Well, A little milestone for me has come. The end of one chapter and the beginning of a new has happened. Anyone unfamiliar with comics would say; "Great Job! you've accomplished so much!" While if you're a veteran of print comics or very familiar with print comics you would say "PPSSSHHH!! Whatever! Talk to me when you have more than one chapter behind you." The latter reaction might sound a little harsh, but for what I want to accomplish as a comic creator, the more critical of those two is the one that I should take to heart.
Really, think about it. Who would think a doctor was a satisfactory doctor after doing one checkup? Who would think a hair dresser was a master after doing one hair cut? Who would think a plumber was a superb plumber after fixing just one drain? Well, I have finished one chapter of a comic but that by no means makes me an expert. Sure, I've put the work into doing 22 pages of content but that by no means signifies that I've achieved all there is to know about making comics. I'm not saying this to dog myself or humble myself by any means. It's just a simple, undeniable truth. Understanding what there is to making comics takes more than 22 pages.
I have heard some say in either text or podcast conversations say that "You are not serious about doing your web comic unless you have been at it for two years." Do I understand what It's like to have been at it for two years? After only having released my web comic site on April 21st of 2013, the answer to that should be a resounding "Of course not!" And I agree with you. I still have a lot to prove. In all the categories of writing, penciling, inking, lettering, and coloring I still have so much to learn through doing, hardships, shortcomings, and triumphs. So making comics is something I want to take very seriously.
When I say to people that "I take comic creation seriously.' There are many times where that is taken as a negative connotation. They think that what I'm creating is either a super ponderous look at the human condition or more of a vapid arrangement of content that only appeals to the "artsy" crowd. And I can tell you deep down from the bottom of my heart (I just started a sentence with 'and' so you know I mean it.) that neither of those things are my goal. I just want to create a piece of content that I would find entertaining myself, as a consumer. If the text or context of my comic warrants reflection or discussions about theme or allegories for you the reader, then that's awesome! Do that, but it's not what I'm trying to accomplish. It's my personal belief that it's the responsibility of the participant of media to project meaning upon it. No one goes to a fine art museum with an audio device playing in their ear with the artist of each piece saying "This is the intention I had for the viewers of my work" I want to give readers the blocks and they can decide how they want to slide them together.
So when I use the word serious, I'm not referring to the way my comic is perceived or reflected on. I'm talking about myself and my work habits. I want to be able to release 2 pages a week (I want you all to hold me to this.) and being able to work up to a work flow like that is going to take some effort. I have been comfortable for a little while and it's time to push my boundaries to do more, faster, and better. No weight lifter sticks with one weight set indefinitely. Why should I stick with an overly cushy and comfortable workflow? Other web comics release more than one page a week, maybe it's about time I do too.
Here's hoping for a cool second chapter.
-Timbo
Really, think about it. Who would think a doctor was a satisfactory doctor after doing one checkup? Who would think a hair dresser was a master after doing one hair cut? Who would think a plumber was a superb plumber after fixing just one drain? Well, I have finished one chapter of a comic but that by no means makes me an expert. Sure, I've put the work into doing 22 pages of content but that by no means signifies that I've achieved all there is to know about making comics. I'm not saying this to dog myself or humble myself by any means. It's just a simple, undeniable truth. Understanding what there is to making comics takes more than 22 pages.
I have heard some say in either text or podcast conversations say that "You are not serious about doing your web comic unless you have been at it for two years." Do I understand what It's like to have been at it for two years? After only having released my web comic site on April 21st of 2013, the answer to that should be a resounding "Of course not!" And I agree with you. I still have a lot to prove. In all the categories of writing, penciling, inking, lettering, and coloring I still have so much to learn through doing, hardships, shortcomings, and triumphs. So making comics is something I want to take very seriously.
When I say to people that "I take comic creation seriously.' There are many times where that is taken as a negative connotation. They think that what I'm creating is either a super ponderous look at the human condition or more of a vapid arrangement of content that only appeals to the "artsy" crowd. And I can tell you deep down from the bottom of my heart (I just started a sentence with 'and' so you know I mean it.) that neither of those things are my goal. I just want to create a piece of content that I would find entertaining myself, as a consumer. If the text or context of my comic warrants reflection or discussions about theme or allegories for you the reader, then that's awesome! Do that, but it's not what I'm trying to accomplish. It's my personal belief that it's the responsibility of the participant of media to project meaning upon it. No one goes to a fine art museum with an audio device playing in their ear with the artist of each piece saying "This is the intention I had for the viewers of my work" I want to give readers the blocks and they can decide how they want to slide them together.
So when I use the word serious, I'm not referring to the way my comic is perceived or reflected on. I'm talking about myself and my work habits. I want to be able to release 2 pages a week (I want you all to hold me to this.) and being able to work up to a work flow like that is going to take some effort. I have been comfortable for a little while and it's time to push my boundaries to do more, faster, and better. No weight lifter sticks with one weight set indefinitely. Why should I stick with an overly cushy and comfortable workflow? Other web comics release more than one page a week, maybe it's about time I do too.
Here's hoping for a cool second chapter.
-Timbo
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