Writer's Log #3
I'm long overdue for another writer's update (sorry!), but for good reason! So here's what I've been working on:
The Period Comic! -- Yes, I'm still working on it! I may have been a little hasty in my last log when I thought I could start storyboarding (oops). I think of my narratives pretty simultaneously with visuals so I thought I could jump straight in, but I found myself struggling and rewriting a lot; I felt like I was going in circles! To decrease the friction, I decided to just focus on writing the dialogue to give me a firmer base to ideate on, and over 5 months I feel like I made much more progress! After writing the dialogue for 60% of the chapters (providing no scope creep), I'm starting to do the lettering and layout stage for the chapters I have done to add some variety into my work to keep myself motivated and interested. Lesson learned: what works for one project, may not always work for another! I'm glad I was able to pivot to a better workflow for both my progress and sanity.
A little peek at WIP on the first page. (I'm loving CSP for comic-making so far, but man are there TOO many panels!) I plan on going back and adding in sketches before sending them out to folks for the initial proof-reading!
2. Contract Work -- This Spring, I also started some contract work that I wasn't certain would come through! It has a short-turn around, meaning I had to sideline a significant amount of time away from my comic into it, but it also means that I will be able to return to my own work full-time soon! It will be the first illustration work published using my pen name, so I am very excited to be able to share it publicly soon!
3. Personal TCG Commissions & Designs -- For those who don't know, my partner is very active in the PokƩmon trading card game (TCG) community. I've been very grateful that some of our local players have reached out to me to design custom playmats for them, and have been working on some general non-bespoke designs as a more affordable option for folks! We're currently in talks with a potential printing vendor, but I can't wait to share these designs in the near future with you too!
As for non-project related endeavours, I've been attending local figure drawing sessions to help me keep up my skills. However, I hope that with some of the extra time I'll get back from finishing up my contract that I'll be able to draw for fun again!
That's all for now--thank you again for your patience!
-- Mei Ting š„