Comments For ARW Page 429

Why is Slara unset. Does she understand something the rest of us don't? She'll explain all on Monday.

I'm really busy so I did a very simple page. Time for a little break in the fighting to give some exposition. Monday will be the same since I need to get my project done this weekend.

Nothing to say about the art. Just kept things simple so I could get it done.

I don't know what I can say about my project. Once I get conformation I'll talk about it.

I need to get to bed. I'll post again on Monday.

Comments For ARW Page 428

If she can throw Racheal around like a rag doll then the girls are going to have a hard time beating her down. Of course then haven't "powered up" yet, but they need to nearly die first. Not a good situation.

Feeling better now so I did a full page as you can see. I like all the action shots. There are a little more work, but it really pushes my ability to draw the girls at different angles.

In panel three, Toi is being hit by Racheal as the girl swings her around. Toi pulls the whip at the same time, tripping the girl. In panel 4 the girl is flipping Racheal in the air as she falls, sending her into Slara in the last two panels.

I got a job offer today. I still have to do an interview, so the job's not guaranteed. It's not full time, so I'll still be able to work on my comic. I'm not sure how much work I'll get at first but it's all art based so I can only help me get better.

I'll keep you informed. See you Friday.

Comment For ARW page 427

Looks like Racheal will have to defeat this powerful new foe first. That is, if she can escape her clutches.

Sorry for the late update and the B&W page. My brother came to visit over the weekend and I've been feeling really burnt out lately. It took forever to draw the characters and they still don't look right. Some parts look okay, like the under the chin view on panel 3 but others look wrong line Toi's Legs in panel 4.

I'll try to get the color version done before tonight. Coloring isn't as taxing as drawing so I should be able to get it done in a few hours. I'll post again when I'm finished.

Edit: The color version is now up. I can't believe how many errors I found in this picture. It's hard to believe it took over five hours to draw. I'm going to go to bed early and try to recover from whatever is zapping my strength. I'll try to get the Wednesday comic up early. Maybe I'll do a poster of the girls fighting instead of doing a full page. It all depends on how I'm feeling tomorrow.

Comments For ARW Page 426

Seems kind of callous to kill her just because she won't activate. What will happen if she does activate? She'll need to if she wants to avoid death but I'm sure the girls would rather she didn't. Then again, they wouldn't want her to be killed either. What to do, what to do.

Sorry for the delay in putting up this page. Even without a real background it took a long time to draw four characters fighting in three panels. I just copied the foreground characters to add a border to the fight. No real reason I'd need to draw them over and over again.

I don't know how many people look at the art, but you can see the characters slowly get better as the art goes from top left to bottom right. This has to do with the width of the brush I started with and the fact that I was rushing to get the page done and then just gave up trying to get it done in a night and decided to work on the drawings some more.

I'm going to put a new reader page on the site and change the first button to a start of chapter button, so people won't have to go through the archives to understand the story. I really don't what people reading the first 200 pages or so if I can help it.

Here you can see my newest painting. I copied this from a photograph and then colored it like a page from a Dark Tower graphic novel. I'm not 100% happy with it (I think it needs darker mid-tones) but it looks better then most of my art work. I'll probably work on something like this again sometime.

I sent in Split Shift to the Webcomic Beacon pod cast in hopes of getting some new readers but Aaron, the reviewer, says "Please fix everything now," so that doesn't bode well for my comic.

You can listen to Episode 12 and hear his comments for yourself along with the rest of the pod case, which is about printing serials and Anthologies.

Now I'll need to decide if I want to start Split Shift over or do a new comic. His main complaint about the story was that it was moving too fast, so maybe it could be fixed, but he did swear a few times at the characters, so maybe I should just scrape the whole thing.

Actually, while writing the comic I had a few ideas about where I could take the story. As such, maybe it would be better to redo the story from a new point of view and incorporate the new elements into it. I'll need to work on a more realistic art style and maybe stick to black and white to save time.

A more comic book like style might work, but I'd like to stick to a strip format. I'm not sure what I should do. There may not be a Split Shift comic this weekend - or ever again.

Comment For Split Shift page 21

A shiny kitchen is a healthy kitchen. Better not let Misty near the knifes.

It's nice when I don't have to worry about the backgrounds. I can get the page done much quickly with blank scenes. The swinging door was the only thing that took any time.

Sorry for the lame joke. This page is just a transition between the café and the managers office. Expect some fun conversation as the manager tries to find out what Misty knows about working in a café (hint: almost nothing).

Comment For ARW Page 425

The new girl seems to be quick and strong. What evil plan is Lady Elise up to? Keep reading to find out.

Since the characters are fighting in a big empty room, there aren't any backgrounds to speak of. Because of this I spent more time on the characters faces. I'm quite amazed at how realistic that faces look in these panels. Remember, I don't use references. All these drawing came completely out of my head.

A few years ago, I envied people who could draw realistic people and wondered how they could add so much detail so quickly. Now I can do it myself. Wow, imagine what my art would look like if I had an actual model.

Well, you won't have to wonder long because my next project is to paint a picture directly from a reference photo. Note that this doesn't mean the painting will look like the photo. The camera always lies. The lighting is wrong and shapes get distorted. I'm going to just use the figure as the basis of the picture but I'll make adjustments to add my own touch.

In my last picture (see the Comments For ARW Page 423) I indirectly used references for the people (hair from one person, clothes from another), but in the next one I'll try to mimic the form of a single person to see how closely I can render their image (with some artistic license).

I'll sure some people are saying, "That's all backwards, you should learn to copy something first and then learn to mix several images together and draw from your imagination last." True, but in the beginning I never though I could draw and I hated all the time and effort it takes to copy a picture accurately (I mean to look at the picture and copy it. Tracing is always easier but I feel that's cheating). I always liked the freehand style and feel that many technically accurate pictures are too stiff because the artist hasn't taken the time to add any life to the image. I'd prefer a cartoon over photo-realistic art any day.

So I've just been drawing and drawing over and over again until I'm finally at the skill level where I feel I could do a realistic portrait justice. We'll see how it goes. I'll probably post something Friday or Saturday.

Comment For Split Shift page 20

Misty pulled Nancy over with one hand. That's gotta hurt. Misty must to be stronger then Nancy thought.

The first panel took longer to draw then it should have. It's not that the image was hard to create, but more to do with my getting the characters into the chairs in a realistic way. The chairs, table, and characters are on separate levels to maintain the separate symbols.

I'm still not getting a lot of views for this comic. I'm going to try promoting it tomorrow and see what happens.

Comments For ARW Page 424

What powers could the girl have? Wait and see.

I got quite a surprise yesterday. Over 220 people visited my website on Saturday. This is the biggest group of people that has visited me in one day. I didn't do anything special so I don't know where they came from. I'll have to wait until tomorrow and see if I get some return visits.

I started working on this page early so I got it done earlier then normal. I'll have to try to start early more often. It's nice to be done and still have a few hours to relax before going to bed.

I didn't do much with the art this time. There should be some fighting next time, so expect some action scenes on Wednesday.

Comment For Split Shift Page 19

What kind of test might Amy be suggesting? I doubt it's pie eating contest.

You will notice that these are no tables or chairs in the backgrounds. This is because I fear that they would clutter the image. When I have more time, I'll do a blur effect or something to the background so that I can add tables and chairs without them being too distracting.

Not much else to say. I'll see you Monday.

Comments For ARW Page 423

I wonder how long they were waiting in the dark for the girls to show up? Had they been waiting every night or did they know that the girls were coming? There will be some answers on Monday.

There are two major differences in this page that are not my normal style. First the page is darker then normal since everything happens at night. I had to use three different tones to do all the shadows plus a highlight color to show lit areas.

Second, there are text boxes in every panel and only one word balloon. This allows me to have the group making plans while showing the plans in action. I'm sure that has been done many times before in other comics but this is the first time I've done it.

Here is the drawing I've been working on. You can see how it's more realistic then I usually draw while still being somewhat cartoon like. Adding color can push the image either way depending on how I do it. I may work on it some more or work on something else next week. I'll let you know. See you tomorrow.

Comments For Split Shift page 18

Anyone get the feeling Misty has never been to a goth café before? She doesn't seem to want to go at any rate. She'll get to meet some new 'friends' won't she?

This page took a long time to make. Close to five hours in fact. I still need to add some customers, but let's just say the café hasn't opened yet. I'll need to add customers in later scenes.

Since I'm adding a few new characters to the story, there is going to be a period where the pages will take a while to make. I still need to add a kitchen scene as well as a few more characters. Hopefully in the next week or so I'll get it all done and the comics can start updating five days a week.

I'm still not sure if this comic is a success of not. My view count is slowly going up but I still need to reach a larger audience and see what the reaction is. I really need to start doing more social networking to drum up interest in the comic.

Comments for ARW Page 422

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party. Looks like Racheal and friends are planing to invade the castle and look for their friends. But what will they find there and how will they escape? Find out in the next exciting chapter of ARW.

It's late, but I got this done before I went to bed. I copied the line work from a few pages ago to do the background in the last panel. I still had to fix it up to fit the new page so it wasn't a quick fix but it was easier then drawing it all over again.

It seems repeating details in a page isn't really a big deal since most people just read the text and skim the images. The only place I really notice reused art is when it's side by side in a page. Especially if someone seems to be frozen in place from panel to panel. I always try to rework an image so it doesn't look the same. For example, I used the same line work for Toi in panel four and five but a changed a few things so that she doesn't look like she's frozen in the same position in both panels.

Comments For Split Shift Page 17

Where would you wear a goth dress to work? Where was it that Amy works again? Oh yeah, Brewing Emotions Café. Must be a coffee shop for Goths. You'll get to see it on Thursday.

Lots of new art on this page. I hope you like the new dresses.

Not much to add to my last post except to say I finished the line work of the picture I'm drawing. It's an interesting mix of my cartoon style and a more realistic style. I guess there's no way to get away from my style of doing faces, especially the eyes. I could draw them more realistically but they don't look good unless the eye is large enough to see the detail.

I'll post again tomorrow. See you then.

Comments For ARW Page 421

What did she just do to Balap? I don't think Balap was just having a nightmare, but he wasn't in his right mind either. At least he's still alive.

Used the last panel from the previous page for the first panel of this page with a few alterations. I should have changed Toi's mouth. I change the eyes and mouths of everyone else but not her for some reason. I guess it still works.

In the center panel at the bottom of the page, Ruth is spraying a liquid into Balap's face. It actually looks like she's spraying his eye.

I'm slowly adding backgrounds again. It went pretty quickly this time, so I'll keep at it. I think it was all the little detail elements like the picture on the wall and the window shutters that slowed me down last time.

I wonder how Phil Foglio can update three times a week at the level of quality he maintains. I would think it would take all day just to sketch out a page and then he'd have to ink and color it. Some pages have very complex art which would take most artists days to complete. Either he's some kind of robot, or he has a team of inkers and colorists working on his pages.

Oh well, I shouldn't complain, I'm sure there are many people who would love to have my ability to draw anything I want without using references. My art looks better with references, but many people couldn't draw a stick without a reference. This allows me to be fast and loose with my compositions. I hate a lot of art that other people call "quality artwork" because it's so stiff and lifeless. So what if you can paint a picture that looks like a photograph, if it doesn't have any feeling or life to it it's worthless in my option.

I am currently working on a more detailed drawing, using references, which I'll put up when it's done. I like how it's looking so far.

Comment For Split Shift Page 16

It's Goth not golf, Misty can be so silly sometimes.

It looks like a nice dress, but what is it for? Find out on Tuesday.

Can't think of anything to say. I'll see you tomorrow.

Comment For ARW Page 420

Whatever Racheal did, the girls looks very beautiful now. If chahex could really change them into humans, why did Racheal ask Slara and Toi to change her back to her near human form first? That will be explained on Monday.

I like how the girls look in the final panel. It will be interesting to draw them as humans for a while. I wonder if Slara should get a wig or stay bald. The bald look is interesting so maybe I'll keep it.

I'm going to spend the day drawing and looking into comic websites. As I said in the last post, I need to increase interest in my comics and that means getting then out in the public eye in as many places as possible.

I also need to keep improving my skills as an artist and that means doing more advanced, time-consuming pieces that I can't do in the comic without slowing down the updates.

Well, I better get to it. I'll see you next update.

Comments for Split Shift Page 15

Looks like Amy has lost all track of time. Maybe the two of them will be good room mates after all.

They were suggesting on the Half-pixel forums that it might be a good idea to mirror the comic on other comic web sites like Comic Space and Drunk Duck in order to get more traffic to the site. I really should do this as well as getting involved in other social network sites to spread the word about my comic. It's likely harder for someone to find my comic when it's on an independent site like this. I do try to advertise, but putting the comic somewhere that people can stumble upon it is a good idea as well. I'll have to make sure that there are links feeding back to my Split Shift Home Page so my advertising dollars will grow. I'll have to see if I can advertise on some of those sites as well.

Dave is right, if I'm serious about being a web comic artist, I need to focus all my energy into being a success. I spent several hours today learning how to paint like a professional and I'm going to do that the next chance I get and post it as a donation incentive. Once people see I can create professional quality work, maybe I'll get more commissions and freelance offers. I've got to work hard and prove that I'm a professional web comic artist and not just a hobbyist. ...starting Friday. I'm too busy on Thursday.

Comment For ARW Page 419

I wonder what Racheal plans to do? She might be able to make herself look less cat like, but there is no way she can make the three of them look human, is there?

After all the work I put into the last ARW page and the Split shift page, I decided to do simple backgrounds for this page. I put more effort into the characters in exchange and I think their individual personalities show better in this page then in the last.

I've criticized other people for not varying their head shapes, so I spend some time to individualize these characters' heads. They look more realistic with different head shapes and skin tones. I also worked on the hair so that it looks better.

Since this page is up on time, I should be back on track in getting the rest of the weeks comics up. Expect the next Split Shift Wednesday night and the next ARW Friday morning. I have other commitments on Thursdays, so it is rare that I can get a page done before Friday at noon.

Comment For Split Shift Page 13

You'd think that the fact she had a cat would have come up at some time while she was with Amy. Took her long enough to realize her mistake.

Sorry this is up so late, but if you read the last post you'll know I was really late getting the last ARW page done. As this page is late, there is a good chance that the next ARW will be late as well. I'll have to find a way to catch up, since I don't want to be late all week.

I kept Misty's room simple as I said I would. Hopefully the starkness is not too distracting. I put more effort in the last panel, since I wanted to make sure Misty could be seen in the shower but not so clearly that she would be seen to be nude. I'm kind of hoping that scene would attract more readers, and not scare anyone away.

Comment for Page 418

Thus the girls meet the oddest resistance group in the kingdom. Most of them seem better dressed then most suppressed people. I wonder what their story is. You can find out on Wednesday.

I started this page on Sunday at 7 PM and it is now 8:30 PM on Saturday, thus it has taken over 25 hours to complete this page. Granted there was eating and sleeping in between, and I took a few brakes to do other things, but taking everything into account, this is still the longest I've ever spend creating a page for my web comic.

I put more effort into the backgrounds, created some new characters, and tried to keep the perspective in that last panel, all of which took a lot more effort then I usually do. Was it worth it? Well, every effort can only help my art. Still, I can't help thinking that I need to spend more time drawing from real life and learn more about shadows, highlights, and details.

I do realize that my art is much better then it was even a year ago. I can even see that I'm a much better artist then most web comic artists. Only the high quality web comics (which rarely update more then once a week), look better. I guess the next step is to get as good as the creator of Looking For Group, who creates wonderful fantasy art pages twice a week. That likely means moving to a twice a week schedule myself, but we'll see how it goes. After that, it's getting to the quality of Girl Genus, which does update three times a week. I realize he has a backlog of graphic novels to post, but I wonder how long he can keep that up.

I really must find a way to get more people to read my web comic. The 40+ loyal readers I have now are just not enough to support me. Looking at other web comics, I think I know a few things that could help me get support I need, but they all take time and money, neither of which I have much of.

I need a break. I'll see you later.

Comments for Split Shift Page 13

You'd think guys would learn to stay away from her by now. Some men just never learn. Of course Misty is a cute little woman, so it's natural that most men would think they could have their way with her.

The reason for her unnatural strength will be revealed eventually, in the meantime be content knowing that she isn't a normal human being.

Lots of extra work on this page so it actually took over two hours to put together. Tuesday you'll get to see Amy's apartment, so that means more work for me as I put that together. Amy will be moving out soon, so I don't want to do too much work on it. Then again, I created a character for today's comic that will likely never be seen again.

Comments For Page 417

He must think they have some pretty elaborate costumes. I suppose you don't tend to see a group of animal people anywhere in the multi-verse. Considering these girls are one of a kind (except Slara, but she's still unusual outside her home world), the man can consider himself lucky to meet them.

I received some praise for my artistic ability yesterday and also got a message saying my art isn't good enough for web comics. The problem isn't that I'm not a good artist, the problem is that I draw without references and I don't clean up my lines. I could also use ArtRage (an art program the mimics real life painting techniques), for a more oil painting like style. However, all those things would alter the look of my comic. So should I abandon my current style in favor for a more professional style or keep doing what I love? Will the extra effort give me more readers or am I better off just enjoying myself and ignore any concerns about popularity?

Either way, I do plan to keep practicing my life drawing outside my comic and that should slowly make my comic look better. But these things all take time. I'll post again tomorrow with a new Split Shift comic.