#mudskipper comic

[mudscribbles]

Today, the 10th of August, is Mudskipper’s 4th anniversary! My overriding emotion can be summed up in a line from the Studio Killers jam that inspired this quick pencil-and-Posca Marker doodle: surely I’ve done something right

[mudscribbles]

To make up for the lack of an update this week, here’s a young Victorian lady and the mysterious dog-formed being who gave her a steam powered watch that can disguise her and her equally mysterious friends with coloured smoke

Sorry I’ve kind of dropped the ball on posting doodles and WIPs between updates; I’m trying to make my third and final year of university really count. That’s no excuse for not at least trying to strike a balance, though!

[mudscribbles]

The 10th of August marks Mudskipper’s second anniversary!!

I’m in the process of moving at the moment, so I didn’t really have time to do a big, fancy thing like last year... so I told myself I’d just do a quick, rough painting conveying my feelings about the occasion... one not-particularly-quick painting later, it’s past midnight on the 10th where I am. Oops.

This is my last summer as a student, before I have to actively look for work in the animation industry (or not!). It’s an uncertain time for my future, but the one thing I do know is that I want Mudskipper to be part of that future, and I’m thankful to anyone reading this whether they’ve been here for two years or have just joined the crew on their adventures. So, here they are heading into that uncertain but bright future!

By the way, it’s wallpaper sized (at least it should be for most monitors), so save the full size version and enjoy!

[mudscribbles]

I was watching the Educating series and got thinking about the ‘skippers’ school lives!

Text transcribed for mobile or screenreader users (or just people allergic to obnoxious colours) under the cut:

Hey, Mudskippers! What are your favourite subjects in school?

Katsuko: English! I like how in books, they TELL you what people are thinking and feeling (just don’t ask me to discuss it in a group)

Macco: History! It’s so cathartic to hear all the ways the people of this planet have made a pig’s ear of things

Zo: Maths! Everything has a right and a wrong answer - and I know ALL the right ones!

IkkI: Art! You just can’t beat making a big ol’ mess! (P.E.’s pretty fun too!)

Jull: Science, especially Biology! Anything to help me understand how to better help my friends!

KallI: Hacking into the school’s database and updating four non-existent students’ files every night...

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this year I found out there’s a Japanese dish called pumpkin katsu, and this idea immediately popped into my head:

a Katsu(ko) pumpkin

happy Halloween!!!

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I used my recent holiday as a chance to solidify some things about Mudskipper that had previously been vague in my mind, including something I meant to make before even starting to draw the comic: a chart of character relationships. This idea was mentioned multiple times on the podcast Art and Story, which greatly helped me make the transition from loosely-connected doodles to comics (if you’re not sure where to start listening, I recommend this series); I really enjoyed making it and look forward to exploring these relationships in future chapters.

An arrow pointing to a character’s signature shape represents how the character it’s coming from feels about the character it’s pointing to. Under the cut is a transcription of all the post-it notes, which contain some information you’ll already know from chapters 1&2 and some hints of things to come. If you’re thinking of making a Mudskipper fanwork (which I encourage!), this might be of use to you!

Katsuko → Kalli: Acts like she hates her, but is curious about the society that shaped her and her thirst for knowledge

Kalli → Katsuko: Thinks of her as a fascinating “subject” but also feels sympathy for her and wants to help her somehow

Kalli → Zo: Close and companionable; sees her as an equal despite having more experience as a scientist

Zo → Kalli: Admires her technological skills (and may have a bit of a crush?); can be clingy

Zo → Macco: They effectively raised each other; she loves him but obeys his wishes a bit too easily

Macco → Zo: Protective of her; knows how capable she is but wants to be a little too involved (jealousy?)

Macco → Ikki: Seems to despise his recklessness, but secretly envies his confidence in his place in the group

Ikki → Macco: Claims to despise his uptightness, but enjoys ribbing him and recognises how he was shaped by his circumstances

Ikki → Jull: Nothing but love - affectionate and protective, but struggles to let him know how much he admires his intelligence and compassion

Jull → Ikki: Pure love - is grateful for his protectiveness, but wishes he could reciprocate it by being more useful

Jull → Katsuko: Intimidated by her, but admires her independence and determination

Katsuko → Zo: Annoyed by her perkiness, but is a bit jealous of her optimism and intelligence

Zo → Katsuko: Opposites attract? - fascinated by her cool demeanour and admires her despite knowing Katsuko isn’t that receptive to Zo’s affection

Zo → Jull: Loves bouncing off of him and feels she can be herself around him and confide in him in a way she can’t with Macco or Kalli

Jull → Zo: Enjoys her company despite (or partly because of?) her extreme extroversion compared to his extreme shyness; he admires her forwardness

Zo → Ikki: Enjoys his encouragement to take risks and admires his courage

Ikki → Zo: Fire and gasoline - a bit of a bad influence on her (or at least Macco would say so), and he relishes this

Ikki → Katsuko: Endeared to her - wants to take her under his wing and teach her confidence

Katsuko → Ikki: Both admires and is intimidated by his confidence, but finds him more approachable than Kalli or Zo due to his relaxed attitude

Ikki → Kalli: Appreciates her laid-back leadership but can’t really relate to her scientific manner

Kalli → Ikki: Sometimes annoyed by his abrasiveness, but admires his spirit of adventure

Kalli → Macco: Respects his opinions but thinks he could stand to be a bit more daring

Macco → Kalli: Looks up to and obeys her but thinks she might benefit from taking herself and her mission more seriously

Macco → Jull: Trusts his calmness and thinks he deserves more confidence

Jull → Macco: Feels secure around him and envies his cold logic

Macco → Katsuko: Admires her adaptability but doesn’t want to push her into anything she doesn’t want to be a part of

Katsuko → Macco: Feels “on the same level” as him due to both their impatience for shenannigans, but knows they don’t have much in common beyond that

Katsuko → Jull: Appreciates his gentle manner, but feels guilty that she can manipulate him without meaning to and fears he won’t last long on Earth

Jull → Kalli: Feels pressured to impress her, but enjoys her company

Kalli → Jull: Finds him endearing and wants to help him come out of his shell

...I think that’s how everyone feels about everyone. Phew!