Showing posts with label webcomics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label webcomics. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2026
My webcomic is featured on The Duck Webcomics!
THE DUCK WEBCOMICS ADDED SUMMER TO WINTER ON ITS FEATURED LIST. You can check it out on: https://theduckwebcomics.com/Summer_To_Winter
Sunday, November 23, 2025
Dreams can help
I don't know what's going on, but I ain't complaining. I'll tell you more about it, soon!
In the meantime, the new SUMMER TO WINTER comic chapter is up!
'Summer to Winter' webcomic is
ComicFury - https://summer2winter.thecomicseries.com
Globalcomix - https://globalcomix.com/c/summer-to-winter
Also, Summer to Winter is now on a new platform! It will take a while for episodes to catch up with the other sites.
In the meantime, new readers can start on this site:
The Duck Webcomics - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Summer_To_Winter
Sunday, May 25, 2025
My digital art journey, man!
See what happens when you follow parental/caregiver advice? My mom says when you've lost something, just forget about it, & you'll find it later! Was busy writing down instructions from a blogger about a special effect in FireAlpaca, & that's when I found this index card I wrote IMPORTANT INFO ON.
My first job at 17 was as a college notetaker for disabled schoolmates! It was great and really helped me when I transferred to university AND years later, for grad school!
Anyhoo, I love FireAlpaca and Paint.NET! Like the blogger who posted instructions for FireAlpaca, I was a casual digital artist back in the day. Doing silly doodles, embellishing my traditional artwork. But doing a webcomic has really helped me become more competent with artist software!
I used PhotoShop for years until I couldn't. Before Adobe even moved into their subscription-based model, PhotoShop became harder for me to use. How do I know? Because I was a notetaker in those classes for Digital Art and Design.
I couldn't keep up with the instructor's/professor's lectures. It's well I can write fast, but I don't know shorthand, so I had to come up with my own shortcuts. Thank goodness my students could understand my notes!
I also still had my Adobe suite on my home PC. I practiced on my own time. Used my own artwork. Bought software books. It didn't help.
And don't get me started on InDesign! UGH!! Thankfully, I threw in the towel to just focus on traditional art, building my skills with different media and such.
Fast-forward to me wanting to finally work on a webcomic. I researched and dabbled for 2 years. The landscape of digital art software had advanced! I felt so lost. Like a prehistoric creature finding itself among more current and evolved animals!
But, unlike the Horseshoe Crab which is perfect and so hadn't the need to evolve in millions of years, I had to find the right intuitive software for a newbie/beginner.
And that's what Paint.NET and FireAlpaca are to me! Simpler to learn, intuitive, and fun discovering new techniques! Also, unlike when, back in the day, I had to peruse through textbooks, I can find most of art software/app info on older blogs and YouTube videos.
Sunday, January 12, 2025
2025 IS HERE
My webcomic came together once I began using dot-grid sheets for my rough comic sketches. Recently learned SecondLina of CROW TIME & NAMESAKE as well as Mishacakes of ELDRITCH DARLING & ALICE And The NIGHTMARE makes me feel closer to this webcomics community I came late into!🥰
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
My Webcomic Title Cards and Front Covers
Since it's September, and there's a lot of social media choices I've been making to get the webcomic ready for its debut on its own page, I wanted to mention a few things.
I copy/paste back the title in this heart-shaped speech bubble from Yanina. I'm changing Dunlop's stance to look a little more upset.
Here's what I had so far. I also found the exact color to full in the title bubble's tail. I still have the signature I'll completely remove. Since Yanina is 'speaking' the title, I'll have Dunlop 'speak' my name.
My Ko-fi has updates.
My DeviantArt is finally being updated! Go check it out!
And I have a Tumblr blog *specifically* for the webcomic while still maintaining the Instagram page as its unpolished version and companion to the DeviantArt account.
I'm also working on a variety of 12 art pieces now designated to become title cards and front covers for the webcomic.
Check out below some of what I've done so far...
*Progressions on IG later*
Here is what I am calling the 'blue and green' front cover.
I start with cutting out the original title and pasting it into its own file so I can create a speech bubble in its place.
I decided to remove my signature as it will be hard for folks to read. More on that in another post!
I copy/paste back the title in this heart-shaped speech bubble from Yanina. I'm changing Dunlop's stance to look a little more upset.
Here is the near-finished cover! I hope you like it as much as I do. I outlined both speech bubbles. Completely bulked up Dunlop. Overlaid his and Yanina's school uniforms with some green. I touched up Yanina's hair and fixed her stocking legs. Here, she's 17 (& about to graduate from HS) and grew some after being skinny all her life.
Hope you enjoyed this progression post! Take care, dear readers!
Sunday, December 26, 2021
It all began with Hepcats & "Omaha" the Cat Dancer
Some time ago, my oldest brother sent me a flyer in the mail. It was from a comic store with the comic series HEPCATS by Martin Wagner(print/online). This in turn reminded me of sneak reading "OMAHA" THE CAT DANCER by Kate Worley and Reed Waller (print/online) when I worked as a student computer lab admin. These were both stories that showed animal-headed people could be serious, adult, and for mature audiences. Mind you, they were still explicit, but in how they visually tackled real-life subjects.
Here are other titles I got into because of Hepcats and "Omaha":
THE CLASS MENAGERIE by Vince Suzukawa - (webcomic completed) Anthro animal college students and their lives within a dorm. Fun and real and oh so slice-of-life.
ALIEN DICE by Tiffany Ross - (webcomic ongoing, & now on the webcomic app TAPAS! Go check it out!) A white human woman who ends up in a galactic game and falls for one of its enslaved players from another world. It's an epic far-reaching series and highly enjoyable.
THE SUBURBAN JUNGLE by John "The Gneech" Robey - (webcomic completed) A lioness model going through life and career, while trying to navigate her romance with a tiger male model and all of their family and friends. Funny. Poignant. And so relatable.
SABRINA ONLINE by Eric W. Schwartz - (webcomic completed) A female skunk with the same degree I have and who went straight into another career as I did. Very raunchy, dirty jokes and gags galore. Not for the faint-of-heart or easily offended(& I don't mean for bigoted jokes. Those are never funny & treated as such in this comic) by sex and intimacy jokes.
GOLD DIGGER by Fred Perry - (print ongoing) Don't let the title fool you. It's literally about a gold-digging Lara Croft-type sexy archeologist and her adopted sister who happens to be the last of her were-cheetah clan. Yeah, you heard right. As they travel the world, they encounter aliens, mythical beings, and magical creatures who are so much more than in their original mythologies. I mean, there's ninja leprechauns in this! What's NOT to love?
KEVIN AND KELL by Bill Holbrook - (ongoing) A wolf and a rabbit get married. And that's all you should know to enjoy this episodic romp through suburbia, mixed-marriages galore, and the brilliance of putting all these animals with real-world ethnic backgrounds into the mix.
These are just a *few* of the stories that inspire me over the years.
Sunday, July 5, 2020
Message to my dear readers
[PART 1]
As you may know, I LOVE #webcomics! Here's a thread on recommendations! These are FREE to READ & the CREATORS are PAID by the platform's ads! I'll give taglines & thoughts about why it's good! Ok, let's get started! 1/17
1)Socializing 101 by Relseiy
Romance | Drama
My thoughts: College students navigating social lives with a host of mental/emotional issues. This series may be triggering to those struggling through social anxiety &/or have been bullied.
2/6
2)*Personal fave!*Miss Abbott and the Doctor by Maripaz Villar
Romance
My thoughts: Think Anne of Green Gables, Pippi Longstocking, & Madeline cloned a baby! Though it says 'Romance', I think it's also a 'Historical comedy'. Diverse & multicultural. Always wacky.
3/6
3)*Personal fave!*Small World by Wonsun Jin
Slice of life
My thoughts: A lgbtqa+ sitcom about a wacky couple & their mini-adventures. Adorable & laugh-out-loud.
4/6
4)*Personal fave!*Crumbs by Whitherling
Romance
My thoughts: A fantasy drama in a world where magic exists & one can be trained in school & take state-run exams. Wholesome & luminous series.
5/6
5)*Personal fave!*My Dictator Boyfriend by Teo|Guy
Comedy
My thoughts: Another lgbtqa+ wacky series that takes place in a fictional nation run by a newly-minted dictator in a relationship with his bodyguard. Geo-political hijinks mixed with lgbtq+ rights, caustic humor/satire. Diverse & multicultural.
6/END
6)Brass & Sass by Antlerella
Romance
My thoughts: The high school drama series I would've watched back in the 80s. But since it's Canadian, if it were a TV drama, CBC would do a better live-action than Hollywood. Diverse, multicultural, & aware of different sexual orientations. For the band-nerd in all of us.
7)My Gentle Giant by Myssdark and EAB (Lovaboy Comics)
Slice of life | Heart-warming
My thoughts: High school drama meets Boys Love. Very tightly controlled POVs and still enjoyable.
8)BUUZA!! by Shazleen Khan
Drama | Slice of life
Urban fantasy set in a 90s middle east and central asia
My thoughts: I can't explain how underrated this series is. With the right crew and cast, it would make a compelling TV series.
9)*Personal fave!*Heir's Game by suspu
Drama
My thoughts: Historical drama in a fictional world. Noble court intrigue. Time period resembles 1840s. Gay/Queer fully-realized characters. Sumptuous. Everyone is gorgeous. Incredibly bloody but not gratuitous. Ethnically and body-type diverse.
11)*Personal fave*Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
Romance
My thoughts: The Greek Gods, demigods, and their minions in a 21st century setting. The story of Hades Kidnapping Persephone never looked so drama/soap opera/novela-like! This is nobody's grandparents' Greek myth! 50s/60s brightly-colored animation style with 21st century flair.
12)Edith by Swansgarden
Romance
My thoughts: Drama, drama, drama! Soapy of soaps. Inner monologues are on point. Shows a peek into the world of publishing & fashion design. Watch your back!
13)Sunny Side Skies by soaporsalad
Comedy | Slice of life
My thoughts: Updates are a bit slow but feels like a Sunday Comic Strip. It's adorable and h
My thoughts: Updates are a bit slow but feels like a Sunday Comic Strip. It's adorable and h
14)Age Matters by Enjelicious
Romance
My thoughts: I think it takes place in China/Taiwan but feels SO MUCH like a Korean drama series...
My thoughts: I think it takes place in China/Taiwan but feels SO MUCH like a Korean drama series...
15)Just For Kicks by Josie Fox
Slice of life
My thoughts:
My thoughts:
16)Midnight Poppy Land by Lilydusk
Romance
This gangster/crime drama/romance eerily reminds me of my own anthro/furry dog mafia story but that's ok, because, anything with organized crime is my jam.
This gangster/crime drama/romance eerily reminds me of my own anthro/furry dog mafia story but that's ok, because, anything with organized crime is my jam.
17)Dylan and Angeline by oroor0
Romance | Slice of life
A trans boy and his crush is a cis girl. Hispanic/Latin family culture. Characters are precious. The diverse cast is adorable. Typical teenage drama with slow-burn infatuation thrown in. I can't wait for the next update as it ended on a cliffhanger in the public library.
A trans boy and his crush is a cis girl. Hispanic/Latin family culture. Characters are precious. The diverse cast is adorable. Typical teenage drama with slow-burn infatuation thrown in. I can't wait for the next update as it ended on a cliffhanger in the public library.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Another day in self-quarantine
Been watching 90s TV shows, reading web comics, and the occasional writing. Also, working on different terms for sexual orientation and identities among four aliens species (human included) in the 49th century.
Original journal date: 10/18/10
I've always been drawn to animal stories both in animation as well as in books. When I began to read mythology and saw what a huge role animals would play, and how complex their beings could be, impressed me to ancient peoples' wisdom in making the animal world as much a art of the human world (than how separate we are now).
But when I picked up a book on Aesop's fables, that's when something 'clicked'. To use animals to bring to light humanity while revealing the innermost of that beast or creature is how I want to tell my stories.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
When You Find the Sweet Spot
When you find that sweet spot during creating
As some of you may know, I work occasionally on some comic stuff. Not professionally, but my own stories. I've gotten two comic strips published (one became shortlisted in a humor contest) and I've been creating a slow and infrequent stream of comics over time.For one particular fellowship I applied for, I created a 20-page graphic novel within a month and a half. Let me say I will not do that again! I didn't get the reward, but I learned more about myself as an artist in a more urgent medium. Similar to when I am involved in Inktober, the October event where artists globally participate by creating an ink illustration a day.
Why am I saying all this?
That's because I think I found the style I needed for one particular story. Tentative title is "Summer to Winter" and it's from my main character's poem. She falls in love for the first time and with her high school homeroom teacher. Before you screech to a halt, don't worry, I don't normalize abusive relationships in my stories. As a writer, I try to depict violence for what it is - something abnormal that can be overcome through solidarity, healthy emotional support systems, and the idea that the vulnerable and the oppressed need protecting as well as dignity and respect.
During graduation, she lets her teacher know how she feels about him before they part ways. They keep in contact during her college years but part ways again before both come back into each other's life through a crisis. Eventually, through trial and error, they become a couple. The story does not end there. There are other secondary and tertiary characters involved in their own romances and who get their own stories told but all eventually revolve around the former student and her former teacher's romance because the other cast members were from her class or her school.
This story started in the early 2000s and because I wanted to be one of the next U.S. manga creator, I purchased actual comic paper from my local comic bookstore. I tried inking with nibs -you know, dipping nib pens into ink bottles?- I even used an ink wash with paintbrushes. Yes, I was INSANE.
It turns out that it took me a month to create ONE PAGE. A MONTH. I would need 200 years of life to complete this story, so I scrapped it!
Years later, I tried a line art style. Black lines, solid blacks balanced with white. That worked for a time. I worked on regular-size art paper. I created more pages, however, the plotting was all wrong. The pacing had slowed, character motives weren't clearly thought out, it looked good and I was happy with the new look but I wouldn't want to submit this anywhere.
I scrapped it once again. I worked on other things. The same journals I used for other stories, I began scripting some of the more complex comic stories. I applied for freelance work. I submitted to contests, fellowships, and grants (I'm going back to applying for writing grants - wish me luck!). I also worked on other stories and submitted to publications.
And then I opened an Instagram account so I could show partials, unfinished sketches, draft pieces and progressions that I didn't want on my DeviantArt account. That's when I noticed the feedback I received from followers, friends, and colleagues. Another artist friend suggested using markers. I used to use them as a kid but now there were even more sophisticated types and different brands. They can make a piece resemble ink work, ink wash, watercolor, acrylics, and even pastels. Let me try some other formats! Let me experiment and since Instagram isn't commitment, dabble and see the responses.
Former student: This doesn't look like a draft! It looks finished! It looks professional! What markers are these?
Friends: I love your comics! Amazing outcome! Dreamy, steaminess, and romantic.
Colleagues: I know this character is your ideal man. You made this man good looking in just a few strokes. What materials do you use?
Pretty positive and a boost to the confidence I needed to try again. I have also been advised by peers and students as to how to market and I'm doing my research as I go. I also found some illustrator-friendly software while I was researching the software that would makeover my website, so I need to practice that as well.
And as always, thank you for sticking with me. In which ever format this comic story appears, I will let you, my dear readers, know the links and where to view and/or buy it.
A pleasure as always.
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