Issue 14, pages 6 & 7

Hey guys. Okay, two pages sketched with one due for inking tomorrow. Yay.



I've a bad headache, so I'm going to go find some aspirin. It's around here somewhere.


Brittany: "Jane, your picture's full of bloody people! That's not a still life!"
Jane: "Sure it is. The blood's the reason they're so still."
-- Daria

Good people, I missed my introduction...

Hey, guys! I've been trying to post a little introduction whenever the Main side hits a new issue. But somehow, this time around I forgot. So, let's do it now, shall we?

As always, if you have any questions, please drop Matt and myself a line and we'll answer them as best we can. Or, you can ask us on our Formspring and have your question and answer posted on the site (and possibly in upcoming print issues).


We're just starting Issue 11: "Uneasy Alliance" on the Main side of the site. Which means, the Main side is now about half-way through Volume II's story-arc. The synopsis...

Between funneling questions about the founders, dealing with a red head during her PMT, and finding out he's been assigned as royal baby minder, it's shaping up to be a long, dull evening for Max. Or is it? The time to renew the treaty with the Fey Courts is here.


If you've read through all the archives so far, no worries. We also have a Supporters area which updates at a faster rate (Mondays and Fridays) and is nearly eighty pages ahead. In fact, they're currently in Issue 14: "Courier". The synopsis...

The Treaty Night has come to a close, but all's not well. An agent is missing. Hoping to make amends for his actions, Max volunteers for a quick job. The mission: enter the fey realm and deliver a message to an agent long thought dead.


As for myself, like always, there are more pages waiting in the wings to be done. I think I'm just about caught up with things at the moment, which means the rest of this day will be sketch time. I get to draw Moraine again, and not in that elaborate costume with the crown and necklaces and such. That was a pain. So, later, guys, and take care!


"Academe, n.: An ancient school where morality and philosophy were taught. Academy, n.: A modern school where football is taught."
-- Ambrose Bierce

Batten down the hatches!

Edit:
Darc here. Power just came back on after being out for almost 24 hours. Everything in the freezer is mushy and probably no good. Same with the fridge. (No, we didn't open the fridge or freezer while the power was out - to conserve the cool air inside - they just didn't hold the air well.) But, we have power back. No more freezing cold showers. Yay!


Hi everyone, Matt here. Darc and I have decided to make Monday a skip day for us. Why? Irene is coming for us, and we're apparently right in the path of the eye.

We're gonna get hit sometime late Saturday night / early Sunday morning. Outside of the media panic, we're expecting to get hit with some power loss.

But the reason for a skip day is, when the storm starts, the computers go off. We've got UPSs, but we lost the last computer to a power surge during a storm (and that had a UPS too).

So we'll skip on Monday, and be back Friday with page six on the Supporters side. Everyone will get a extra week added to their time.


"Weather forecast for tonight: dark."
-- George Carlin

Issue 13 now at the printer's

I usually post a little preview image of all the pages in the latest finished issue, but I forgot to do so with Issue 13. With that issue currently at the printer, I figured now's as good a time as any.



This was a hard issue for me to do, but I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out. I can't wait to see the printed version. (I'll admit, one of the main reasons for the print runs is so Matt and myself can have a copy.) The CBR version looks very nice.

Issue 12 is also at the printers. There's only one copy left of our first run so, time to restock. I'm not sure when we'll have the new copies in hand, probably in a month or so. Until then, I've Issue 14 to work on. The goal is to get the issue finished before the October 30th deadline. Admittedly I'm not moving too quickly at the moment, but I'll get there. I have two Breyer horses in their packaging acting as incentives to get done before schedule. Hey, I'm easy to bribe.



The winners of the art contest have been announced! Click here to see the winning entries.


In other news, we're having a CBR special just for the anniversary week. For more information, please click here.


"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort."
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt

She's a comin'!

Apparently Hurricane Irene's heading in the general direction of Matt and myself. In fact, the whole of Massachusetts is supposedly in the extreme zone. Interesting.

I guess this means we should bring in the patio furniture this evening as well as chain down the grill if we can. I should also pull my car down to the end of our driveway. The tree straddling the property line is old and a little brittle. We loose limbs off that thing now and then during nor'easters. I'd rather not find a fifty pound hunk of wood embedded on my roof. That might make it a little hard to pass inspection next year.

I doubt it'll be as rough for us up here in New England as the meteorologists are predicting. But, a little precaution is better than having to track your lawn furniture down later. Especially since it was a gift from Mom and Dad. For anyone reading who's in the path, especially you guys down south, good luck and stay safe.



The winners of the art contest have been announced! Click here to see the winning entries.


In other news, we're having a CBR special just for the anniversary week. For more information, please click here.


"Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation."
-- Kin Hubbard

Issue 14, page 5

Hey everyone. The sketch for Issue 14, page five is ready for inking. Unfortunately, I've been flopping between feeling fine and feeling ill over the last few days. So, I'm going to nap for a bit before starting either the inks or the next page sketch - I haven't decided which yet.



Also, the guest comic I did for Chrispy, the creator of 'Precocious', is up today. Stop by and give it a look. Unfortunately, I write drama, not comedy, so I want to apologize for not being funny. We each have our own set of unique skills. Humor's just not mine.



The winners of the art contest have been announced! Click here to see the winning entries.


In other news, we're having a CBR special just for the anniversary week. For more information, please click here.

Okay, I'm off to sleep for a bit. Later, guys. Take care.


"I'm not feeling very well - I need a doctor immediately. Ring the nearest golf course."
-- Groucho Marx

Ten years and counting!

Happy ten years CN:H! Just think, in six more years you'll be legal to drive in the States. *sniff* My baby's growing up! Mama's so proud!

But, work goes on. I'm currently cooling down from my exercise routine and have an appointment later this afternoon. Somewhere in-between I need to do sketching and a bit of site development for a friend. So, I suppose I should get to it. Thanks for reading and take care!


The winners of the art contest have been announced! Click here to see the winning entries.


In other news, we're having a CBR special just for the anniversary week. For more information, please click here.


"There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full."
-- Henry A. Kissinger

And the winners are...

Morning guys! The votes have all been counted which means, it's time to announce the winners of the art contest! A big thank you to everyone who sent us art. I wish we could give prizes out to everyone. Unfortunately, that's not possible. So, without further chit-chat, here are the top three!

First Place:
The Wild Hunt by Kittiara




Second Place:
The Birth of Ruby by Christopher (Chrispy) Paulsen




Third Place:
Code Name Awesome by TameraAli




We'll contact the winners later this evening for info on where to send your prizes. I hope everyone had a good time. Thanks for voting!




In other news, we're having a CBR special just for the anniversary week. For more information, please click here.

As I said in that post, I can't believe so much time has gone by already. Thanks for sticking with us through it all! I'm still amazed to find that people like what we do here. My goal is, with practice and hard work, to make the next ten years even better. Thanks, guys!


"God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well."
-- Voltaire

CBR anniversary week special!

Hey guys! We're still waiting for the voting to end before announcing the art contest winners. We'll most likely make the announcement sometime tomorrow morning - mainly because Matt and I enjoy getting to bed before too late at night. But, I did want to make an announcement quick.

As I've mentioned before, this Tuesday is CN:H's tenth anniversary! We had a few other plans in place for you all, but unfortunately, things fell through. I apologize. Hey, it happens sometimes. So, we thought we'd offer something else instead.

For this week only, you can download the CBRs of Issues 1-10 and the Prologue for free here. Volume I and First Encounter can be found there too. After this week, they'll only be available in the store, along with Issues 11 and 12, for $1.00 each (except for the Supporters area, you guys get them for free all the time).

Which reminds me, the CBR of Issue 13 is now available in the store. Supporters, you can pick up your copy on the Supporters archives page (the link in the header, not the one in the comic navigation). If you're not sure what a CBR is, no worries. You can find more information as well as links to the readers Matt and I use here.

It's hard to believe that it's been ten years already. Thank you guys for sticking with us and for giving CN:H a try! I'll be back with the art contest winner announcement tomorrow morning. For now, enjoy and thanks again.


"Just keep taking chances and having fun."
-- Garth Brooks

Issue 14, page 04

Hey, guys. Other than the sketch of page four being ready for inking, there's not much to report at the moment. It's still early, which means I should be able to knock out a chunk of inking this evening. That will be nice.



I've mapped out the date when each page needs to be done by. If only two pages are completed each week, this issue will be finished by October 30th. My goal is to have the issue completed earlier than that. I need to build the buffer back up, after all. The quicker I can do that, the sooner we can increase the update schedule. (Yes, I'm still going to do that. I just need to fix the buffer situation first.)

Remember, tomorrow is the last day to vote for your favorites in the art contest. Winners will be announced Monday!

Okay, I've lettering and inking to do. Thanks for reading and take care!


"I always get these letters from kids who say, 'I'm thinking of doing comics as a career.' And I just think if you even articulate that thought, you should run. It's not something you do as a career. It's something that happens to you. You have no choice."
-- Daniel Clowes

Issue 14, page 03

Morning, guys! I finished the sketch and part of the inks for page three of Issue 14 yesterday. I'm itching to get back to work, but am stuck waiting for a gym appointment at 10:30 - I need to go in to get my weight program set up.

While I'm doing this whole health thing for me, I'm also doing it for you all. The body is the artist's most valuable tool. By letting my health go as I did for years, I opened myself up to sickness and more wrist deterioration. Getting the health back under control is already starting to show results art-wise. I can work longer and faster than I've been able to for years, for one. So, while a little annoying right now, it's an investment. Especially the weights. I can figure cardio out on my own, but if I'm not careful on the weights, I could re-hurt the wrist. And I don't want that, certainly not right now.

So yes, once my gym work is done for the day it's back to inking. I need to have this page done by this evening and, if possible, the next page sketched out.



Well, I should get going. If I get there a little early, I can knock out my cardio before the weight setup begins. Oh, don't forget, voting for the art contest continues until Sunday evening! If you haven't cast your vote yet, now's a good time.

Thanks guys! Later and take care!


I've learned love is like a brick you can
Build a house or sink a dead body
-- Judas - Lady GaGa

Let the voting begin!

It's time to cast your votes!

A big thank you to everyone who sent art in. I'm so glad Matt and I decided to go the 'everyone votes' route. I don't think either of us could choose the winners on our own.

So, we need your help! Please stop by the voting page and pick your top three favorites. Voting will continue until midnight, August 22nd (US Eastern Standard Time). We'll announce the winners next Monday morning.

I'm so excited! Thanks again and have fun!


"I feel like a tiny bird with a big song!"
-- Jerry Van Amerongen

Random sketch time

(I'm back-dating this so the vote post stays on the site longer.)

I've been completely useless today. So, here's a random sketch of a big horn ram. They'd make good fey steeds, eh?




"All I know is that I've ruled out wearing fairy wings. When I was nine I wanted to get married in fairy wings, and now I realize that's not cool anymore."
-- Isla Fisher

Voting begins tomorrow morning!

Hey, everyone! We've three more entries for the art contest to share tonight. Due to a few requests, we'll still accept entries up to tomorrow morning instead of just midnight tonight. So, voting will begin tomorrow morning at around 9:00am. The vote app is ready to go and I'll post the link as soon as Matt gives me the go-ahead.

But for now, here's the most recent entries!

The first one is by Chrispy, the creator of 'Precocious'. Okay, this is just awesome! The Birth of Ruby. I love everyone's expressions, especially Gadel. She looks so freaked! Thanks, Chrispy!




Our next entry is by Margaret Amethyst. Max is a popular guy! Not that I'm complaining. He's my favorite character, after all. I love the detail in his ears. So cool! You can see more of Margaret's work on her deviantArt account. Thank you, Margaret!




The final entry for the moment is by Frida Krebs. Frida recreated William and the Dawn Seal using acrylic paints, wax paper, and a plastic bag. This is so cool! The Seal looks like it's actually made of stained glass! Awesome! Thank you Frida!




I'm so glad I'm not the only one voting. There's no way I could choose. I love everyone's work! Thank you guys so much!

edit:
Holy shit! This just came in from Kittiara, Max and Ruby fighting off the Wild Hunt! OMG, this is just... just... *SQUEALS*



You can see more of Kittiara's art on her Fur Affinity account. Thank you, Kittiara! This is so gorgeous! I'm not worthy!


edit II:
Oh my... I found this one waiting for me when I woke up this morning. Eeeeee! More awesome Max goodness! Everyone draws him so well. I really need to take art lessons.



You can see more of TameraAli's art on deviantArt. Thank you, TameraAli! This is so lovely!


"Live and work but do not forget to play, to have fun in life and really enjoy it."
-- Eileen Caddy

Two more entries and Issue 14, page 02

Evening, everyone! We've two more entries for the art contest to share tonight.

The first one is by Laurie. Max has a run-in with a tooth fairy. That's a good question, what do they do with all those teeth? You can catch more of Laurie's art on her deviantArt account. Thanks Laurie!




Our next entry is by Siplick. Max is ready for action! And, is drawn better than I can draw him. *laughs* You can see more of Siplick's work on deviantArt and Fur Affinity. Thank you, Siplick!




There's one more day left to get your drawings in. All entries are due in this Sunday a little before midnight, US Eastern Standard Time. Matt and I will need a few minutes to get everyone into the voting app before Monday's updates go live.

As for myself, I've the sketch of Issue 14, page two done. Now just to letter quick and then I can relax for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow is an inking day!




Harley Quinn: "Do I know how Mistah J. thinks or what? Ha! And here you thought I was just another bubble-headed blonde bimbo! Well the joke's on you, I'm not even a real blonde!"
-- Batman: The Animated Series

More art to share

We're down to the wire. Remember, all entries for the art contest are due in this Sunday. Today, we've two more drawings to share.

The first one is by Archer35. I love the sword design! Max is not left-handed either.



And if you don't get the reference, please watch this clip from The Princess Bride below. Unfortunately, our Max isn't quite that good. He'd like to be, though.




Our next entry is by Sorcerer Lance. You can see more of his work on his deviantArt account. Max and Ruby are ready for action. I love the poses they're in. Very dynamic!




They're both awesome! Thank you, Archer35 and Sorcerer Lance!

As for myself today, I have a guest comic to do up for a friend before getting to work on page two of Issue 14. Which means, I need to get started. It's been taking around two days to do the pages lately. I keep trying to do more detail with the lines and tones. Hopefully the results have been worth it. Either way, it's back to work for me. Later, guys!


Grandpa: "It was ten days to the wedding. The King still lived, but Buttercup's nightmares were growing steadily worse."
The Grandson: "See, didn't I tell you she'd never marry that rotten Humperdinck?"
Grandpa: "Yes, you're very smart. Shut up."
-- The Princess Bride

Issue 14, page 01

Hey, guys. The sketch for page one of Issue 14 is finished and awaiting inking. The hardest part wasn't Max on the horse. It was the guy and the tree. I kept having to redraw that.

Still, I'm happy with how it's coming out so far. So, here's the full sketch rather than the typical screen shot.



I've got to ink this up before tomorrow evening. Which reminds me, I have a date with the dentist and a Novocain shot tomorrow morning. Ugh, I hate getting shots. Especially in the mouth. *shudder*


"When it comes down to it, comics are one of the most labor-intensive and skills-intensive art forms there are."
-- Jessica Abel

SpiderForest, more entries, and a new CN:H issue

Morning everyone! Welcome to a new week. I've a few announcements to make quick.

First off, the new members of SpiderForest have been announced! Our new members are...

'The Cyantian Chronicles' by Tiffany Ross
'Spare Keys for Strange Doors' by Lucy Lyall
'Panthera' by D.Z. McRoy and Jeffery Kan
and 'The Revolution' by Blue and Aze

Welcome to all our new spider-lings! Stop by and give their comics a look.


In CN:H news, we have three more entries for the art contest!

This first one is by Seth Triggs, the creator of 'Buddies in Big Places'. I love Seth's style, it looks like watercolor. So cool! You can see more of Seth's art on his Fur Affinity account.




The next entry is by Kitsune-Realm. Ooo, I wish I could draw motorcycles this well. And I love Ruby's eyes and hair. Awesome!




Our final entry for the moment is by TerraMoon. Gadel looks so peaceful and happy here. Lovely! You can find more of TerraMoon's art on her Fur Affinity account.




Thank you Seth, Kitsume-Realm, and TarraMoon! Remember, there's just one week left to enter the contest! All entries are due the evening of Sunday, August 14th. We'll begin voting on the 15th and winners will be announced the following Monday, August 22nd.


Continuing the CN:H news, Issue 13 wrapped up in the Supporters area last Friday. Which means, Issue 14 begins today! The synopsis...

Issue 14 : Courier
The Treaty Night has come to a close, but all's not well. An agent is missing. Hoping to make amends for his actions, Max volunteers for a quick job. The mission: enter the fey realm and deliver a message to an agent long thought dead.

If you're not currently a Supporter don't worry, it's easy to become one! Income from the Supporters area helps us pay for the server, maintain the equipment used to make the comic, cut me a small check, and fund future RCSI Publishing projects. For everyone who prefers the CBR versions... we'll have the CBR of Issue 13 ready to go and in the store by the end of this week. Unfortunately, the print of Issue 13 will take a bit yet. We still need to assemble the book and send it off to the printer. Yes, we're a little behind this time. It's all my fault. I apologize for the delay.

On the Main side, Issue 10 will be coming to a close next week. *dances* I hope everyone's been enjoying things so far. Despite working on CN:H for nearly ten years, I'm still learning how to construct a story and create a comic. I apologize for the bumps and wonky work now and then. Thanks for sticking with me through the learning process!

And, on that note, I've work to start. Thanks for reading and take care!


I don't want to waste my time on simple little things
I'd rather stay here all the night with everyone who sings
-- Happy Boys and Girls - Aqua

Three more entries!

It's been a busy week! Not only has Issue 13 ended in the Supporters area, we also have three more entries for the art contest! Whoop! Come see!

This first one is by fellow SpiderForest member, Darwin. Rashanna looks both beautiful and deadly here. I love it! Be sure to stop by and give her comics a look, 'Gemutations: Plague' and 'The Only Half Saga'.




Our next entry is by Delisle. Poor Ruby's having laundry issues, it seems. Come Ruby, it's not so bad. After all, Max approves. *laughs*




This final entry is by The Almighty Tanuki. Max is so cute here! I just want to pick him up and pet him. You can catch more of The Almighty Tanuki's work on Fur Affinity.




This is so exciting! Thank you, everyone!


"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."
-- Dr. Seuss

Required reading for comic creators

This post by Jason Brubaker, the creator of 'ReMIND', should be required reading for anyone doing a comic, whether as a hobby or professionally.

Finally, someone explains the 'do something every day' advice correctly! It wasn't meant to mean draw a new comic every day. It's a conglomerate of many things. In Mr. Brubaker's own words...

So, just start doing something every day. Keep your project alive and growing. Do something EVERYDAY. If you can't do something everyday then I question if you really care enough to make your project in the first place. Now I'm not saying you have to draw a new page everyday. I'm saying that there is a whole range of things that you can and need to do to keep things moving forward. Some examples are: working on your story, fixing dialogue, taking a writing class, reading articles online about the process of someone else, draw a panel, ink a page, color something, teach someone a new technique you learned, buy a domain name, buy a host, post a sketch on your blog, comment on other artist blogs, find some forums, participate in forums, learn how to add that HTML code in your blog, learn how to do hyperlinks, learn some professional blogging tricks, start a mailing list, announce a new page on facebook, start a twitter account, join DeviantArt, write a tutorial for a forum. Maybe you just need to spend some quite time thinking about your next steps.

All of this is important. It's not enough to just draw every day, you need to give yourself a chance to learn new things, talk with others, explore ideas, and network. You know, shake things up a bit. It's variety that keeps things fun and exciting.

There's more that Mr. Brubaker has to say. So, go give it a read.


Rainbow Dash: "The shape's fine, just make the whole thing, you know, cooler. It needs to be about twenty percent cooler."
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Just two weeks left!

Hey guys! Welcome to Monday. It's already August 1st, which means there are just two weeks before all entries for the art contest are due! Are you excited! I am. Especially since we have three new entries to share with you all this week. Come take a look!

This first one is by Ignacio Robles. I love how he does eyes. I'm still trying to figure out eye placement. You can see more of his work on Fur Affinity.




The second entry for this week is by P.T. Cooper, the creator of 'Chivalry and Knavery'. Ruby's getting a bit too into her code name, it seems. *laughs*




The final entry for this week is by Seribaba, whose work can be seen on deviantArt. Watch out, Ruby! There's someone behind you!




Thank you, everyone! I love seeing how other artist draw Max and crew. This is going to be a hard contest to judge. And we still have two more weeks to go! Thanks again Ignacio Robles, P.T. Cooper, and Seribaba!

Well it's already after nine here which means, I need to finish getting my day started. I've sketching to do. Later, and thanks for reading!

EDIT: I've mentioned this a few times over the last few weeks, but I know these posts tend to get ignored now and then. So, I'll mention it again quick. Unfortunately, due to my taking over more of the managerial side of RCSI Publishing, I'm afraid I won't be able to increase the update schedule right now. I'm sorry, I was really looking forward to being able to do so, and I'm sure many of you were too. I still want to up the weekly output to two times a week on the Main side / three times a week for Supporters, but I'm not sure just when I'll be able to at the moment. It all depends on whether certain projects come through and how quickly we can get RCSI Pub running smoothly - or at least to the point where we're not loosing track of things. I'm shooting for January 1st of 2012 at the latest, though I'm hoping for an earlier date.

I apologize again for this happening. I want to make this enjoyable for you all but occasionally, the business side of things gets in the way. I'm sorry.


"Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower."
-- Author Unknown

Issue 13, page 24 & Issue 14 cover (version III)

Hey, guys! I'm backdating this one so the post with the latest art contest entries stays on the site longer. But, I wanted to share the sketch of page twenty-four of Issue 13 and the new cover design for Issue 14.

Finally, the last page of Issue 13 is sketched and awaiting ink. This issue has been filled with panels that kept giving me a hard time. I'm such an art wimp. Now just to ink, do the letters page, edit, and then this one's in the can. Yay!



Before sketching the page, I sat down and fiddled with the next issue's cover. I've done a little shifting around of the storyline for Issues 14 and 15. Which means, the cover idea with Max causing havoc in the Goblin Market will be used for Issue 15 instead. I'm thinking of trying something a little more simplistic for Issue 14. I like the covers Tim Sale did for the Batman Long Halloween / Dark Victory / Haunted Knight trades - just solid blacks with a flat color background. But, since I'm not cool like Tim Sale, I figure a bit of toning and some color couldn't hurt.

Later!


"Doing comics for fun is all right, but even then, you are creating these things because you want people to read them, and no matter what your intentions, people are going to react. Once a particular work is out there, anyone can chime in and say what they think. You might not think it’s fun anymore when some blog calls your comic book crap. Even if you’re having fun, it’s always best to know what you’re doing and do your best."
-- Gerry Alanguilan