Christmas in Madison :-)

Progress 🖊️

Howdy! In the most recent newsletter, I outlined how I'm only focusing on thumbnailing, penciling, and inking comic pages for Year Four at the moment. This means I'm in a week-to-week cycle of grabbing a new episode from the Year Four master script -> thumbnailing as many as I can in a cafe -> plowing through pencils -> and inking.

Comics 4.11, 4.12, and 4.13 are all...inked and ready for flatting. I have drawn SO many instances of Coach. And despite the conflict he introduces into the narrative, I think you guys are gonna like him? Based off the images below, how do you feel about Eric Bittle's father?

So yes, between the last livestreaming session and today, I penciled and inked an entire comic! Yahoo! 

thumbnails:

pencils:

inks:

probably my favorite coach expression. Resigned shrugging because he knows his family is quirky.

coach tells Bitty important words but diffuses them by not making eye contact and giving him a manly pat. Good Job Coach.

Above, my progress. By the next #report, I hope to be done with 4.15. 🙏 8^)

Thumbnailing

Speaking of Thumbnails--that's all I did yesterday. In comparison to my other comic friends' thumbnails, mine are indecipherable messes.

Yup, there you go. Honestly, 4.13 are at that questionable-level where I have to draw them ASAP because I will legitimally forget what the hell my drawings mean. I have left thumbnails sitting around and I've had to redraw them. I mean:

Check Please Sticks & Scones Cover

ALSO...I HAVE TO DESIGN AND DRAW THE COVER OF CHECK, PLEASE!: STICKS & SCONES. Since I've been touring for the book, I've encountered a lot of young adult novelists/writers--and whenever we get to the topic of covers it's SO fascinating how different the process is for authors vs comic artists. Obviously, there's more pressure because the cover can only be as good as my design skills and draftsmanship. (🙃🙃🙃!!) But I do benefit from immediately having characters and environments to showcase.

But back to the pressure: I'm not only designing and illustrating a storytelling piece for my comic--I'm making a marketing element! Gaaaaaaah someone might decide to read this based off my drawings. @_@. I can only share some VERY early drafts. But who knows, I might work on this during a livestream!

#Rambling

Go-to wardrobe choices for Check Please characters
Louis: headphones as accessory
Bully: bowling shirts (and leather jackets)
Hops: hoodies & kicks
Ford: cardigans and/or skirts
Nursey: sweaters, collared shirts
Dex: flannel
Chowder: Sharks
Lardo: purple
Jack: FACLS OR SAMWELL APPAREL END OF LIST
Wicky: polo shirt
Tater: literally workout gear or a suit

imagine Jack in Madison for the Holidays

jack: happy boxing day

coach: listen I've accepted a lot of new things under this roof

coach: i stop at boxing day

Jack and Bitty Fluff of The Week: Every time Jack says "eh" or that dipthong in "about" shortens, Bitty becomes more fond! There's something in the idiosyncrasy of an accent that makes a person more endearing. And it's not just the accent Jack gets from being Canadian, it's the little flourishes of his accent that are the product of speaking French as well. Sometimes those Quebecois flourishes can be completely erased, but then there are other times where Bitty can hear it loud and clear. (Like right when Jack gets off the phone with his dad or when Bitty indulges Jack with some half-remembered college French.) 

Bitty is 100% sure that Jack revels in the respective quirks in Bitty's English, and may have already internalized some of those quirks. (i.e. the moment Bitty realized Jack was no longer saying "y'all" ironically. (note: Bitty will never say "eh?"))