatus (a week or so later) = Around 2,000
Currently (nearly two months later) = Around 4,000

You can survive it. Just be responsible.

Schedule Changes Happen. Roll With It.
If you're finding yourself unable to maintain your current schedule – due to health, sanity, lack of interest, or other obligations (needing to make money being one of them) - you can change your schedule. Like with the hiatus, inform your readers of the change and explain the reason why you're doing the change. A few might grumble, but most will be very understanding. Readers know happy, healthy artists produce better comics and tend to update on time. Just be truthful.


Learning to Say 'NO'
'No' is a Beautiful Word
'No' may just be one of the greatest words in the English language. If you use it, and use it properly, it can save you a lot of unnecessary stress and extra work... all while keeping your image as an approachable individual.

You can decline an offer without sounding rude. Just saying something simple such as - 'Sorry, no thank you. I'm afraid I'm a little short on time at the moment, maybe later.' - usually works.

This next one is seen a lot in art communities and can quickly be a deadly trap for your time and reputation... artist taking on too many commissions and not finishing them on time, some even leaving their customers waiting for years! While it may be tempting to pick up a few more commissions, guest art requests, or activities to boost your image in the community, if these projects are going to cause you unhappiness, stress, or to fall behind schedule, then maybe now is not the time. Especially when money is involved. Dropping behind a bit because of forces outside of your control is often accepted. Dropping behind because you took on too much at once can leave people annoyed with you and unwilling to trust your abilities.


Consequences and Responsibilities
You're an Adult - Be Responsible
In the end remember, everything you do has a cost. You made the decision. So, you and you alone are responsible for that cost. Not another comic creator. If your schedule, abilities, behavior, or subject matter turns people away, do not look for someone to lay the blame on. Place the blame exactly where it belongs... at your own feet. It may sound harsh, but the sooner you accept responsibility for your work and actions, the sooner you can address what might be causing people to turn away. We can not change other people, we can only change ourselves and our actions. So, why spend time looking for someone to blame? Time spent blaming others is time that could be spent on your work.

If you're not seeing the results you want, evaluate what you're doing and make a change. Sticking to a method that isn't working out for you just wastes time. So, why do it?

Not everyone is going to agree with you. Some will even belittle you and your methods. Just remember, if what you're doing is helping you keep your sanity and produce your comic, then that's what matters. This isn't about egos, it's about managing your time. Keep that in mind, and you'll spend less time worrying about others, and more time caring for your comic, your readers, and... yourself.

In the end, the whole point of time management is to allow you to do what you need to in a way that leaves you feeling confident, empowered, and free to enjoy life. We're creative people, we need time to explore the world in order to get the ideas flowing. We need to interact with others, loosen up, and have fun without feeling guilty. This is your life. Start living it.


"You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by; but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by."
-- James Matthew Barrie

Character interaction or why didn't Gadel get a briefing?

(Written June 2, 2009)

Matt and I have had a few people question us as to why Gadel didn't get a briefing when she arrived in RCSI. The truth of the matter is...

She did. The intermission after this shows her with a RCSI Employee Handbook and she mentions talking with the Commander. She's just chosen to ignore certain things she was told, mostly because the concepts seem so strange to her. It's going to take a bit for her to adjust.

Because of how long it takes to draw compared to how long it takes to script, we don't show everything that happens in a sequence. Some things are not drawn but are referenced later... such as the fact that Todd is actually in a committed relationship with a young bunny woman named Melissa - they've been dating for over two years now - which puts a different spin on his "courting" Gadel. In other words, the courting was all in Gadel's head... there was no interest at all.

I hated having to read Nabokov's Lolita in college, but I loved the idea of an unreliable narrator that the book used. The only opinion and voice you had in the story was that of the protagonist, Humbert, who becomes obsessed sexually with a 12-year-old girl. Throughout the book, he makes excuses for his behavior and, since he's the protagonist and the only voice you have, you feel compelled to believe him. Yet, you don't want to believe him because what he's describing, the idea that the young girl is to blame and not him, makes you uneasy.

Why does what Humbert say in Lolita make us uneasy? Because our social norms state that you do not do such things to a minor. Not to mention, we believe that adults are the ones in control, not pre-teens, and that a responsible adult takes the blame for his/her own actions. To have an adult lay the blame for his actions on that of a pre-teen girl makes most of us uncomfortable. It's a shift in power and responsibility of self that our social norms balk at.

Now, none of our characters are going after minors, but we do have unreliable characters. Everyone's view on life and the events they experience is colored by their own thoughts and past interactions. Gadel is not a reliable person in certain instances. Neither is Max. Or Ruby. Or the Commander. They may not even be intending to lie at the time. They're just acting on what their world view says is correct.

Gadel didn't consider that Todd may have just been making conversation, because where she comes from, people don't do that. Astorians don't have a short chat about the weather when they first meet, nor do they stick their hand out in front of a person and say, 'I'm so-and-so, who the hell are you?' It takes time for a person to adjust and change their ideas of what is "normal". More importantly, that person has to want to change.

I like trying to show things from the character's point of view. One thing I see the cast doing is communicating more with other characters they know and like. Gadel didn't announce that she's been to a briefing because she doesn't know anyone enough to share what she considers unimportant information yet.

Todd didn't think anything of offering what he sees as a standard greeting - "Hello, you look pretty today, missus." - to someone whose name he doesn't know. He'd offer the same greeting to Mrs. Pennyworth, the Commander's secretary. Even though he does know her name, he doesn't know her very well. Meanwhile, Todd wouldn't tell Gadel that he's in a relationship since, again, he doesn't know her.

Todd knows Eric and Eric knows Todd, but they're not good friends, just acquaintances. As a result, Eric is aware that Todd's dating someone, but not how seriously. And, Eric wouldn't mention the personal business of an acquaintance to someone he doesn't know at all - Eric hasn't even learned Gadel's name yet.

Meanwhile, Todd and Max are good friends, so Max knows how committed Todd and Melissa's relationship is and may even venture to ask about it.

Smiley is Todd's best friend so, he knows quite a bit about Todd and Melissa.

And you, the reader, don't know about Melissa yet because you haven't seen Todd interacting with anyone enough to where the conversation could turn towards Melissa. (Though you got a glimpse of her in the pub scene on page 21 of Issue 7. She's there with Todd in the background.) You will learn about Melissa in the comic when the "camera" focuses more on Todd for a bit. I'm not willing to shoehorn her in when the time isn't right.

Why? Because I hate seeing everything about a character dumped on me as soon as they pop onto the screen. I want to learn about that character as if I was actually meeting them in real life. And, we learn about people slowly. Also, when we interact with others, they don't tell us everything of their day. Even people we care for and are intimate with don't share every nuance of their daily activities. If they feel it was unimportant, they don't voice it. And, if someone tells them something they think is useless, they ignore it. You will learn about these characters just like you learn about people in your life, in stages, not all at once. Why? Because that's how I've notice people operate.

The danger comes when you try to insert your thoughts, feelings or ideals onto another person's character. Your experiences are not mine. When reading someone else's story, you have to listen to their voice, not yours. If you want to hear your voice, then you'd do best to write your own story. Because trying to impose your voice onto someone else's work usually doesn't end too well. Yes, there are some people out there who will cater to your desires when it comes to their comic, even going so far as to add extra arcs and storylines. And if this series was a bit smaller, I might be willing to do such things. But, it's not and I'm not.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know my characters inside and out. I also know what happens in between pages and segments. And, quite frankly, I'm going to manipulate that knowledge to my advantage because... I'm an evil little thing at times. If I don't show you something right away, please don't assume it's because I foolishly didn't think of it. Not every writer writes using the same methods. Some of us like to keep you in the dark for a while.


"During my eighty-seven years, I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think."
-- Bernard Baruch

Abandoned Storyline - "May Eve"

(Written November 21, 2008)

The final drawing this week is the cover to a story that nearly made it to comic form, "May Eve".

"May Eve" was part of the larger "Round Table Ties" story that was mentioned Monday. Late last year/early this one we were going to do the "May Eve" segment ahead of time for a friend and, since we were on an extended hiatus at the time, the pages were going to be available for everyone as they were finished.

Unfortunately, a few people stopped that idea in its tracks.

(Time to get serious for a second guys. When someone says their comic doesn't involve porn, it's not a good idea to insist that if they're doing a storyline involving a wedding, you expect the characters to be nude and getting it on. If that's the way you think, I hope you never get invited to a wedding. 'But I bought a toaster! I've paid my cover charge, where's the show?' Personal boundaries, guys. Let's try to learn what that means and follow it now and then, alright?)

So yes, "May Eve" never got off the ground, which is a shame. But, since "Round Table Ties" bit the dust not too long ago... it's probably for the best. The basic events of "May Eve" will occur eventually, just not in the next few years. And no, you still won't be invited into the Honeymoon suite. Sorry.


"Sex: the thing that takes up the least amount of time and causes the most amount of trouble."
-- John Barrymore

Abandoned Storyline - "The Magical Girl Complex"

(Written November 20, 2008)

Every now and then, we have a little brain fart and come up with something that's a parody of something else. "The Streak" made it into comic format. "The Magical Girl Complex" did not.

This one's from 2005, back when we were doing the first, sketchy version of the comic. The basic storyline was a mock of those magical girl mangas and anime that, to be honest, I kind of like. A wizard is giving these girls small bits of magical abilities and using them to steal trinkets. The girls, meanwhile, have been lead to believe they're really champions of justice against the forces of a dark and evil queen.

Yeah, you see where this one is going.

It was cute and fun, but doesn't fit anymore. The whole point was to allow RCSI to get a hold of a golem creating machine which would be needed for another storyline but... we're going to use a different arc instead.

So no Sailor Moon parodies today. Sorry.


"I have a fine sense of the ridiculous, but no sense of humor."
-- Edward Albee

Abandoned Storyline - "Red Jane"

(Written November 19, 2008)

This drawing is from way back in 2002. It's the cover for the storyline mentioned in yesterday's post "Red Jane".

Before 'Hunter' became a series of comics, it was a series of text stories. Each story had a color cover and a few extra drawings here and there. "Red Jane" was our largest text story.

As you can see by all the drawings so far this week, I was a big Photoshop junkie. Still am actually. I've been hooked on Photoshop since I first learned about it in 1998. Still, I don't keep up with the latest versions. Listening to other webcomic creators go on about CS4 makes me wonder if I'm one of the few out there still using Photoshop version 7. I just haven't seen a reason to upgrade yet. Maybe one day.

This and the other computer colored drawings from this week were originally inked by hand then scanned into the computer and colored in Photoshop using a mouse. I couldn't get a handle on the tablets and Cintiqs didn't exist yet. Thing is, now I can't color with a mouse to save my life. I wonder what happened?


"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water. Don't let yourself indulge in vain wishes."
-- Rabindranath Tagore

Abandoned Storyline - "Red Jane"

(Written November 18, 2008)

This next drawing is from 2004. Gadel healing a wounded Max.

It's from a storyline called "Red Jane" whose beginning actually pre-dates 'Hunter', back when we were doing a series of fanficiton. Oh no, the horrible truth of our past rears its ugly head. Yes, we use to do fanfiction. When Matt and I decided it was time to strike out on our own back in August of 2001, we salvaged the bits of story ideas that we could and cobbled together the first version of 'Code Name: Hunter'. It was very clumsy. The version you see now is actually the fifth (and final) version of 'Hunter'.

While I really like this storyline, it's a little too problematic for the series now. The basic idea was that Wadsworth (RCSI's Head of Technical Department) made a machine mixing magic and technology. Unfortunately, it backfired and sucked Ruby and Gadel into an alternate dimension warped around their memories. Max, Eric and Ellen go in after them and a pirate/privateer romp occurs.

All in all it was a fun story that, unfortunately, is very long and doesn't really propel the series forward much. On top of that alternate dimensions, along with the fey, are subjects we feel would be kind of hard for us to pull off effectively with how the series ended up. So, we've unfortunately put this one on the shelf.

Still, I really enjoyed this storyline and wouldn't mind taking another look at it farther down the road. After all, Ruby does have a large, adventurous family. Who knows what a Pyrenees may have been up to back then...


"Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health."
-- Carl Gustav Jung

Abandoned Storyline - "Round Table Ties"

(Written November 17, 2008)

The next few posts are devoted to old storylines that, for one reason or another, have been dropped. This first drawing was done way back in 2003. It's from an old storyline called "Round Table Ties" which goes back even farther, to 2001.

The basic premise was that Max and Ruby would get sucked through one of the fey gates and end up in a pocket fey dimension that mirrors Camelot (it's only a model) and King Arthur's time. Things happen, chaos ensues, that sort of thing. It's all kind of embarrassing looking back on it. Yet, a lot of important development of Max and Ruby's relationship was set to happen in that storyline. Not to mention the introduction of two characters, Min and Cole.

But, the more we thought about it, the more the storyline didn't fit in the world. We began to feel that Merlin and Arthur are a little too powerful to bring into the series, even for one storyline. The storyline itself was also very complex and a little tipsy, not to mention the fact that we'd like to avoid using the fey as much as possible. We also realized that we had a fuzzy section in the over-reaching Astorian arc that needed to be tied up.

So, the core things we needed to have happen were kept and another storyline based around the less than stable diplomatic relations between RCSI and Astoria has been thought up. The new storyline is much sounder and helps tie the various bits of the Astorian arc tighter together.

Hey, you live and learn.


"Not to know what has been transacted in former times is to be always a child. If no use is made of the labors of past ages, the world must remain always in the infancy of knowledge."
-- Marcus Tullius Cicero