Whoa, I’ve done more than I thought!
First things first, I managed to do everything important I set out to do with my WIP. I mean, I had some serious crunchtime at the end there, but it is done. I even threw in some pixel art progress for good measure one day.
It’s been crazy with freelance work lately. There’s been a total of 2 days when I haven’t been working on something, and that means I have less time to do my own things. Or so I thought. My husband’s insane rhythm in his own work has been rather inspirational, and I’ve kind of begun to understand how badly I manage my time. I mean, the man sits down and churns out thousands of lines of code like it’s nothing. But, for a padawan like myself, it is best to start with baby steps, like lessening the time I spend watching clips and scrolling.
As I mentioned, I managed to do all my WIP steps that I laid out in the last ArtLog. I regret to tell you, though, that my secondary project points weren’t so successful. I did the first one listed in the DevLog, and the rest I let slide. A valuable lesson learned there. Something about not biting off more than I can chew…
WIP: DA!
So, the shading is done for the comic, finally! After a talk with my lovely husband in crime, we decided to forgo the occlusion shadows and any excessive use of hatching. It would be too distracting, especially with the clean style we have come to like. I figured out the highlights as well, and now the art is pretty much done! It’s been crazy to see the progress, and a joy to observe the evolution of my skills.
So, the next phases of this project include things like making my own font, writing the script, and putting the text into the comic itself. I’m also excited about making the cover art, as well as a back leaflet that my husband suggested. So much fun to be had before this project is over!
If you’d like to know more about my progress and what’s next for DA!, check out the September ArtLog.
FP: SCaN
So, I didn’t manage to do all 3 things. But I did get the first one done! I now have the main characters, the core people that make up the plot and the story, figured out. It’s pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Especially when I only got to really put proper thought into the game on 3 separate days. I made some sketches, came up with some names. Puddy will be the MVP we all didn’t know we needed in our lives!
The 1:3 ratio between the WIP and FP seems to be doable at the moment. With this in mind, I’ve decided to pick up from the next point I had in mind. That would be to structure the main plotline and story arc of SCaN. I have a pretty good idea about it already, but it won’t hurt to clarify it.
For more sketches and glimpses at the characters, as well as more details of what’s to come, take a gander at the DevLog.
How to balance this influx of work…
As Autumn and Winter close in on us, I will once more, have more to do in the linguistic department. I need to try and find a way to balance the work with everything else, since I have this tendency to get extremely distracted. Especially when I’m tired, and well, I get tired very easily from such inconceivable stresses! Working… Chores… My own projects… Who on earth has the strength for all this travesty! (I kid, c’mon now.)
I’ve also been watching the gaming news with interest the past month. EA being bought and privatized, Nintendo going all haywire with their patents, we live in crazy times. Crazy, but interesting. It feels like the world is on the cusp of some major shift, which I can only hope is for the better, and not an insane over-correction. All this just makes me want to run to the end of DA!, already, so I can start making SCaN properly. I think it will be a good time for more ‘traditional’ games in the future.
Adventures of V continue, slowly but surely, whenever we have the time to do a sitting. My husband’s PCs companion, Connie the vampire, has had a rough time of it. Her soul was tainted, purified, and nearly consumed. Her body has been beaten, torn apart, and literally began to disintegrate into a molecular ash before V managed to save her life by throwing her into a literal pool of blood that a certain Mistress uses for her youth rituals. Good times, good times. Maybe we’ll make it into a comic, as well. It’s bloody entertaining, I say!
I’m having more and more peace of mind as I go forward, and despite the current situation and my near constant fatigue, I’m sure we will pull through. The end of the year is always a little wonky in business, no? And in my downtime, I will keep playing Clair Obscure. Whoa, the plot twist it threw at me!
Anyway, do check out my X from time to time – I post there on occasion, snippets and sneak peeks, and other curiosities.
Don’t get too discouraged by the dark season, and keep on walking through to your dream,
Mrs. V