New Year, New Updates

This post is overdue, but some things are better late than never, right? I took the last two weeks of December to slow down, reflect, organize my thoughts and plans, all that stuff. I meant to share that about a week ago but I let myself get distracted by other projects (ADHD strikes again!). So here I am sitting down to write it today and share my tentative plans for the year. I've organized them by project below, so you can either read the full thing or just skip to what you're most interested in.

The Sparrow

I spoke to some friends, re-read my Issue 2.1 script, and decided to do some heavy editing. The plot still works and all the beats are intact. But I felt like I'd gotten lazy. I don't enjoy the writing part as much as I like the drawing parts. I don't get that same instant dopamine hit from finishing and sharing my writing that I do from sharing drawings. 

That's a really tough block to get around, especially when I feel pressed for time. I still feel pressure to post something new to Twitter, etc., almost every day, and I've struggled for a long time to let that go. Even today, I'm not sure how to convince my brain that it's okay to settle down and I don't need to constantly churn out new art just to share it so people don't forget about me. Since I'm not as into the writing part, I both rush through it AND I get easily distracted from it while I try to get through it.

However, I feel a lot better about this rewriting process. I've been keeping up with it and I have been getting through it at a smooth pace. I felt like I could do more to bring out my characters' personalities. I also felt like I could do a lot better with my page layouts. Doing thumbnails, much like writing, feels more like a necessary evil than a fun part of the process. It's another issue I'm trying to handle, but as with the rewriting, I feel more committed and motivated to this revision.

The TL;DR of this is as follows: I'm rewriting and re-thumbnailing Issue 1 to make it better and push myself. I am about 2/3 through the rewrite and I expect to finish that tomorrow (Friday, Jan 14). I expect to finish thumbnails by the end of next week, barring unexpected life circumstances. I will share the thumbnails, but not the script, to all tiers of Superhero and above.

My goal is to have at least two issues of the Sparrow done this year. That'll be about 48 pages in a year. If I can get more done, I absolutely will! As you know, finished pages will be available to all patrons, and WIPs will be available to Superhero and higher. I also plan to create a pitch packet and see if I can't get an agent or publisher.

I would also like to make a bit more character art, and I'm brainstorming ways to do that. I've tried to do a monthly drawing and I think I can pick that back up, but I plan to work with my routine to include something like monthly illustrations and art practice again. I would like to get back to pushing myself again and these illustrations were a good help with that. I want to improve composition, character portrayals, backgrounds, the whole works, and doing regular full illustrations really helped a lot.

They just take longer to do and I'm trying to find that balance of "making them look nice" with "getting them done without taking forever and getting bored."

Pathfinder/Starfinder

I'll be continuing to design these characters and create work based on them. I may go beyond the iconic I've already squared away, but I have enough work to do with the characters I've got on deck. There will be lewd art of them, as well as previews of the projects I'm working on with them. I do want to make a visual novel of the Starfinder crew. 

Ren'py seems easy enough to work with. I'm writing notes about how I want to do this. My plan is to take a Monster Prom type of approach. Each playthrough will take about 2 hours, give or take, and will let you pursue the different characters' storylines. I'll explain more of it later when I have more to share.

Anyway, I plan to explore these characters through drawing and designing them. I'll be creating Strapping Lads-type entries for them, and I'll share a lot of that here with you all!

I also hope to be a recurring feature in the Queerfinder zine for as long as it runs, so you'll see work based on it here.

Historical Husbands

Some of you may remember this from a year or so ago. The short version is I created an Italian plague doctor and his Chinese mystic husband as monster hunters in a historical fiction set in the Sparrowverse. I had to set that aside to actually finish the Sparrow book 1! 

I want to revisit this story and put together a pitch packet for it. I don't have any plans to make a second webcomic for it. This is solely to try and pitch. If I finish pitching and don't get any bites, I'll figure out what I want to do from there. The main Sparrow story with Scott and friends is my main comic focus and will be for the foreseeable future.

Hunks 2023 Calendar

I'm gonna try and run this earlier in the year this time. I don't know what theme I wanna do yet, but I have ideas. I may do another coffee one, but I've also thought about tea or cocktails. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

And if there are any major projects you think would fit my style and point of view, feel free to suggest them below.

Thank you all for your support! 2021 was a pretty good year for me artistically and I hope 2022 is even better!