Friday, October 30, 2015

Chapter 1, Page 8




Den Says:
And here is Astaria. Yes, she is a catgirl. The term for her type of DenYa is "Catwold". She's a dark tabby. She's also pretty young, by DenYa standards. I tried recreating a dress I have from memory, only to find that while I got the color right, I had the ruffles in the wrong place. Astaria's costume will change, because she likes a bit of variety in her wardrobe, and she doesn't think pants/trousers are oppressive.

This is the last page of comic for this chapter. I drew this chapter, start to finish, in about two weeks during NaNoWriMo 2014. I'll be working on the second and third chapters during this year's NaNoWriMo, and hopefully will have those two chapters done and in print by the time next summer rolls around. after NaNoWriMo, I'll try to update the pages at about one a week, though I may just end up doing like I did with the first chapter and upload all of them on one day.


Also, if you like the comic, let me know in the comments, or if you see me at a convention or event that has an artist's alley, stop by to chat me up!

Chapter 1, Page 7




Den Says:
This was honestly the easiest page for me to draw. Lots of dialogue and little action makes for an easy scripting and thus an easy draw.

Kae Yau does have fangs.You can get a good set at a good costume shop or online. I recommend "Foothills" brand, but if those aren't available, there may be substitutes that work well enough. Be careful not to get ones that are too long, because they make talking a lot harder than it needs to be. I'm saving up to get a pair of small ones... I have a pair of medium-length ones, and I feel they're too long for me, but someone with a bigger mouth might find them more comfortable.


Also, if you like the comic, let me know in the comments, or if you see me at a convention or event that has an artist's alley, stop by to chat me up!

Chapter 1, Page 6




Den Says:
I honestly had a lot of fun making the fireball Kae Yau's playing with. I had to look up a few tutorials on making flames, and then I got confused, so I just did my own thing. I think it looks pretty cool, to be honest.  The hard part was getting the glow on Kae Yau's body and clothes from the fireball consistent.

And yes, Banshee wears two capes. The furry cape (capelet?) goes on top of a teal cape, and is fastened with a brooch. And the thing at Banshee's waist is a belt buckle with an orange gem.


Also, if you like the comic, let me know in the comments, or if you see me at a convention or event that has an artist's alley, stop by to chat me up!

Chapter 1, Page 5




Den Says:
Run away, snake lady, run away. I'm sure we all have had that one coworker at some point...  I'm not really fond of how bland and plain the walls and cube farm are, to be honest. But it makes it easier for me to keep the backgrounds fairly consistent, at least.  Plus, like most cube farms, it's kind of distraction-free... I think.


Banshee's outfit is actually a Vogue 8808 pattern with added sleeves. She's also got long boots on, again with a sensible heel. I'm working on the maxi-length version of the pattern for myself, and will eventually make the shorter version for conventions, but in the meantime, I have a lot of skirts I can wear, because Banshee is a skirt/blouse or dress kinda gal. 

And fyi, Banshee's furry cape, in the comic universe, is made from a black bear that died of natural causes. For a cosplayer, I'd recommend faux fur, and when I get around to making it, I'll be using faux fur. I'll get around to posting a cosplay guide for the characters eventually.


Also, if you like the comic, let me know in the comments, or if you see me at a convention or event that has an artist's alley, stop by to chat me up!

Chapter 1, Page 4




Den Says:
I based Kae Yau's wardrobe in this shot on things I actually own. They are as follows: spaghetti-strap tanktop, khaki slacks, drab green jacket, orange polyester scarf used as a belt. She also wears low-heeled boots. Actually, all of my characters who have feet wear very practical and comfortable shoes and clothing... Years of cosplaying have taught me that comfortable and sensible shoes are essential. I also wanted to make the characters' clothing things that would be easy for cosplayers to track down or make, same with the hairstyles (or in Rosemary's case, lack of hair).  

I really don't like drawing hands, in case you haven't noticed.

And yes. Kae Yau has a LOT of titles. Spoiler alert: she's going to get more as the story progresses, and she's not the only one who will!


PSA: Smoking is a bad idea. Kae Yau has been told this numerous times, but she's old enough that she doesn't give a flip, plus she's not human. Don't imitate her. You are not a multi millennial-old non-human.


Also, if you like the comic, let me know in the comments, or if you see me at a convention or event that has an artist's alley, stop by to chat me up!

Chapter 1, Page 3




Den Says:
Yes, I used a different font for Kae Yau's lines, because that was the best way I could think of to show that she's got a weird accent. I also did it for Rosemary and Bathilda. And yes, the calendar on Bathilda's cubical says what you think it says. I'd just seen "Guardians of the Galaxy" a few hours before (Yay for Redbox rentals) when I started cleaning up this page. My absolute favorite thing about this page, though, is the smoke. I like doing things like that because it challenges me to do trickier things.


Also, if you like the comic, let me know in the comments, or if you see me at a convention or event that has an artist's alley, stop by to chat me up!

Chapter 1, Page 2


Den Says:
The map is my absolute least favorite part of the comic. It took forever to clean up. That said, my favorite part of this page is actually the screen in the background, because it, like most of the labels that will appear in the story, is actually a geeky little thing. I've long since forgotten what the geeky thing was, but I know it was something geeky... I want to say that it was the opening theme to "Firefly", but that may be wrong...


Also, if you like the comic, let me know in the comments, or if you see me at a convention or event that has an artist's alley, stop by to chat me up!

Chapter 1, Page 1




Den Says:
Let's start this adventure off right. This is the comic cover, minus the price that is on the printed comics. In printed form, everything's a bit darker, because I use GIMP as my art program, and my computer throws a fit whenever I try to install the plugin that would allow me to do CMYK coloration instead of RGB. Lesson learned: Go lighter than you think you'll need if you're working in GIMP.


Also, if you like the comic, let me know in the comments, or if you see me at a convention or event that has an artist's alley, stop by to chat me up!