Happy Birthday Bu!

I haven't blogged in awhile. I just wanted to remark quickly on how the Bu turned one month old yesterday. It makes me smile.
It may not seem like much, but let me tell you: each time I manage to get a strip done and uploaded on time, it feels like a victory. I feel like I've barely got enough time to get the comic done, let alone make time to actually practice and improve my technique. But having passed the one-month mark, I'm starting to ease into it a bit more, as well as refocus the drive that got me doing all this cartooning stuff in the first place. Hopefully you'll continue to see improvements in both style and form.

p.s. I truly appreciate those of you who have been reading, and leaving me feedback. It really keeps me going.

xo

LOLs ex Machina

Well, the hard part is over. The first few episodes of the Bu are up, and I've managed to keep to my schedule for two weeks. I'm hoping to get increasingly comfortable with just doing fun, silly comics (there's this little voice inside me that screams make it poignant! make it poignant! every time I draw) and experimenting in different styles, even if they occasionally don't work. I hope you'll bear with me, and of course, give me feedback. The style is far from being fully-formed.
I'm also looking to improve the design of the comic layout itself (moving away from Blogger and towards a more easy-to-navigate design, like most webcomics use. One strip per page, with the whole previous/next/first links, etc... if anyone can point me in the right direction for getting started with that kind of html, I'd be grateful. I'm going to give Comic Genesis a try, see if that helps. Ideally you will be able to read the comic at full size on the main page without having to click on it.

On a totally separate note, I want to share with you all something that has made getting my work done infinitely easier these past weeks.

It's called Freedom, and it is amazing.

It's sole function is to disable your wireless internet connection for a period of your choosing, up to 3 hours. It does this so you can actually be productive. As it seems to affect the wireless permissions on the kernel level (whatever that means), the only way to override it (if you feel like cheating) is to reboot your computer. If you're willing to do to get back to surfing, this program probably won't help you. I could also say a few words about the implications raised by the fact that such a program needed to be created in the first place, but I won't.

It works.

Enjoy it.




p.s. Freedom is only available for Macs at the moment (muahaha! that sentence makes me smile), though maybe if you plead with the developer he might make one for PCs as well.


Back to work!

In Which I Embrace My Inner Cuteness

If you've ever heard me grumble about my art in the years past, you know that my constant gripe was never that it wasn't good enough technically, nor that it didn't convey exactly what I meant it to.
My complaint was always that it was cute.
As long as I can recall, this has been a dirty word to my ears, worse than derivative, worse than saccharine. Cute. The real 4-letter word.
Maybe it was just a matter of time until the Hordes of the Cute Army wore down my defenses and I could resist no more. Maybe it was seeing the work of artists I respect and admire and realizing that beyond the quality of their linework and brushstrokes, beyond the great pacing and storytelling, hidden underneath it all like a sugar coating on a bitter pill, was Cuteness.
And I liked it.
I've consciously avoided cuteness in my own work for a long time, to no avail. No more shall I resist. If cuteness is inherent, let it be embraced! Let it be one more tool in the cartoonists' arsenal. Let it be a weapon, not a hindrance.

To quote (heavily) from James Kochalka:

For these reasons we choose cute. We deny the ugliness of the world around us and stand in opposition to it. When we draw, our line will be as supple as the precious spring twig and as resilient as the fat cheeks of an infant. Our art shall remain as pure and innocent as the sleeping babe and it shall shine with the inquisitive twinkle of his wide, waking eyes. We shall not use cuteness to champion commercial ventures, for that use merely serves to corrupt and defile, twisting cuteness from beauty into ugliness. Nor do we live in a fantasy world where we pretend that suffering does not occur. Rather, we fight for beauty and purity and we fight to make the world a more joyful place.
~from The Cute Manifesto

To this I say Amen! Let the Cuteness shine forth!

In relation to this, and thanks to Lindsey's new favorite holiday, I've set out to revive my old webcomic. For those of you who had it bookmarked before, the address has changed slightly. I'm aiming to update it twice a week for the time being, on Tuesdays and Fridays. So without further ado, I give you:


The Mighty Bu

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

So I had a very full, very busy Third. I've been working on my comics most of the day, though I did take a break to ride out to Guapo Comics for Free Comic Book Day. After that I went straight to a show at the Wonder Ballroom, and when I got home I got right back to work. I am really happy with how these comics turned out, but because of the extra detail, they took me a good deal longer than they did last time.
Long story short, it's now past 2am and I've got two out of three finished. The third one exists as a rough draft, I just need to knock out the final version. Does this count, Ye Overlords of Three on the Third? I swear I will get the last one done tomorrow. I'm just beat and I am pretty sure I've reached the point of diminishing returns with my drawing.

So, begging your forgiveness, here are the two I've got so far:













































UPDATE: Here it is. Sorry for the delay.