Past few days have been hectic. Working on a Webtoon Collab, a new short comic, and finishing the last couple of pages for “Blood Bound” book 4.
Webtoon Collab
A couple of us from Serbia’s comic artist group Stripoid (temporarily named “Stripodrom” at the time of the collab) decided to do a Webtoon Collab to share each other’s comics with our readers. Go check them out if you’re looking for something new to read:
- Witches’ Quarter by Brale Studios
- Babaroga Intern by Nadja Tio
- Oluinn by Tura Dulip
I also made a little mascot to go along with the collab. We’re in the process of renaming our little group of creators so the little guy will have a new name soon.
New short comic
I should have already had a comic completed by now, but things got in the way. I’ve been dragging a cold since January, that eventually turned into a minor infection, and now I’m on the second round of antibiotics. Hopefully in a few days it will all be over and I can go back to normal. Hopefully I also won’t get sick in March and I’ll be able to finish the short comic in time.
The other thing that got in the way was (unsurprising to anyone) myself. I had the script done for a 15 page comic. I had the thumbs, I finished the first page and then I decided not to do that one because it deals with depression and I don’t want that to be the first thing I publish in print.
To be clear: there’s nothing wrong with having a story about depression be the first that someone publishes. I just personally want to start with something more casual, and then go into more serious themes when people get to know me. Kind of how “Blood Bound” begins as a silly little adventure at sea, and then goes into questions of suicide, the war and all the horrible things it brings, neutrality…
So, I went back to the western/fantasy mashup and my character from that which I paused in November last year. Instead of the 36 pages long story I had already written for it, I sat down last weekend and wrote a 14 page long one that will be black and white (for now). There’s a lot of work to be done and I’m trying to meat the deadline for the late April artist alley we have planned as part of the event Stripotetke are organising. (I’ll write more about this event when the info gets published).
Here’s a little sneak peak at the WIP of page 1. Some details need to be fixed and I’m going to do that today as well as finish inking it and lettering. I’m excited about making this one.
Other news
I will say the bonus of being sick is that I did a lot of reading. Currently I’m back to reading Pratchett’s biography. (Which I’m pausing every few pages because it keeps bringing tears to my eyes.) I finished reading “On the road” by Jack Kerouac, “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” by Anne Brontë, and “Empire of Vampire” by Jay Kristoff.
And all I can say is I need “Empire of the Damned”. It’s been published in English, but I’m waiting for the Serbian translation which is scheduled for spring. I don’t think any other book has inspired me to work as much as this one did. I would read for a bit and have so much energy to draw the comics. I definitely have the “Nevernight Chronicle” on my reading list, and I hope it’s just as good.
In the meantime, I have a couple of comics I started reading. As well as a pile of work and chores around the house that need to be done. So it’s time to step away from the computer and get back to work.