Comics again~

So I've started drawing comics again, for my new project. I need to bully my brother into setting up the main website, as I have already produced the front page of it.
Drawing comics again wasn't as hard as I thought it would be... maybe because it's something new, IDK. It all seemed rather routine. Draw the pages, scan the pages, ink the pages, colour the pages, shade the pages, special effects the pages, text the pages, finish the pages. Of course it takes flipping forever. I'll have to experiment with shading technique. I spend far too long on shading. Colouring is just a fill tool, but shading is important. and I've become a stickler for it. I'm trying to do as many pages as I can together, so I have a backlog for when I go back to Cornwall. I figure a twice a week update schedule is pretty good. I can maintain that. Once I have enough I'm going to start putting NPC pages in there too. If I'm going to draw comics I might as well draw the one I love the most. And time to get to that damn finale. Hopefully I don't screw it up T^T.
So yeah, I feel very productive so far this holiday. Usually I just laze around. but so far I've gone actively out searching for graphic novels, I've sketched a good 8 pages of my new comic, I've got the title page done, need to finish shading the first page. it's like 8 panels long, so it's taking a while. I'm going to try and cut down on panel's in future. Other graphic novels might like to spam themselves with panels, but I don't. I'm used to telling the story in six panels. so I find myself getting to the 6th panel and finding I still have space on my A4 page. So I'm going to need to play with layout... I also need to remember I don't have to do full body shots in every single panel. that's what takes up the most time. :T but I think I've done well so far. the story has a good flow. Or at least I think so. ^^(). We'll see. hopefully I'll finish page 1 today, get my brother to show me how to put up my website. start designing the site, and then sorted~  This is going to be a fun project.

six years later....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/apr/13/george-rr-martin-game-thrones

I couldn't help but feel excited when I went to the London Book Fair this year, and when looking through one of the book catalogs (Voyager I think... or maybe Harper Collins.. ) that I noticed that his latest book was coming out soon. Of course I probably could have found this out sooner if I bothered to keep track of authors online... But it wasn't until reading this article did I realize how long I have been waiting for the new installment of A Song of Ice and Fire.

I bought the series in 6th form, that wonderful two years where I read more books than most people read in a life time. And it was in this period that I read George Martin's series. A song of Ice and Fire is definitely one of the book series that inspired me as a writer.  It's what made me move away from more Tolkien'esk fantasy and start considering how dark and complicated Fantasy can be. (Not to say Tolkien's work is not complicated, but as a formula it's rather simple. Go forth and kill bad guy.)

You had many factions, many characters, things were never in a straight line. You would have one character who is portrayed as a villain for two books, and then in the third he changes and develops and you can't help but adore him. Characters are not pure, they're complicated beings. It was so magical reading it. I wanted more, hungered for more. and then of course, year after year of waiting....

Yeah.... I get why fans get angry and harassed the guy. Six years is a long time to wait for a book. I suppose Robert Jorden's death did not help at all, in fact I imagine the harassment got worse afterward, fueled also by the news of Terry Pratchett's Alzheimer's. George Martin is pretty old. and when you read the series you can get why fans have been harassing him. I would think it was more hysterical harassment than malicious. People who loved the story so much they didn't want to lose it. They want an ending. 

Though I wouldn't condone it, his books are pretty large, and not everyone has the worth ethic of Stephan King. It doesn't surprise me it's taken 6 years to complete. Though I would have preference it sooner. It's not going to stop me buying it. Though I really need to find all my books of his to read again. I keep losing A game of Thrones. Seriously. I own two copies of the book. How do I keep losing yooooou?

How to handel Negative feedback

Hm, haven't had a negative comment about my writing in quite a long time, I almost forgot how aggressive people can be...
As a comic artist I have experienced haters of my comic. When I was young and foolish I would argue with them, but as I got older I would debate with them. Both probably foolish things to do because I knew my art wasn't fantastic and my spelling and grammar will probably never be brilliant. But when it comes to things like this it's like your pride on the line. After all you sit around and produce these things freely for other people, and someone basically comes along and gobs in your face.
The best approach is to simply ignore them. In my exspirance this is the best method, mainly because it'll turn into a haters Vrs fans showdown. You can sit on the imaginary sidelines smiling to yourself at the amount of love and devotion you have created through your work, that you don't have to fight for your own honour, because people will do it for you.
So here is my advice on how to handle Negative feedback. Stop being crap, make a loyal fan base, and watch them duke it out. Then laugh like the evil mastermind you clearly are. Bwuhahahahahahahahaha.

The news

I'm debating whether or not to continue to read the paper. well... the online stories. Because I don't read the paper. I get it second hand off their website. The news seems so very hysterical as of late. Me and my friend was discussing whether or not things have gotten worse lately in the world. there seems to be so many terrible natural disasters. But then again maybe media coverage these days has gotten so much better that you simply just hear about every single one, instead of the really bad ones. Or maybe we don't know if they did or not, simple because we wern't reading the news ten years ago.
It's all rather depressing. Japan, Libya, New Zealand. Things happening in other places where you can not really make a difference. Your opinion or your efforts wont really make a difference. We're just insignificant blops on the map and the news is never going to affect us.
I mean, I actually tried to get excited over a story about Falmouth and how it wasn't going to get a larger dock because of some Algae. I tried so hard to feel like this was important, and affecting me. but it doesn't. I don't come from Cornwall, the long term affects of this doesn't affect me or anyone I know or anyone in my family. the least I can do is feel a little supportive for Falmouth. Simply because I understand why a larger dock is important to Cornwall, just in the same way I know the air strikes in Libya are important to protect citizens. Doesn't affect me or anyone I know, but it's happening.
I did get more into the wikileaks thing and the student protests. Mainly because I agree with free speech, no matter what the form, and I'm a student, thus student protests are important to me. But still didn't get involved... But I have to respect the passion that those students have. I wish I had a similar passion sometimes. But when given the chance to go down to London for the day I thought "naw that's going to end badly" and passed on it.
I like to think I'm an optimist, but maybe I'm a pessimist, or just a predictamist. Seeing I'm reasonably good at calling things before they happen. IDK... the world is a complicated place. and you wonder sometimes where you stand in that world. Maybe this is why the Daily Mail is always full of people stories, because they know that people like to hear that other people matter, because it might mean they matter. Maybe only a little bit.

How to Emote

'Emotes' or 'Emoticons' are what people use to express emotion and expression over the internet. They're there for when you feel words aren't strong enough to communicate what you mean. An emote can be the difference between a sarcastic remark or a witty joke. Because let's face it, we don't write actions for ourselves during internet conversation. So, I am conducting a list of emotes and what they mean. Well, at least what they mean to me. I hope this is helpful to someone.


:-) = the smiley face, to basically smile at something. It can also be simplified to :) other versions of this face are:

:>

:-]

c: / C:

OwO

OvO

OuO

 

:-( = The sad face. To show when you are displeased or upset about something, it of course can be simplified to ): . Other versions are:

:<

:-[

:c / :C

O^O

:-S = The confused face. Obviously when you're confused. Other versions are:

o_@

@_@

@.@

o.@

:3 = The Kitty face. I like to use this as a cute smiley face, also to seem as curious or inquisitive if used with a question mark, :3? Now I like to over emphasizes they kitty face with the use of the 8 in exchange of : eyes. I think it just gives the emote a sort of wide eyed intensity. 83 It's like those eyes are staring more keenly are you, waiting for answers.

:D = Super happy face or the grin face. Again I like to super emphasize the grin with the use of the 8. I just think it looks better. 8D, see? Doesn't it just make it look all the more enthusiastic about its happiness? Of course you get its opposite, super sad face. D: or D8, see doesn't the eight make it seem all that more devastated? Never under estimate the power of an 8, it can add so much more meaning in some cases.

:o = surprised or shocked. I don't actually use this one a lot, or really at all... But the 8 rule still applies. 8o haha, it looks so much more surprised.

The x rule = I've talked about adding 8's but not x's. Like 8's x's can be used to change an emote. it's usually used to exspress dead eyes. like: 

X___X

X(

But it can also be used to emphases other things as well like xD generally translates into laughter as it's generally used when finding something funny, just as Dx is used when you find out something terrible or when overly frustrated. Generally you can use an x for eyes in any emotes, and each one can convey something different. xC I find looks like someone is uber sad or upset, while Cx looks like you find something whimsically amusing. It's good to play around with it, as unlike 8, x can look like more than an over emphasis.

>:-( = Angry face, generally has the same variants as the unhappy face, but I like to think each alternative is a different stage of angry.

>:C

>:-[

D:<

>8C 

Hahaha, uber mad face brought to you by the letter 8.

>.< = The Urgh! face. It's like the angry face but it's generally used in 'OMG can't believe that' sort of moments. The moments that make you just frustrated for the moment. I like to think it is different from the angry face, it's more the frustrated face.

>:-) = devil/mischief/evil face, like the angry face, it has many different variations.

C:<

>:-]

>:D

>8D

^^ = The cute happy face, I guess it's the more kawiii face. It's just happy eyes. you can also do it like this ^_____________^ I think the longer the line, the more smug or happy you are. Measure your happiness today.

O__O = the stare, I don't think I use :o much because I use the stare instead. Naturally you have different kinds of stares.

o___o

o__O

o.o

O.O

O_< = this is more combination of the stare and URGH!

Remember, the line generally show the level of awkward staring time. Longer the line, the longer the stare. I know it's weird rules, but that's just how it works. 

:T = The fed up face.  Or the skeptical face. For those moments when you think, "Really? Just really?"

:P = cheeky stick tongue out face, who sticks out their tongue in real life? Children that's who. A childish smiley, but it gets overused. I like to think of it as a sign of assured smugness, rather than cheekiness. Mainly because I use YM, and the :P smiley on that always looks so smug!

And that's it for now, I can't really think of many more... there are probably loads. Never under estimate the importance of emotes in internet conversations!

Just an Offer

"What's that?"
"Oh, it's that thing from the Post Office, I got a package."
"Oh yeah I see. Do you know where the collection place is?"
 "No."
"If I didn't have the hospital tomorrow I would go get it for you."
"But look, it's open till 8 O clock today. You could get it for me now."
"Uh....... No. I'm going to go see my friend quick...."
"...But..."
"Just need to pick up something, be back in a minute!"

...
>.>
<.<
>.<

"Urgh, screw it I'll just get it re-posted."

Damn

I hate forced game social things, I don't want to be social on your damn game network. I want to play my damn game. Stop forcing me to make accounts on your damn websites, just so you can send me damn emails, about damn things I do not give a damn about.
I hate it when you have to download several hundred updates separately for games. Why don't you change your damn update system so that they download every single last update together? It is not bloody helpful if you have a bazillion updates and someone has bought a game two years after release. It's annoying, okay? Update your update systems.
I hate it when games comes with things they could have taken out when they re-released  the game, instead of forcing you to download an update to get rid of the damn thing that they could of taken out before selling you the damn game
I hate long boring game openings, definitely when the players game play is restricted for the first thirty minutes. Someone needs to sort out the damn pacing of your damn game if your damn players aren't playing the damn game in the first ten minutes.
.I hate it when they use forced game social things in the game so you actually have to sign up to save your game. Definitely when the social thing is just a social thing and not a way to ensure you haven't stolen the damn game.
Stop adding things that you think will make the game fun or more complicated, and just let us play your god damn game!

And yes, I laugh at those who use PS3, for you will soon share the PC players fate! Bwuhahahahahahaha!