Wednesday, October 30, 2013

New Copper Road! 10/30/13


*Checks calendar*  Oh dear, I'm running out of days to make Copper Roads. I, uh, I really hope all those deleted scenes I've posted this year give me some credit here.

Anyway, enjoy this look into the dummy costuming. Both actual dummy costume, and dummy costume that will soon become a real costume.  Extra changes in this process!  Vote here to see the comic!

Yvette actually had a third variation on her look in the original outlines. In three instances, a fan suggestion was close to my own idea, so I went with their vision. (Kaiju Tiffany was another, and the last hasn't appeared yet.) Yvette was originally a wallflower, but eliminating the decal made her invisible! And let me make this comic! Yaaaay!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Deleted Scene + FurFright + Contest Funtime!

Lots of stuff for this update! As I am heading north to table at FurFright this weekend, there's no time for me to spread things out! Connecticut peeps: Come see me!  I'll be in the back corner, waiting for you - and crying if you don't come.


This should have gone up for Friday, but I won't be near my computer on Friday. Vote to see a deleted scene now!  Due to the nature of the costume contest, I did a lot of playing around with my scripting. The original comics for the weekend ended up being scrapped. Those comics featured the kids arguing and rules and timing, which is so very them - but came out too wordy.  So, of course, I compressed THOSE comics into one script, just so I could make this strip to show you (some of) what might have been.

Speaking of the contest. The soft deadline has passed, and I've locked in most of the script.  Odds are new suggestions won't make it into the comic, but I still encourage art, so I can show it off later on!  Thanks to all who have submitted! I ended up using more costume ideas than I thought I would, so look forward to all the reveals! The first reader-inspired costume pops up on Sunday.  (Contest winners won't be revealed until the end of the story, by the way.)

Sunday, October 20, 2013

New Copper Road - and contest update!


The kids are starting to try on costumes, and they're taking it beyond Precocious and into Copper Road! Vote here to see the new comic!

As for the costume contest and giveaway - click the link or look at the post below - the time is now to get your ideas in! Tomorrow I complete the last of the pre-scripted comics, and now I'm on the scripting stage for the in-comic contest - which means it's time for your suggestions to enter the equation!  Email me your costume ideas ASAP!  (You have until the 23rd, but earlier is better.) Everyone who enters gets their name into a drawing for a book or art! Text entries are fine. (Adding a fan art bonus is merely a bribe to gain my favor, and you can send the artwork later if it's not complete yet.) If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Let's make this a holiday to remember!

And if you're still reading, I suggest you start planning a weekend trip to Connecticut, as I'll be tabling at FurFright this upcoming weekend!  It's the last chance to get a new art commission out of me for the year. After the con, I'm working entirely on pre-paid (or contest winner) pieces.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

The Precocious Costume Contest!


It took five years, but Precocious is finally getting a real Halloween story! To celebrate, I am having a contest that lets you get cool stuff AND shape how this Halloween story unfolds.

The fun of Halloween comes from the costumes, and this is where you come in. Submit your ideas for what the kids should dress up as this year, and you have a chance of seeing your idea pop up in the comic! What makes this contest extra interesting is that I've left the ending of this story open, because one good suggestion could fuel some creativity. I'm relying on you to provide inspiration!

(After my weekend trial run, I've update this post to make it clearer and fine tune things. Make sure you read it all!)

What you need to know and do to enter:

-While most entries will be in text form - which is perfectly fine - I'd love to give this contest a fan art aspect. If you can include an image of your costume idea, that will certainly make me favor your entry.  I don't require finished art - sketches like these are fine - but I need to see enough details to understand what you're proposing.  I'm really looking forward to showing off a gallery of costume submission art, so if you have any art chops at all I encourage you to take the time to whip something up.  Submit your text ideas ASAP, and make are if you want to or can.

-The costume I choose for the grand prize gets their idea incorporated into the Halloween story, and I will draw the submitter an art card of their winning suggestion. See the witch Yvette illustration in the banner for an example. (Oh, and I am putting her art card in the store if anyone wants to grab it! Cards are alphabetical, so Yvettewitch will be at the end if she's there.)

-Everyone who enters will be part of a drawing for a second prize. That winner has the choice of a signed copy of a Precocious book, or an art card from the store.  (If the winner is outside of the United States, you must choose an art card due to the high cost of shipping books.)  There will be a third book/art card prize that will go to one who submits art, provided enough entries appear.

-The entire class is in play for suggestions. I have *my* list of costumes for the kids. Your goal is to give me something even better. Have fun with this!  I wonder who will get the most suggestions - and how many will get none? (I hope I get enough entries to have lots of choices for everyone!)

-Check out the contact page for how to reach me. Send your entries to my email.  Just so I can keep track of stuff, I'd prefer you put all your suggestions into a single entry if you're doing text-only entries. While you can do more, aim for around five costume suggestions. Edit your ideas down to the best ones!

-As this is a time-sensitive thing, you are free submit your ideas in text, then make and send drawings for your entries later. I want to make this an easy contest for the artists out there, so I shall be flexible!

-I'm looking for a costume idea, not a script or suggestions on what to do with the costume.  I want the image if you have one, and a description along the lines of  "(character) as (costume)." You can include a description, and maybe a link to explain any reference your making, but don't write a lot to sell it.  Anyone offering their own joke suggestions gets disqualified. This contest doesn't change my policy of not accepting joke ideas. It's possible to submit ideas for costume sets, with multiple characters coordinating, though I'd like the grand prize winner to be a single costume idea.

-I don't know how many suggestions will make it into the final story, as part of this contest is to let your ideas guide me. I could choose the best or the worst ideas for the story - whatever inspires me to write a joke!  The most clever entries might not have an opening for them.  That's why I'm sharing the cool entries on the front page too, because clever stuff deserves to be celebrated!  The earliest possible date for a costume suggestion to appear in the comic is October 24th, by the way.  (Well, there's at least one comic before then with a costume idea that someone will surely suggest, but it's an obvious one and was in the script before this contest was announced.)

-Again, I encourage artwork, and I'll favor the art entries.  Doesn't matter how skilled you are. I like to see the effort! (Blackmailing artists friends to draw for you is good too!)

-You have a better chance of your idea being chosen the earlier it shows up. October 23rd is likely the latest date for you to submit ideas and have a chance of seeing them used, though I won't disqualify a good idea that comes later. Still, if I can get a script out of a good idea sent early, a great idea sent late will be bumped out because I lack the time to write it in.  I'll be traveling to FurFright from the 24th to 28th, so I need comics for those days finished before I leave. I'll accept art all the way through the end of the Halloween story, because I can still show it off even if it's too late for scripting.

-I ask that you not share your ideas and contest artwork with others until after the Halloween story is over. If I do choose your suggestion, I don't want other readers expecting it.

-If your suggestion doesn't make it into the comic, or a similar idea to yours is chosen instead, please don't get upset. As mentioned, I'm going with what gives me the best scripting potential, not necessarily the strongest submissions. I won't know what's right until I see it. Could be highly clever. Could be basic and simple. I could put in a dumb idea to make fun of a kid in a dumb costume! That's the thrill of it. You are the inspiration I don't know where it'll go yet!

Email me with any questions or concerns. If any new notes/edits need to be made, I'll update this post.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The books are in the store!


Update: The store seems to be having trouble with international orders. Tech guy is aware of it and working to fix. I can still take international orders outside of the store, if needed. Contact me with any questions. US-based orders are working fine.

As we reach the end of the book 2 preorder fulfillment, that means I can now stock the Precocious store with copies. All those who missed out on happy book times earlier, now's your chance!  I've even made a limited number of artist editions available. This might be your last chance to get a sketched book this year. If you want an example of what to expect for the sketch, please look at that darling Kaitlyn up above.

The Precocious store is also packed with art goodies! Please browse around and check out all the sections. The merchandise and originals categories are mostly neglected, but that should change soon. If there's something you'd like to see in the store, hit the contact page and let me know.  I'm paying for that store, so I'd sure like to make some sales with it. (Please let me know if you stumble across a glitch in the store, as it's still relatively new and I'm learning my way with it.)

I was hoping to boost my art production with book fulfillment winding down, but I'm dealing with a re-aggravated finger injury on my drawing hand and the health issues caused by that botched tooth extraction last year still have me hobbled.  This means streaming is going to be rare, and probably only for pre-paid work that I owe people. I will not open for new commission until my queue's been cleaned up, with the exception being at conventions. (The last con of the year for me is FurFright, so if you want an art card or character badge, get yourself to Connecticut for October 25-27!) Even when commissions open again, I will have to move my focus away from streamed work. I really want to get back to the grind I'm used to, but I must take it slow for a while.

Bah, let's end on something more fun. Keep checking this page for announcements. One more is coming this week, and it's nifty - especially if you like drawing (and simple assignments)!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

New Copper Road! 10/7/13


I have a bunch of news posts to make this week, and I don't know the correct order to post them in... so how about I give you the new comic first? Vote here to see the new comic! Read the comic. Enjoy the comic. But you'd better be reading this front page (or the sketch blog, which is what the front page mirrors) all throughout the week! And every week. Because stuff happens regularly in Precociousland!

(I'd post more stuff at once, but I know you guys. Of the few who do know this news section exists, about zero of them read below the top item.)

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

New Copper Road! 10/1/13


I was too sleepy to upload the new comic as soon as TopWebComics reset for the new month, but that's ok. I have a kitten in my house who thinks 5am is the perfect time to do that tornado-with-claws thing! So let's upload the new comic now!

Vote here to see it! As it is a new month, with the votes reset, that means an initial push is vital. Every little vote or word of mouth thing helps Precocious expand, and that's a good thing!

For today's comic... "Hey, Chrispy, where do you get your ideas?" "I was hungry and that caused problems." There. That's the secret. You can now all go forth and be productive cartoonists too!