Comments For ARW Page 447

Slara seems to have bad luck whenever she tries to land on her feet. Remember back on page 336 when she had a perfect 3 point landing and then slipped on a rock. This is much worse.

As you can see this page has more detail then I usually draw, so the page is late because of it. Thursday's are pretty busy for me anyway, so I didn't have the time to devote to this page was I would have liked.

There was a major error on the last page (page 446) that no one seems to have noticed. I hadn't colored Balap's hair in any of the panels he appears in. It was only after I nearly made that mistake again on this page, that I realized I hadn't colored his hair on the last page either.

I'll fix the error in a minute, but my question is this, "Is anyone reading my comic?" Most webcomic artists have readers who take great delight in pointing out any minor errors in a webcomic, but no one points out even major errors on my site. I realize I have a small reader ship, but I have to wonder if I have any real readers at all. Maybe I'm just getting a steady stream of people who are finding my comic while surfing the net and none of them come back again.

Well, I'm hoping that will all change when I release my new webcomic. I'm trying to do the next one right. I'm developing the characters so that they all have interesting personalities that will clash with and support each other. I'm also writing the story ahead of time so that I know what's happening on each page long before I actually draw it. The first story arch will be a 32 page comic book style that will introduce the characters. Once the arch is finished, I'll make it available to purchase online (probably through Ka-Blam). We'll see how it goes after that.

I'm getting excited to start my new comic. The characters are much more interesting this time and the interaction will hopefully make them more appealing to the readers. My current comic is kind of blah, and I really don't know how to fix it. It's better just to end it and start something new.

Comments For ARW Page 446

Slara seems to be in quite a hurry. Now, why would that be? Was there something Horese said that would indicate that she didn't have much time? Is she trying to gain extra time in order to trap or outwit Horese? Could she maybe have something else in mind? We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

The first panel took a long time to draw, not just because there are four people in it, but because there is one person I rarely draw and two people I've never drawn before. I do seem to be getting better at drawing random people.

Other then a extra bit of work, there wasn't too much to this page. I think it gets the point across.

I put some of my freelance work in my Deviant Art gallery. I've been getting a few good projects lately, but nothing that pays very well. I anyone has any commission work I could do let me know. My rates are pretty cheap.

Comments For ARW Page 445

Balap and Kang are at least safe, but how long can that last if they must go to Monkey Island? By the way, this is a completely different Monkey Island. Nope, no relation to that game at all.

The colors are really vibrant because it's full daylight now. The candle burned out long ago.

I've used the motion blur before, but I really should use these special filters more often. I wanted to blur Kang so that you couldn't tell who was attacking Slara, but it's still pretty clear. Oh well, you learn the truth in the next panel anyway.

I like how Slara looks in the last panel. That serious face has a lot more character then the other versions. I'll have to see if I can do that again.

I finally finished the freelance project I was working on. I'll put the drawings on Deviant Art sometime later. I've done quite a few drawing I haven't put up. I'm going to have to start scanning some stuff in for you to see. Maybe I spend some time tomorrow doing that. That's assuming nothing else comes up first.

Comments For ARW Page 444

Things just keep getting worse. What has happened to Balap? Looks like Slara's journey is off to a bad start.

Lots of backgrounds on this page. Nothing too complex but it always takes more time to do backgrounds.

I put Slara in a few odd positions this time, so it took a few redraws to get it right. I'm not entirely happy with the way she looks here, but I did the best I could.

This page is up latter then normal, but it isn't entirely my fault this time. I mean the page did take extra time because of the extra detail, but the main reason the page was late was that my wireless Wi-Fi connection disappeared. I don't mean I lost the connection, I mean it was completely gone as if it had never existed.

After restarting my computer five times, I was able to get the connection back. But the next time I went into hibernation it disappeared again. I did a web search and found out that this is a common problem with HP laptops and the Broadcom Wi-Fi card. I spend several hours looking for a fix that didn't involve sending the computer in for repairs (many posters said they had a nightmare trying to get HP to fix the problem, including sending the computer in four times to fix it and losing access to the computer for four months in the process). I did find a solution that involved making the WLAN drive files read only so they can't be over written (which seems to be part of the problem). This solution seems to help. I can still lose the connection but it's not as hard to bring it back.

This problem has make me late getting my other work done as well, so I haven't gotten much done with my new webcomic project. I did sketch out the characters, so I'll put that picture up on the wordpress blog later today. I'll see you Monday.

Comments For ARW Page 443

Slara's gone from the frying pan and into the fire. It's a long way down. I wonder how she's going to survive?

I've been drawing a lot of people lately and I think it shows in my drawing of Slara. It was almost too easy to pose her for this page. I'm amazed at how good I'm getting at this.

I'm most surprised at the last panel. I just pulled that perspective completely out of my head. Then I added the waves and some highlights and the whole image just pops from the page. If there is one problem with it, it's that Slara looks like she's way out over the water instead of falling out of the window. Maybe the cliff face slants under the castle - yeah, that's it.

I've been working on a new freelance project that requires me to draw several young woman, which is kind of nice. I feel that I need to put more effort into the project then I do in my webcomic because I'm doing it for someone else. Because of this, the project is taking a lot of time. This means I can't do any work on my new webcomic, which I'm disappointed about. I have been thinking about it during my breaks, but it's not developing very quickly. I should be done by this weekend, so I'll try to get something done then.

Comments For ARW Page 442

Hey, Slara you might want to look behind you. This scene may not actually happen but it's fun to think about.

I think this is the most work I've put into a cover. That's not to say it's the most work I've put into a drawing. I have done a few pictures that have taken a few days to complete while this page only took 6 hours to make.

It's has a nice cartoon look to it, so I kind of like it. The idea was to copy a cover from an old children's comic book. The title comes from an old movie title, which I'm sure most people recognize. This is a hint about what the next chapter will be about.

I'm still working on my new comic but things are going slower then I had hoped. Other things keep interfering with my time and I really need to focus on what's really important. I hope to be able to put something on the wordpress blog tomorrow. I have a few things to do but I should be able to do something. Go over to dungeonwarden.wordpress.com and see what's going on.

Comments For ARW Page 441

Slara is all alone. What is she going to do? Get out of there as fast as she can, that's what she's going to do.

Thus ends another chapter of ARW. The next chapter will be the first one that Racheal is not the central character. The story will follow Slara as she tries to decide what to do next. Monday's page will be a nice cover image that will hint at what is going to happen. I'll leave that for you to imagine for yourself.

For my next web comic, I'm still debating if I should go completely for the laughs, completely serious, or somewhere in between. I want to do the comic in a different style with well constructed characters, but I also would like a simple style that will allow me to make more updates. I want to go completely black and white so I can use a looser style, but I also what the pages to look nice. I'm really going to have to play around with this for a while until I get the perfect mix of quality art but nothing too stressful to draw.

This will be a very character driven story as well, so I need to write the characters in a realistic way and have lots of interaction between them. They are very different people but their goals are very similar, so that they will work together but will step on each others toes as well. I want to do this right so it will be a while before the first page ever goes online. When it does, I hope to release a full 30 page comic book to introduce the characters.

Comments For ARW Page 440

Oops, looks like Racheal's down. The girls actually lost the battle. Looks like this is the end ... or not.

This cold/flu thing is still hanging on but I'm recovering my strength. This will be the last page without any background detail for a while, so it's good that I have my strength back.

My next chapter will have lots of different backgrounds so I can practice them. The characters will be moving outside again, so expect more details.

I'm also working on a new comic and I put a short description of the main characters on a wordpress blog. This isn't a finalized list but I think it's a good mix. I'll draw up some character designs and some story details as I continue the blog. This blog is mainly for ARW, so I felt a development blog dedicated to the new comic would be a good idea.

I'll see you all on Friday (sooner if you go to the other blog).

Comments For ARW Page 439

Looks like Racheal pulled a fast one on Horese. Can she keep it up or will Horese slam her. Return Wednesday and find out.


Nothing special about the art. I'm finally over my cold (or flu or whatever it was) but I'm still a little drained. Hopefully a good nights sleep will cure that.

I should have some new information about my next webcomic tomorrow. I've been thinking about the characters and I'll write them up soon.

I want to help others get better with their art, but I need to get better myself. Does anyone what me to teach them at my current skill level? I doubt it. I'm going to put a lot more effort into my next web comic and hopefully learn the skills I need to be completive. I've gotten so much better, but I still have a long way to go.

Does anyone know if there is an online artists support group? Maybe I should start one.

Comments For ARW Page 438

Racheal has cat-like reflexes. Odd how that works. Strange how Horese keeps calling her Katt. Long time readers should know why, but that brings up a whole other series of questions.

This page took a long time to draw, especially the first panel. That one panel took as long to draw as the whole last page did. The rest of the page took that much time again.

I'm thinking of ending ARW after the next two chapters and finishing up the story. The comic has been running about three years now and hasn't been having a lot of success. Lots of people have been reading the archives, but I don't get many people returning on a regular basis.

I tried to do a strip comic (split shift) but we all know what a mess that was.

I'm going to write up a story and develop characters for a new webcomic based on the new Dungeon and Dragons forth Edition RPG. I've been reading about the rules changes and new character classes and races, and there are some interesting developments in the game that would be fun to draw. I especially like the new battle tactics rules. I can see being able to do battle scenes that would make great drawings because of all the interesting things you can do each round. I'm going to take my time and do this right.

It will still be a few months before the new rule books are released, so I'll spend that time developing the characters and story. In the meantime I'll keep working on ARW and finish up the story. I hope people will support me during this time of change.

I'll see you all on Monday.

Comments For ARW Page 437

Find the simian and take her to the gate. Sounds easy enough . . . not! Where is the simian? What is the gate and where is it? These are things Slara will have to answer if she wants to see her friends again.

Still sick so the page is still simple. I tried to keep it from being just a bunch of talking heads.

I had originally planned to have Horese throw Slara against the wall in the second to last panel but it was too much effort. Instead she just knocks her out and drops her to the floor. That's clear in the last panel, right?

I really can't think straight. I'm going to bed. I'll see you Friday.

Comments For ARW page 436

What! Lady Elise is actually Horese! who would have guessed it? Okay, maybe you might have guessed. I did leave a few clues.

When Slara called Elise whore on page 424, she was really saying Horese but was cut off before she could finish her sentence.

I'm still feeling the affects of this cold/flu/infection thing, so I kept the page simple. Not much going on here anyway. I suppose I might have advanced the story further if I was feeling better, but it's probably good to spend a moment to reveal Elise's real identity.

I played the new Sam and Max season 2 episode 4 game and it's one of the funniest games in the series. I don't know how many people are playing this series, but you should search it out. You can play it on Gametap.com or go to the Telltales Games website and buy the series. Pick up season one as well.

Comments For ARW Page 435

What can Lady Elise do in a fight? Wait and see. Does she remind you of anyone you might have met before?

I tried something different for the middle panels. I think it would work better if the tail was actually moving or at least had action lines.

I like the smirk on the girl's face in panel 3 (first of the three triangle panels).

I put more shadows on Elise's face in the last panel but the face isn't as dark and evil looking as I had planned it to be. I need to work more on faces and shadows.

I also wanted more action as Racheal leaped at the tail in panel 6. Some action lines might have helped here as well. I originally had planned to show the poison barb just missing Toi as Racheal grabbed it, but I didn't want to spend a lot of time working on the drawing. I did get the page done on time, so maybe I should have delayed it a little longer and do it up right. Better late and action packed then early and lame looking.

My cold is still lingering on but I'm recovering. I should be back to full health by Monday. Take care.

Comments For ARW Page 434

Looks like Racheal and Toi have a new look. They were transformed all along. This battle just got a lot more interesting.

I found an action script to create jaguar fur that I used for Racheal's new look. The first time I ran the script it destroyed my page and I had to load an old save. I had to recolor the whole page, which was frustrating. I then ran the script in a new file and then saved it as a pattern. I then used the fill command to fill the area with the pattern. The pattern was non-repeating so the overlaps didn't line up, so I had to recolor the fur where there was over lap in the pattern. A lot of work but it does look pretty good.

I'm still not feeling well. I have a sore throat that makes my jaw hurt. I probably have an infection.

I'm looking into making a game to go with my comic. I'm just in the planing stages, but it will likely will be a simple text adventure kind of game. I'd like to do a fighting game or an RPG but that's way too much work. Maybe if I can get this game done, I'll do something more complex but for now I want to do something I could actually finish.

I'll post again Friday.

Comments For ARW page 433

Why aren't they transforming? Oh yeah, maybe they have. Remember what happened on page 420.

I've been fighting a cold this week, so it was hard for me to get this page done. I'm feeling better so I was able to get it done, but I still need to recover fully.

I have a couple of projects to work on. Part of me wants to get them done and part of me wants to sleep and worry about it later. Maybe I should take a nap. Arg, I need to push harder to get better.

I'll talk to you Wednesday.

Comments For ARW Page 432

That really is one scary transformation.

I'll give a cookie to anyone who figures out why the girls aren't transforming. It should be pretty obvious if you've been following the story.

I just finished presenting my comic over at the 910CMX webcomics podcast. Check out episode 26 to hear me pimp my webcomic and to hear the rest of the gang talk about getting negative feedback and about making a videogame to promote your webcomic. There are interesting discussions like this every week.

Have you seen the New Members link on the main page? I wrote out a description of every character and a short summary of every chapter. There are now more chapter breaks in the archive as well so that the first 250 comics or so isn't one huge chapter.

I'll post again Monday. Take care until then.

Comments For ARW Page 431

Oh no! Things aren't looking good for the party right now. You know they aren't going to die, so that means the fighting is going to get a lot more intense.

Is the new girl dead or will she power up as well? Wait and see.

Have you heard of this little pen and paper game called Dungeons and Dragons? There is a new 4th Edition coming out in June. I've been reading up on some of the new changes and it sounds like the game is much improved over previous editions. Check out D&D insider to learn more.

I should add that E. Gary Gygax died today (March 5, 2008) at the age of 69. His contribution to the realm of Fantasy Role Playing Games can't be denied. As the most outspoken of the creators of Dungeons & Dragons, he will always be the Father of RPGs to me.

Comments For ARW Page 430

A thousand needles doesn't sound like a very comfortable spell. Anyone remember this spell from the Final Fantasy series?

I put this page up pretty quickly. Drawing people standing around talking is a lot easier then having them fight. Unfortunately (for me) the characters will be fighting again on Wednesday.

Not much interesting happening right now. Just waiting to hear if I got the commission I applied for. Remember, if anyone whats me to do any art work for them, just let me know. I'm willing to do just about anything for money at this point.

I'll see you on Wednesday.

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.